Serving the Manufacturing Industry

Having problems with equipment downtime, material performance, high rejection rates, or molding processes? Let FAI Materials Testing help you optimize your manufacturing process.

We have helped countless companies repair and optimize their manufacturing lines. Whether its testing rejected and approved parts to determine the cause of failure, first article inspection, in-process quality assurance, or raw material characterization we have the resources you need. We have worked with small plastic molders to worldwide commodity plastics manufacturers. Whether you're making children's toys or integrated circuits, FAI Materials Testing Laboratory is here to help.

Case Study

Plastic Bottle Anomalies

A worldwide plastic bottle manufacturer was experiencing rejections on their manufacturing line. Bottles were coming off of the line with hazy or translucent areas/spots. They contacted FAI Materials Testing Laboratory to solve the problem.

Using a combination of optical and electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, FAI determined the cause of rejection to be insufficient mixing of a phthalate (a plastic additive that adds flexibility) with the rest of the polyester base material. The unmixed phthalate crystallized later in the manufacturing process, causing hazy areas on the bottle. The bottle manufacturer was able to make quick adjustments to their equipment and avoided a major factory shutdown.