Posted by Marian Vasilescu on October 19, 2020 in Business
Microscopy laboratories with MicroVision Laboratories? We are proud to announce that MicroVision Labs is now accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard. This represents over a year of diligent effort from all of our staff to verify and validate our in house SOP’s and transform our quality management system to one that is compliant to this international standard. This certification requires that accredited labs demonstrate that they are competent and can produce technically valid data and results unlike other certifications such as ISO 9001:2015. This represents an obvious value to our clients.
Also, the color EDS map highlights the iron particles in the mineral filled PVC floor. These iron particles were concentrated in areas were the tile showed signs of impact which indicated some metallic object impacted the tile leaving behind small particles and over time the materials oxidized which created darker spots in the tile. The data indicated that a significant portion of the dust was from the insulation in the attic. The contractor had replaced a portion of duct work running to the master bedroom. During this replacement, fiberglass insulation was knocked into the ducting. The small glass insulation fibers were spread through the AC ducts and settling out of the air throughout the house. The client was relieved to know what was causing their skin irritation and the significant dust build up. Using the results garnered from the analysis from MicroVision Labs they were able to have the contractor clean out the duct work and act to prevent further spread of the insulation fibers and properly clean up the settled dust in the house that was the cause of the homeowner’s skin irritation. Discover additional info on more info.
The data indicated that a significant portion of the dust was from the insulation in the attic. The contractor had replaced a portion of duct work running to the master bedroom. During this replacement, fiberglass insulation was knocked into the ducting. The small glass insulation fibers were spread through the AC ducts and settling out of the air throughout the house. The client was relieved to know what was causing their skin irritation and the significant dust build up. Using the results garnered from the analysis from MicroVision Labs they were able to have the contractor clean out the duct work and act to prevent further spread of the insulation fibers and properly clean up the settled dust in the house that was the cause of the homeowner’s skin irritation.
How do I submit a sample or a set of samples? To submit a sample or set of samples, please see the page How to Submit Samples. What if I believe my samples are hazardous? We are not equipped to handle or dispose of every kind of hazardous material. Please call us before sending in any potentially hazardous samples. In cases where we are able to analyze your harzardous samples we may not be able to dispose of them and therefore we will return them to you.
SEM allows for high magnification surface examinations of a wide variety of samples. Providing brilliant resolution as well as incredible depth of field, the SEM, especially when combined with EDS, is often considered the most powerful analytical tool of our time. Let us show you why. X-ray imaging allows us to look inside of a device without opening it up. This real-time nondestructive inspection technique can be used on packaged electronic devices to one of a kind ancient artifacts. With rapid image acquisition and high sample throughput, X-ray imaging is particularly useful for sample screening and quality control issues. It is also often the first step in failure analysis and polished cross section projects. Find a few more info at https://microvisionlabs.com/.
Analysis and Results: The submitted bottle was examined for signs of interior distress, and the water from the bottle was removed and maintained. Some of the suspended particulate was filtered and examined non-destructively by light microscopy first, to characterize the material. A low magnification stereo microscope image of the filtered white particulate is shown in the image above. From this image, biological tissues were ruled out, and the material was observed to be crystalline. Polarized light microscopy (PLM) was used to analyze the sample next. From this examination, the material showed birefringence as shown in the PLM image on the right. The PLM Image Stereo Microscope image suspect material showed optical properties and morphology dissimilar to common carbonates and sulfates. It was determined to be a birefringent crystalline material, but it could not be identified using only PLM methods. Therefore, analysis using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) would have to be performed to obtain further information about the suspect material.