Customer Sample Testing

There are many different types of testing that can be performed by a mixing equipment supplier. They range from customer sample testing to full scale witness testing. Tests may also include examination of the flow pattern with laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) or computational fluid dynamics (CFD). 

Product Sample Records. Many industrial laboratories prepare samples of proposed products for customers to test. These are often not well recorded or identified. There have been many cases where it was impossible later on to say which version of a proposed product had been submitted. Every sample of this kind should carry both a date and a reference number. For the sake of simplicity, the number can be the page number from the appropriate work book. With such a system, all pertinent information regarding a sample can be quickly retrieved when needed—during a telephone discussion, for example. 

Laboratory analytical reports must contain all information necessary for a customer to understand or interpret the results. This may include the unique laboratory sample ID, equivalent customer sample identification, test methods used and any modifications done to them during analysis, actual anal3fical results, supporting QC results where available, signature of responsible authorized laboratory staff, etc. Records of calibration or QC records must be maintained for an adequate period of time. 

The key company of the new NDT- centre is HAPEG (Hattinger Priif- und Entwicklungs-gesellschaft), which operates a Computed Tomography system and offers service measurements on test samples of their customers [1]. The basic set up and technical details of this CT-system are presented in this paper. Details of the extension towards 3D visualisation, 3D-Tomography and the software involved are presented in a different paper [2]. 

The role of quality in reliability would seem obvious, and yet at times has been rather elusive. While it seems intuitively correct, it is difficult to measure. Since much of the equipment discussed in this book is built as a custom engineered product, the classic statistical methods do not readily apply. Even for the smaller, more standardized rotary units discussed in Chapter 4, the production runs are not high, keeping the sample size too small for a classical statistical analysis. Run adjustments are difficult if the run is complete before the data can be analyzed. However, modified methods have been developed that do provide useful statistical information. These data can be used to determine a machine tool s capability, which must be known for proper machine selection to match the required precision of a part. The information can also be used to test for continuous improvement in the work process. 

The peak width increases with injection volume. Therefore this parameter has to be fixed for comparative measurements. It has become the custom to inject low molecular weight test samples in very small volumes at very high concentrations, occasionally even as pure compounds. This extreme is not recommended as it is more important to inject a constant sample amount, reproducibly, in a precisely kept volume. Typical GPC injections are between 50 and 200 /a1. It is better to inject a larger volume of a lower concentration polymer solution. GPC units are often not designed for injection volumes lower... 

Elastomer samples are cast in molds, the size and shape of which depend on its purpose. Samples for physical properties can be produced using a custom-made book mold designed to create a thin sheet (0.1 in.) containing premolded test parts, such as those for die-C tear, flexural modulus, and so on. Alternatively, a flat plaque mold may be used to create a 6 x 6 x 0.1-in. sheet from which may be cut samples for testing. Thicker samples for hardness measurements may... 

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With today s instruments the customer may specify an injector or an automatic reagent dispenser, and a choice of sample formats is available test tube, vial, microplate, Petri dish. The volumes of sample and reagent required to carry out a determination steadily decrease and are typically a few microliters. Sample temperature during the assays is generally controlled. 

It is important to remember that decisions on the treatment of samples prior to analysis should always be based on sound knowledge of what the results are going to be used for. It is therefore important to establish a good dialogue with the customer prior to carrying out any tests. 

Field testing and sampling maybe handled in the generic plan by presenting a menu that covers all potential options available to the utility, based on both internal and external capabilities. In developing a customized plan, the incident commander can simply check off the field tests and sampling requirements that are appropriate for the specific situation. The site characterization plan may also need to be revised in the field based on the observations of the team. 

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