Material Testing Key to Ensure Quality

Q: How has the lightweighting trend impacted Agilent’s technology development process in the polymers division?
A: Polymer development has always focused on creating more resistant and lighter materials. Agilent is contributing to these developments through testing solutions, as well as reliable and robust analysis of polymer samples that can increase companies’ confidence in the composition and performance of materials. Reliable analyses of polymer manufacturing materials are critical to ensure product performance. Due to the importance of efficiency and cost-effectiveness in workflows, it is essential to run accurate analytical processes that can quickly ascertain quality.
Agilent’s reliable and robust range of instrumentation offers a solution for every stage of the polymer production process from research and development, to polymerization, compounding and manufacturing, packaging and shipping, final product testing and recycling. That way, our portfolio can meet companies’ expectations in development, purification and material composition.
Q: How big is Agilent’s participation in the automotive market in terms of materials research and development?
A: Agilent Technologies is the number one company in the world offering innovative and reliable analytical solutions, including consumable products, instrumentation and support. We assist our users in consistently and cost-effectively delivering the highest quality finished products and materials. We have a comprehensive line of instruments for materials testing and research market, which helps companies identify and characterize microcrystalline irregularities in composites and quantify trace impurities in metal alloys or polymers.
Q: How do you ensure client materials meet OEM expectations for quality, structural performance and aesthetics?
A: Our FTIR testing bench and microscopy systems provide insights into both bulk and detailed material structure while our mobile and handheld instruments such as 4300 Handheld FTIR provide superior quality information quickly, and in any location. Agilent’s GPC/SEC portfolio also includes market-leading instrumentation, columns, standards and data analysis software for polymer analysis, coupled with our industry-leading HPLC systems that accelerate decision times in batch testing with accurate molecular weight information.
Agilent’s reliable and easy-to-use range of ICP-MS, ICP-OES and FTIR systems are pushing the boundaries of efficient semiconductor impurity analysis, ensuring that manufacturers of a wide variety of materials can maintain output quality. The 7900 ICP-MS and 8800 ICP-QQQ have enough precision to detect trace metals at industry-leading levels of sensitivity, while the Cary 600 Series and ExoScan FTIR systems analyze shallow impurities effectively.
Q: As vehicles include more electronic components and controls, how much has demand grown for Agilent’s electronic testing solutions?
A: Overall, the electronic components division is very dynamic and always growing along with the industry. Demand for our products has increased significantly as companies realize the capabilities Agilent products can offer in chemical analysis, ensuring semiconductor process chemical purity and ultrapure water analysis.
Q: What is the main area of opportunity to improve automotive electronic components and user experience?
A: We have found two main opportunity areas in this sector. First, companies need to deliver improved results in impurity analyses. Accurately detecting impurities in semiconductor manufacturing materials is vital to ensure component quality and yield. The second opportunity is the need for fast, accurate and compliant detection of heavy metals in electronic devices. Regulations governing proper disposal of electronic devices containing heavy metals are vitally important for environmental protection worldwide.