Quality assurance (QA) testing in manufacturing ensures that a product meets or exceeds a predetermined set of quality and performance standards. This testing strategy aims to identify any product and procedural problems that could otherwise result in flaws, damage, or service issues, correcting them so as to provide an excellent experience for customers with both your product and your company.
Two common types of quality testing are mechanical and chemical analyses, which help verify that a raw material lot is qualified for production runs and that end products meet minimum quality standards. At OPM, Inc., we can help you not only adhere to your internal specs and quality standards but also comply with industry, local, or national regulations as well, e.g. listed in NACE MR0175 and NORSOK standards for the oil and gas industries.
What Is Mechanical Analysis?
Mechanical analysis is an important part of the design phase because it examines a product’s performance capabilities by exposing it to a range of simulated operating conditions. This analysis will test not only how well the product will hold up to normal operation but also how it might handle more extreme situations, with a focus on functionality and performance reliability. Mechanical testing might include:
- Yield and Tensile strength analysis. This mechanical test determines the maximum level of stress a product can withstand before it fails.
- Compression analysis. This analysis tests for the maximum degree of compression force a part can handle.
- Fatigue analysis. To see what mechanical strain a product can take under dynamic forces before it results in part damage or failure, manufacturers can run fatigue tests.
- Hardness testing. Checking for hardness means analyzing a material’s deformation resistance capabilities against another material.
- Temperature analysis. For hot and/or cold temperatures, this testing pinpoints the temperatures a product can withstand before deforming or losing performance capacity. (E.g. cold weather or low temperature impact requires testing according to the ASTM standard).
The results of a mechanical analysis show whether the raw material of a part meets performance specifications before a company chooses to expend resources manufacturing it. If a product fails testing, the design and engineering team will revalidate the component so that it won’t succumb to part failure after actual production. Without mechanical analysis, such failure scenarios could remain unknown until after a product reaches customers’ hands, resulting in the potential for significant revenue loss, damaged company reputation, and even legal liability. Mechanical analysis can also be useful in reverse engineering projects when an engineer needs to replicate an existing part or enhance a product’s design.
What Are Chemical Analysis Services?
Chemical analysis is a form of quality testing that uses advanced instrumentation to determine if a product’s chemical composition and properties meet the intended specifications, quality levels, and safety or regulatory standards. Expert technicians conduct chemical analysis services to reliably carry out numerous chemical tests, including:
- Composition analysis / Microstructure analysis. This testing helps identify chemical material composition, its molecular structure, chemical quality, any impurities, and other fundamental chemical properties.
- Metals testing. This analysis determines the exact elemental and alloy composition of a metal along with its properties.
- Testing for unknowns. Identifying unknowns might include material composition, unexpected substances, and impurities in the product.
- Trace contamination testing Testing for contamination not only detects contaminants in even the smallest of amounts, but it can also help determine when in the process the product became contaminated.
- Regulatory testing. This assures compliance with regulatory bodies such as government agencies and international scientific standards organizations like the ISO
Mechanical and Chemical Analysis by OPM
At OPM, we are committed to quality. In addition to our machining services, for which we complete process, dimensional, and visual inspections for 100% quality, we specialize in advanced mechanical and chemical quality testing. We utilize a vertically integrated platform for enhanced quality control, allowing for full traceability and accountability from raw materials to machined end products and assemblies.
Our team delivers custom steels and alloys per clients requirements and standards. Traceability: The heat identification is maintained through all stages of the process. The heat treat batch identities are maintained with the heat lot traceability. For each heat lot of material, a specimen will be tested at the mill’s internal laboratory. An additional specimen from the same heat lot will be tested by OPM at an accredited 3rd party material laboratory.
OPM conducts the following analysis and testings, prior to utilizing materials for CNC machining:
- Chemical composition analyses.
- Mechanical properties.
- Volumetric Non-Destructive Testing (NDT). Ultrasonic Testing for Bar, tube and bored bar.
- Microstructure testing (in case required).
- Surface Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Liquid Penetrant (in case required).
- Cold Weather Toughness / Low Temperature Impact Toughness by conducting Charpy tests (in case required).
- Pitting resistance (in case required).
- Corrosion Testing (in case required).
Contact our team members today for more information about our mechanical and chemical analysis services and quality testing capabilities.