Automotive The automotive industry is heavily invested in making sure that their products are safe, profitable, environmentally friendly, and appealing to their customers. Common challenges associated with these goals include achieving an acceptable time to market, finding ways to reduce cost while improving performance, and needing to validate new materials that, more often than not, have never been used in automotive applications. The development cycle of vehicle design and manufacturing includes virtually endless decision-making opportunities where the consequences of making wrong decisions often result in obstacles that prevent manufacturers from meeting their goals. SanSi Test provides automotive engineers with the tools needed to gain insight into material and part performance, helping auto makers receive accurate test data and product feedback throughout the entire design and production process so that they can make the most well-informed decisions possible.   Electric Vehicles The growth of electric vehicles (EVs) has brought new materials and components into the global automotive supply chain that require mechanical testing. To offset the immense weight of EV batteries, a heightened focus has been put on the preexisting light weighting trend. Similar to conventional automotive testing, raw materials and assemblies specific to EVs, such as polymer films used for Li-ion battery separators and the packs they ultimately form, require development and production testing. Wheel and Tire Wheels and tires are safety-critical components that are exposed to serious loads and wear over their lifetime. Their reliability can only be safeguarded by performing tests which resemble actual loading conditions as closely as possible, as well as obtaining a full mechanical profile of the materials being used for their production. Chassis and Body Traditionally the majority of an automobile is manufactured from various type of metallic material. The demand for more lightweight materials has meant a huge amount of research and development is now providing higher and higher grades of metals. This can bring many new testing challenges. Drivetrain and Suspension A vehicle's drivetrain and suspension are some of its most vulnerable components. Depending on the part affected, damage can have a minor effect on appearance or lead to a major failure in vehicle safety. Both vehicle manufacturers and OEM part suppliers must comply with strict safety standards in order to produce high-quality components that make these systems as resiliant as possible. Electronics Automobile manufacturers are constantly increasing the number of electrical assemblies inside their vehicles. With broad applications from on-board diagnostic computers, fuel injection systems, auxiliary lights, dashboard controls, and the increasingly-common infotainment systems, it is critical that all of these systems are tested to ensure quality and safety. Engine It is important to be aware of how materials behave at ambient temperature as well as at their expected normal operating temperatures. Many OEM’s have unique temperature requirements that all components need to achieve; however, engine and transmission components get considerably hotter than the normal operating temperatures experienced by other parts of the vehicle. It is extremely important to subject the material being used for engines and transmissions to high-temperature testing to understand their performance under these conditions. Interior Automobile owners will see the interior of their vehicle every time they enter it, so the importance of aesthetics cannot be overstated. However, interior components must also be durable enough to withstand years of use. Mechanical testing of interior fabrics and components is necessary in order to ensure their long-lasting good looks and durability. Joining As the drive for lightweighting increases the range of materials used in automobiles, it becomes increasingly important to find reliable ways of joining these new materials together. Adhesives, fasteners, bolts, and welds are all vital to the overall construction of a vehicle. Knowing how these will perform throughout the lifetime of the vehicle is critical. Safety Systems Passenger safety is of the utmost importance in vehicle design, and the drive to improve safety fuels significant research and development. Mechanical testing is required to validate design and material selection. These tests then need to be implemented in quality control procedures so that each critical component is tested.

Plastics Characterization of polymers’ properties is critical in the development and manufacturing processes of materials, as well as the quality control, and ultimately, in determining the functionality of a finished product.Sansi Test partners with many plastic manufacturers and optimize their testing programs.   Trends in plastics High performance polymers High performance polymers can be used in a broader range of applications because of their superior thermal stability and chemical resistance. This allows for plastic components to be used in aerospace, medical, defense, and other industrial applications where the conditions can be extreme which previously would have discouraged the use of plastics. This is achieved using stabilizers and adding reinforcing materials like glass or carbon fibers. These materials are often stronger and stiffer than traditional plastics and will have higher UTS and modulus values. Environmental chambers are used often during mechanical testing to replicate extremely high or low temperature applications.   Going Green Many consumer product companies have made pledges to reduce the amount of non-recyclable plastics in their products. Along the same lines, many companies have also pledged to use chemically recycled plastics in their products. Either way, there is a push to choose more sustainable options when using plastics, especially in single use items like packaging.   Another way to benefit from the upsides of plastics while choosing sustainable options is to utilize bioplastics. Bioplastics aren’t made of fossil fuels like other plastics, but are derived from plants like corn, potatoes, or sugarcane. Some are biodegradable and compostable.   Creating more sustainable options is a trend for the plastics industry. Mechanical testing is needed anytime a product changes its material type or manufacturing process to ensure the end-use application isn’t negatively impacted.

Biomedical testing Sansi Test provides solutions for testing of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, packaging, biomaterials, etc.Sansi Test brings a wealth of knowledge to the biomedical industry, serving as a strategic partner to companies of all sizes. Our equipment and services are primed to help you investigate new technologies and ensure product quality, all while maintaining the highest levels of data integrity and security.   Drug delivery device and container testing The pharmaceutical industry relies on mechanical testing to evaluate drug delivery systems and their associated packaging. Drug delivery systems can utilize dermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, oral, or nasal routes and come in a variety of different packaging formats. Universal testing systems are used throughout the product development process to help identify suitable materials, evaluate delivery mechanisms, perform design validation, validate manufacturing processes, and enable proper QC measures. The most common applications are related to needle based injection systems and involve either functional testing based on industry standards such as ISO 11040 and ISO 11608 or usability testing of products to supplement human factor testing.   Medical consumables and packaging testing Medical consumables represent the largest subsection of biomedical testing and include a wide variety of single-use products such as surgical tools, PPE, wound closure products, specimen collection products, and more. These products are typically either FDA class I or II medical devices, which, despite having less stringent test requirements, are produced in such large quantities that care must be taken to accommodate high volume testing. To compensate for the larger volumes, throughput and repeatability become critical test requirements, addressed through specialized fixturing, efficient operator workflows, and intuitive software.   Cardiovascular and interventional device testing For both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, the market for interventional vascular devices has grown exponentially. Products such as guidewires and catheters are essential for the mapping of vasculature, removal of blockages, and placement of stents or implants. Assessing the material and coating properties of these products is essential for ensuring they will perform as expected in vivo. Testing in vitro can also be accomplished using turnkey systems built to mimic real world conditions with anatomical models, measuring the forces related to the deployment and removal of these devices. Implanted devices such as replacement valves and stents are also tested for long term durability using dynamic systems to validate the long terms responses of these products to body conditions.   Biomaterials testing Biomaterials include the materials found in nature, the human body, and other animal species. These materials can be hard tissues such as bone or dental enamel or soft, such as tendons and ligaments. Biological variation and environmental factors affect the mechanical properties of these materials. They are also anisotropic and nonhomogeneous, making them challenging materials to re-create or engineer outside of nature.   Orthopedic implant testing Orthopedic implants are implants that support the skeletal system. These include bone screws, plates, rods and pins for fracture repair, as well as entire artificial hips, knees, and spinal components. Orthopedic implants can be temporarily inserted into the body to assists a patient’s healing, or can be inserted into the body with the intent that the implant will outlive the patient. Depending on their use, orthopedic implants are typically considered to be Class II or Class III medical devices by the FDA and require a range and combination of static and fatigue mechanical testing.   Dental device testing Dental materials are typically composed of metal, elastomers, and polymers. Restorative and prosthodontic devices are often composed of multiple materials that require mechanical testing to determine how these materials interact to form the finished device. A dental implant is a metal post, typically titanium, that replaces the patient’s entire tooth. Fatigue testing represents the most common form of mechanical testing performed on dental implants, following international standards to evaluate the expected wear of repeated use.