Polymers are pliable materials used in numerous industries due to their incredible versatility. Subjecting polymers to heat will change the structure, turning them into a hard material. Polymers are used in joint reconstruction surgery and to make medical devices and are frequently used as coatings in the aerospace industry.

Ensuring that the polymers used in your products work the way they were designed to means that you'll need the services of polymer testing laboratories. Though your own engineers will test product validity, it's critical to hire a polymer testing independent lab to conduct testing prior to a product release. Polymer laboratory testing can help your business in the following ways:

1. Use chemical polymer tests to aid in quality control and failure analysis.

2. Test polymers for patent infringement assessments.

3. Examine edible products to determine whether polymers in the packaging are leaving residue.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use polymer tests for quality assurance

Consider contracting with polymer testing laboratories to conduct continuous raw material verification to ensure that your products maintain the correct properties. Slight deviations in your raw materials can contribute to product failure. Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) or Spectroscopy to test polymers before the material goes into production can save your company money. Otherwise, undetected contaminants could cost your business money in product recalls or warranty claims.

I recommend: Submit a clean sample to the polymer testing labs so that they can perform the initial diagnostics. Once the sample has been tested, they can compare future samples to see whether it deviates from the original. NSL Analytical Services and Polyhedron Laboratories provide quality assurance polymer tests and product validity testing services.

Hire a polymer test lab to verify patent infringements

If you suspect that your product patent has been infringed, have a polymer testing independent lab validate your suspicion. The polymer testing lab will need a sample of your product, as well as a sample from the product you believe has taken your patent.

I recommend: The lab's analysis will detail the similarities and differences between your polymer products. Polymer Solutions and Associated Polymer Labs provide this specialized method of testing polymers.

Determine whether there are residual solvents with polymer lab testing

Polymers are used often to create product packaging for food. If your company manufactures an edible product, you will need to determine whether the polymer in the packaging is leaving residue on the food item.

I recommend: Polymathic Analytical Labs can run tests on your polymer packaging and your edible product to ensure there's no leaching of the polymer onto the product. Chemir Analytical Services can test for polymer residue and can help with other packaging problems, such as odors and adhesive failures.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Instruct the polymer testing lab prior to testing whether you require the sample be returned. If you do not, the sample will be discarded after the analysis is completed.