Techniques

Analysis and Identification of materials by:

• Infra red spectroscopy and Infra-red  spectroscopy/Microscopy.
• Near infra red spectroscopy in transmission, reflectance and transflectance.
• UV/visible spectroscopy including light transmission and colour measurement.
• Differential scanning calorimetry.
• Thermo mechanical analysis.
• Thermal gravimetric analysis.
• Optical microscopy.
• Gas chromatography for volatiles, e.g. retained solvents and monomers.
• HPLC for analysis of non volatiles, e.g. polymer additives, drug assays.
• Metal residues, heavy metals by Atomic Absorption / Emission Spectroscopy.
• Classical methods of analysis and assay

Barrier Properties:

• Volatiles such as odours and flavours through films and packs by a combination of designed migration cells and gas chromatography.
• Light by UV/vis spectroscopy.
• Gases through packs and gas headspace analysis by gas chromatography.
• Oxygen through films and packs by MOCON Oxtran.
• Water vapour: through films by the ISO dish method & MOCON Permatran, through packs by CaCl2 gravimetric method.
• Predictive computer software for oxygen & water vapour transmission rates.

Migration testing to:

• EU directives on global & specific migration from plastics into products.
• EU Packaging waste directives
• EU Toy regulations.

Particle Size :

• Laser Diffraction
• Optical Microscopy