Category Archives: Company Stories

Company Stories

Analytical Answers, Inc. to Bring Materials Analysis Expertise to Advanced Manufacturing Convention

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Analytical Answers, Inc., a Woburn, Massachusetts-based technical consulting firm and service provider which helps advanced manufacturing firms monitor their processes and solve R&D and production problems, will be exhibiting at this year’s Advanced Manufacturing convention June 12-14 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

We are excited to be discussing solutions to some of advanced manufacturing’s toughest quality and analysis challenges, using technologies available in their laboratory that are normally only found in large corporations or research facilities, combined with the unique expertise of their hands-on team of scientists.

Five-Minute Material Analysis Update Available

The scientists and staff at Analytical Answers welcome existing clients to their booth and invite new clients to stop by and discover the many ways that the company can help explore micro-to-nano level surface and bulk composition and structure, wear, and failure mode analysis. This year they have also made significant additions to their extensive repertoire of optical, x-ray, electron, and ion-based analytical capabilities. They are now offering Broad Ion Beam Milling (BIB) and small spot ESCA, also known as X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). They note that “BIB rapidly sections through large (3mm+) areas of materials, including some that often can’t be cut by FIB, ultramicrotomy or polishing techniques. Small Spot XPS provides a surface analysis with a lateral resolution of 30µm, compared to a spot size greater than 400µm previously available with “standard” ESCA.” Adding these techniques for sectioning and analysis expands the range of materials that can be analyzed and enables surface analyiss (1-4 atom layers, with ion sputtering provide depth proviling capabilities) with significantly better spatial resolution.

The company has added these capabilities to extend their ability to analyze customer materials with more advanced nano-level analysis including:

  • Comparing oxidation depth across samples
  • Checking coating and lubrication thickness and composition
  • Examining subsurface material composition by ion sputtering and scanning
  • Checking chemical consistency of materials, for example differentiating sulfide from sulfite
  • Preparing improved samples to visually or chemically analyze microscopic structures, fillers, or inclusions (such as in/on circuit boards or in polymers such as catheters or extruded materials).

The new capabilities at Analytical Answers, Inc. extend the abilities of their scientific staff, who have a combined 100-plus years of experience. They will now be able to work with clients to examine surface features as small as 30µm on conductive and insulating materials, yielding greater information on isolated anomalies, and material characteristics that can only be revealed with this more finely-focused probe size.

Specific Benefits

Manufacturers producing medical equipment such as surgical mirrors, with coatings consisting of multiple nanometer-thick layers will benefit from the detailed analysis of their product using XPS, and the ability to check production samples against FDA requirements. Clients can also verify the quality of new materials such as graphene using XPS. BIB allows rapid sectioning of previously problematic materials such as soft polymer materials often found in medical devices, or other composites and coatings that can be distorted by conventional preparation techniques, facilitating analysis by other techniques such as Scanning Auger Microanalysis or Scanning Electron Microscopy.

A Corporate Lab for a Diverse Range of Manufacturers

Only the largest corporate laboratories have the capabilities Analytical Answers has to offer its clients. Analytical Answers is pleased to also work with these companies, when priority scheduling is required but unavailable at their in-house laboratories, or when additional analytical capacity is needed. They are also at the Advanced Manufacturing exhibit to welcome smaller manufacturing companies who don’t routinely use analytical laboratory services but have occasional manufacturing problems or quality issues that might benefit from analysis. The benefits could be improved product or process quality better understanding how  processes are actually working and what materials or characteristics could be further improved.

Preparing for Future Production

In the fast-paced technology development environment of advanced manufacturing, future-oriented companies will seek the data about their products and their composition that Analytical Answers routinely provides. Quality assurance testing can be moved from operational pass-fail to production sample analysis which verifies that product margins are being maintained. Analytical Answers provides information which can help advanced manufacturing companies start planning improvements to their product and production techniques ahead of the curve.

A Summary of their New Capabilities

Broad Ion Beam Milling and Small Spot ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis, or X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy – XPS).

  1. Broad Ion Beam Milling (BIB) rapidly sections through large (3mm+) areas of materials, including some which couldn’t be cut by other methods such as brittle materials, soft polymers, or materials with inclusions or fillers of varying hardnesses.
  2. Small Spot ESCA provides a surface analysis spot size of 30µm, along with surface sputtering and depth profile capabilities. The improved analysis area provides an order of magnitude improvement in spatial resolution, compared to previously available ESCA instruments.

These new capabilities are in addition to a large menu of existing analysis options, available here.

Come visit Analytical Answers at booth 559 to find out more! Of course, you can also call, email, or contact them through their Web site, www.analyticalanswersinc.com.

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Analytical Answers is a consulting and technical services company providing microanalysis, surface characterization, and failure analysis. With over 100 years of combined experience among our scientists, and instrumentation capabilities usually only found in corporate or research laboratories, we provide resources and expertise to translate data into solutions.

Blog Post, Company Stories

Analytical Answers: Over a Quarter Century of Providing Answers

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A Link to a PDF from the original 1 year anniversary article
Click on this picture to read the original article from the 128 News.

The more things change, the more they stay the same! What was true 25 years ago – as reprinted from 128 News (pictured on the right) and The Burlington Connection – is still true today!

L.J. Arne wrote the enclosed article, and it’s amazing! Why? Because through all those years the basic principles have remained the same. AAI is still located at 4 Arrow Drive in Woburn, MA. We still “examine and evaluate specimens by clients from companies of all sizes in microelectronics, ceramics, glass, polymers, metals and chemicals.” And while the chrome on bumpers is generally attached to a polymer instead of a metal, adhesion of systems like that are still a common type of problem that needs a solution.

Analytical technology has changed – no… improved since then. You’ll still find some of the same people you knew back then, and new experts as well – with well over 100 years of combined analytical experience! And AAI has added capabilities to meet our clients’ needs, as well as updated technology that we had then, which is every bit as important and applicable to problems and issues experienced by our clients today as they were to helping those clients a quarter century ago.

And those seminars conducted all over the country? They’ve been replaced by webinars. You can attend webinars live as they happen. You can also view past webinars online at your convenience. They’re archived on our web site. So there’s no need to travel to a seminar venue when you can access valuable information from AAI right from your computer.

Speaking of your computer – you can also ‘sit in’ on your analysis when you’re too busy to come visit our labs at the time of your analysis. Our Anywhere Services® allow you to sit in on your analysis from wherever you are.

So whether you’re experiencing failures, process problems, materials questions, corrosion, adhesion (or not), specification certification (MIL or otherwise), with wet, dry, powder, organic, inorganic, metal, clean (or not), thick, thin (even ultra), coatings, products or materials, chances are EXCELLENT that we can work with you to develop an analytical approach that will get you The Information You Need…When – And Where – You Need It.

For more information on any of these topics, or to set up a consultation, give us a call at 781-938-0300 or fill in your information in the contact box at the left. So, does Sherlock work at Analytical Answers? You’ll have to come in to find out.

Company Stories, Methodologies

What You Know Can Help You – A Background in Building Blocks

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Scientists often perform their jobs in an objective, dispassionate manner that belies the excitement bubbling beneath the surface. Especially when they’re on the verge of a breakthrough or when their current test could be the deciding factor in proving a hypothesis or solving a case.

As discussed recently in another post about fibers and electron microscope examination, it takes a bit of work and a stringent process to examine and evaluate evidence. Especially in cases where findings might affect profits, public perception and even people’s freedom.

For today’s column, we’re taking a moment to understand the skills and mindset that’s necessary when trying to prove or disprove a hypothesis. Specifically, how much training and knowledge must exist for the scientists at Analytical Answers to come up with their often groundbreaking findings related to materials investigations.

To be clear, the folks at Analytical Answers aren’t private eyes or that type of detective. They don’t carry badges – beyond the ones that identify them in the lab – and while they aren’t running to apprehend bad guys they do catch substitute products, counterfeit goods and outright frauds. In fact, the team at Analytical Answers is wielding advanced equipment to make discoveries, prove theories and deliver comprehensive reports to a wide range of customers.

 

Perhaps it’s most effective to paint a picture of the typical day at Analytical Answers Laboratory in Woburn, MA.

 

Gotcha. There is no such thing as a typical day. But many of the cases at the lab involve some of the same steps, investigational techniques, use of equipment and background knowledge to garner a clear result. Specifically, the forensic analysis of each sample that arrives at the lab depends on the type of material, the source and the circumstances surrounding the collection of the sample.

From there, the equipment that will most effectively image the sample is determined and a plan of attack is discussed. But none of this could take place if the knowledge wasn’t in place as a foundation for each of the specialists on staff. Suffice it to say that without prior information and experience, any future examination and hypothesis is worthless. And there are myriad factors to consider.

 

For instance, here’s a laundry list of items and questions a scientist has to consider when she is first assigned a project…

 

What is the material suspected to be?

Where did it come from – best guess based on business or environment?

Is the sample manmade or natural?

Is there a danger that it might degrade under certain processes?

How much sample material is available for testing (if the lab is testing the age of a Renaissance canvas, the goal is to use as little as possible because testing often destroys the sample material)?

What impurities might be present?

What other elements might be part of the sample that could adversely affect the testing?

Is there a half life or lifespan of the material even without testing?

What was the chain of custody of the sample?

What steps were taken to ensure unadulterated quality of the material?

Is it a business problem to be solved?

Is it a criminal investigation?

Are insurance companies and lawyers involved (which necessitates additional procedures and documentation)?

Is the material suspected to be volatile or unstable or unsafe?

What timeframe does the lab have to do its studies and examinations?

 

And the questions continue…each query informed by experience and a sincere desire to work under the best conditions possible to examine and evaluate materials in the lab.

Ultimately, the scientific process doesn’t occur in a vacuum (unless it actually occurs in a vacuum). When a specific method or test has been successful in the past on a similar material to the one that just arrived at the lab, the inclination is to head down that road first. Working with known factors often makes the process move faster and can help the team reach clearer results.

As an example, if an image of a sample provided by one of the lab’s electron microscopes is not entirely clear, it’s prudent to take the sample and look at it with a second piece of equipment. And if necessary a third. The compiling of information and building of images results in a better understanding of what a material is, where it came from and how it came to be where it wasn’t supposed to be.

A really simple overview of the Analytical Answers process might be stated as: really smart scientists examining materials and their building blocks to determine from whence they came and how they are behaving in the real world.

Stay with us for future blog posts where we get more specific about actual data that can be gleaned with the skilled use of imaging and analytical technology combined with human experience and ingenuity. That’s what’s going on behind the laboratory doors at Analytical Answers.

Right now you can see how other mysteries were solved by visiting the Analytical Answers video archives.

 

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