Anybody
in an industry which uses particle detection will tell you that at a certain
point standard systems are simply not sufficient. When you’re dealing with new
materials, in particular, there are a range of new factors which need to be
thoroughly tested.
The
main problem is that a new material, by definition, may be subjected to
previously undetected or unknown stresses. The “mechanics” of testing may
simply not duplicate the stress levels that need to be identified. That
actually is a significant problem these days, particularly when you’re dealing
with the rampaging progress of new materials in the market.
To
give ungrudging credit where it’s due, materials science is achieving great
things. To give even more fully deserved credit, the new materials coming on
the market are at the very high standard. The problem isn’t with the materials;
it’s with the reliability of standard testing.
Standard
testing, by definition, only goes so far. It works within known parameters. For
new materials, that simply may not be good enough. Random vibration testing, for example, can now be calibrated
well outside the standard bandwidths of vibration effects. Particle detection,
too, can be calibrated to previously unknown levels of high definition.
It’s
an interesting fact that the progress of material science and the progress of
testing have been in lock step for some time now. If you’re looking for
innovation, however, there is a bottom line – You will probably need custom
testing, rather than standard testing.
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