Quality Control and Troubleshooting

Costs of routine and special laboratory tests required for product quality control and troubleshooting. 

Applications X-ray fluorescence is widely used for direct examination of polymeric materials (analysis of additives, catalyst residues, etc.) from research to recycling, through production and quality control, to troubleshooting. Many problems meet the concentration range in which conventional XRF is strong, namely from ppm upwards. Table 8.42 is merely indicative of the presence of certain additive classes corresponding to elemental analysis element combinations are obviously more specific for a given additive. It should be considered that some 60 atomic elements may be found in polymeric formulations. The XRF technique does not provide any structural information about the analytes detected the technique also has limited utility when... 

Contracting out of activities previously only conducted in-house is already becoming quite common and will probably continue to develop. In the past a so-called full-service pharmaceutical company took direct responsibility for all the activities required for the formulation, manufacture, quality control, and regulatory approval of its drug products. Nowadays the use of specialist contract houses to perform activities such as formulation, analytical methods development, manufacture of clinical trials supplies, supervision of the assembly of an NDA, postmarketing surveillance, and even troubleshooting may be contracted for even by some of the largest companies. 

Infrared spectroscopy is widely used in industry. The applications range from quality control and quality assurance of raw materials to customer complaints (troubleshooting) to quantitative analysis and online process monitoring and control. Most of the instrumentation is based on a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer but specialist applications use instruments as diverse as a nondispersive infrared detector through to mid-infrared diode lasers. 

Linske, M., Weygandt, A. (November-December 2013). Brewers digest quality control series troubleshooting tips. Basic microbiological identification techniques and interpretation. Brewers Digest, 33-37. 

Today polymers scientists rely on many different methods of instrumental analysis to develop, test, and classify macromolecules. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, one of the most important analytical tools in research as well as in manufacturing, is used to test the quality of incoming monomers, to control processes, to control quality control, and to confirm quality of intermediates and final products. IR is even used to troubleshoot processing problems and to analyze the competitor s products. IR spectroscopy has value in structure elucidation and quantitative analysis of polymers. Hausdorff [6] and Kagarese and Weinberger [7] were the first to publish collections of IR spectra of polymers. 

The role of on-line measurement in bulk solids handling can be usefully divided into three areas (a) those required for the operation of a process or system - including commercial transactions, quality control and inventory control, (b) those acquired during product and system trials for troubleshooting, optimisation, modification and design, and (c) those required for understanding - thus improving, for example, computer models of the process. There will, of course, be some overlap of the areas. 

Quality control tests or improvement of existing processes. Raw materials from various sources can be used in the manufacture of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The raw materials can contain different impurities at various concentrations. Therefore, before the raw material is purchased and used in a full-scale batch its quality should be tested in a small-scale reactor. Existing full-scale procedures are subject to continuous modifications for troubleshooting and for improving process performance. Laboratory reactors used for tests of these two kinds are usually down-scaled reactors or reactors being a part of the full scale-reactor. 

Obviously, the scope of additive analysis for R D purposes (product innovation and understanding of additive performance), quality control, troubleshooting and competitor product analysis differ (Scheme 10.2). Product knowledge (see Sections 10.1 and 10.2) is particularly desirable for the latter two activities. 

Ott, E. R. Process Quality Control Troubleshooting and Interpretation of Data. New York McGraw-Hill (1975). 

Computer workstations can be used to monitor and integrate the functions of one or more analyzers. Typically, the workstation serves as the point of interaction with the instrument operator, accepts test orders, monitors the testing process, assists with analysis of process quality, and provides facilities for review and verification of test results. The workstation is usually directly interfaced with the LIS host, accepting downloaded test orders, and uploading test results. Most workstations have facilities to display Levy-Jennings quality control charts, to monitor the progress of each test order, and to troubleshoot the analyzers. They may also provide facilities to assist with the review of completed test results. Some workstations have rule-based software, which allows the operator to program rules for autoverification of test results (MODULAR Middleware Software). 

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