Intertek expands composite testing capabilities

Pittsfield, Massachusetts – Intertek has enhanced its advanced composites materials testing capabilities with the acquisition of an advanced precision composite plate saw, the Extec Labcut5000, at the company’s Plastics Technology Laboratory Composites Test Center. With this investment, Intertek is able to offer faster turnaround times of accurate data to customers in the automotive, aerospace, energy, and building products industries.

 

“Intertek is committed to providing customers with comprehensive solutions to help bring quality products and materials to market,” said James Galipeau, director at Intertek Pittsfield. “As the first company in the U.S. to acquire this recently approved machining system, dedicated to accurately test specimens for highly reinforced polymer-based tests on composites, we continue to set the pace for the industry as we offer timely, accurate results to manufacturers in multiple industries.”

 

The new machine includes an electronic programmable fence designed for precision over long cut lengths and to maintain parallelism better than 0.001"/L (0.020mm/L) for rectangular specimens. This provides the accuracy required for defect-free specimens, helping ensure consistent, fast manufacturing of composites essential in automotive and aerospace applications. The system is a significant step in meeting the lab’s goal of quick turn for composites test programs – including the use of non-destructive testing to pre-screen composites panels, accurate machining of specimens and long-term exposure of extensive mechanical evaluations. It also rounds out extensive capabilities for specimen preparation, including tabbing and preparation of strain-gages for mechanical evaluation, tensile, compression, and shear of high-strength materials used in structural reinforced applications.

 

Intertek’s Plastics Technology Laboratory provides expertise on plastic and composites material characterization for the automotive and aerospace industries with efficient, cost-effective insights and testing capabilities. The lab holds Nadcap AC 7122/1 (Class A, Class B) and ISO 17025 certifications to conduct hundreds of mechanical/physical, electrical, chemical, and thermal tests for composites, plastics, adhesives, resins, foams, pre-pregs, and films. Intertek demonstrates leadership in composites testing through ongoing participation in ASTM D30 Committees on Composites, ISO committees and Nadcap.