Laboratory Testing Inc. Continues Expansion into Polymer Testing Market

HATFIELD, PA, August 16, 2012 (Press-News.org) Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI) has added more polymer testing capabilities to the SEM/EDS and FTIR analyses previously available. LTI can now provide information about the mechanical properties of plastics and other polymers with the addition of tensile and hardness testing for these materials. Tensile testing is performed on a 10,000 lb. Tinius Olsen tensile machine capable of testing any polymeric material that can be formed or machined into a specimen. Tensile testing involves applying a constant rate of tensile load to a test sample up to the point of failure. The process creates a stress/strain curve showing how the material reacts throughout the test process. The data generated during the test is used to determine tensile strength, yield strength and ductility.

The hardness of polymers is measured by the Shore Durometer Test at LTI, in accordance with ASTM D2240. This method determines a material's hardness value or resistance to indentation by penetration
of an indenter into the test sample. Because the flexibility of polymers varies, LTI is equipped with various indenters to use for testing different types of materials from elastomers to rigid plastics.

According to Mike McVaugh, president of Laboratory Testing Inc., "plastic and polymer testing was a natural expansion of services for our full-service metals testing laboratory. We have been working closely with many industries that require testing for both metals and polymers, and felt that this was a positive next step in our commitment to be a "one-stop" lab.

Additional information is available on the LTI website at http://www.labtesting.com.

Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI) of Hatfield, PA has been in business since 1984. The company specializes in materials testing, nondestructive testing, specimen machining, failure analysis and calibration services. The laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by PRI/Nadcap and A2LA, which complies with ISO 9001 and ISO 13485. Mechanical, chemical, metallurgical and nondestructive testing services are performed on metals, alloys and other materials. Chemical analysis is also offered for a variety of other materials including powdered metals, ores, ferroalloys, composites, ceramics, aerospace materials and nuclear materials. Test specimens are machined on-site and material investigations are conducted to determine the root cause of material failures. The calibration lab, LTI Metrology, provides dimensional, pressure, force, torque, mass and vacuum calibration services traceable to NIST. Field calibration service is offered for surface plates, hardness testers, optical comparators, balances, hand tools and testing machines. LTI provides new instruments and replacement parts as a representative for manufacturers such as Mitutoyo, Starrett, Boston Centerless, Glastonbury Southern Gage and Vermont Gage. Information on Laboratory Testing services and accreditations is available at http://www.labtesting.com, sales@labtesting.com or 800-784-2882.