The Intertek MSG Microscopy team has vast experience of solving contamination problems. This is a significant part of the Industrial Forensic Science service the team offers. We solve problems across almost all manufacturing and product sectors. In general if we can present the specimen of interest to our equipment then we will solve your problem. The table below shows just a few examples of the problems we have solved and resulting benefits.
| Problem | Contaminant | Source | Outcome |
| microscopic black particles in fine powder pigment |
calcium carbonate reinforced carbon based rubber |
damaged and deteriorating final product filler hose |
replaced and contaminated product was recalled before delivery to customer |
| coloured defects on coated surface of metal wire consumer product |
high molecular weight coating gels |
cross contamination from previous product |
part recall was avoided because defect did not affect product integrity and was benign |
| metal debris passing magnets on newly constructed plant start up |
thin flat fragments of aluminium, one side printed, red and white |
Coca Cola cans from maintenance contractors discarded in plant |
plant start up not delayed. new contractor training introduced plus improved housekeeping procedures. |
| weld failure in construction material |
agglomerated powdery inorganic material |
single part of multi component additive pack due to incorrect blending |
independent analysis continued during process optimisation. Product replaced before completion |
| embedded particulate material causing bottle failure |
highly crystalline unmelts and degraded base material |
product build up in process plus incorrect process conditions |
material recalled, customer compensated. Returned material used as reclaim in different product. |
| replication marks on final product show face |
solvent residue causing localised chemical attack |
contact adhesive residual solvent and incompatible barrier properties |
customer successfully defended a disputed claim |
| flexible electronic product failure - metal track disruption |
exposed filler and associated agglomerates |
plastic substrate |
alternative higher quality grade substrate supplied. Customer retained collaborative research. |
| sudden unexplained outbreak of filters blocking on site boundaries |
environmental particulate debris plus high loading of distinctive fibres |
fibres from new plant on neighbouring industrial estate |
independent analysis and consultation helped both parties put measures in place to reduce emissions. |
| blocked narrow bore metal tube |
polymeric internal deposit |
equipment had polymer gaskets that were being chemically attacked |
gaskets replaced with alternative product and business retained. |
| stained product |
synthetic fibres. dye had leached due to temperature to cause visible stain |
cold weather fleece jackets |
garments changed and significant cost saving made due to reduction of waste product |
| smooth product with embedded defects and rough surface finish |
collection of general debris plus very unusual animal hair causing |
hair found to be from Monkeys getting into building rafters |
monkeys were dislodging debris settled high in the roof. Tighter “security” put in place. |
| poor optical appearance of transparent product |
significant increase in product residuals |
unexplained shift in plant operating conditions. |
plant conditions and chemistry subtly altered, downtime minimised and customer order met. |
It is intentional that there is no detail of the techniques used in these few examples: you don’t need to worry about that because that is our job. A problem may be solved simply by visual examination and drawing on knowledge from previous experience or at the other extreme may require a focused multi technique approach. Our skill lies in quickly detecting and isolating the contamination, then selecting the correct analytical tool(s) in order to identify the material and solve the problem.
