Plastics & Polymers Industry
Polymer Chemistry Expertise From A to Z
Problems with product failure?
Researching new additives?
Looking to characterize a competitor's product?
Questions of infringement of a patented product?
Chemir offers a complete range of analyses for polymers, plastics and composites. These materials can be found in a wide variety of industries, including automotive, sporting goods, toys, industrial products, construction materials, consumer goods and more.
Our plastic and polymer testing experts have investigated a wide range of polymeric materials, including:
- Thermoplastics
- Thermosets
- Elastomers
- High-performance polymers
- Specialty polymers
- Composites
- Polyurethanes
- Adhesives & Sealants
Our polymer testing capabilities range from obtaining basic information to more detailed and structurally specific results. Depending on our clients' needs, we can offer a strategic combination of physical and chemical testing to answer specific questions. Physical properties analyzed have included:
- Tensile properties
- Adhesive strength
- Compressibility
- Cross-sectional multiple layer-film thickness
- Melt Flow index
- Thermal properties (including glass transition, melting point, thermal expansion and crystallinity)
Services for testing plastics and polymer materials for chemical properties include:
- Molecular weight distribution
- End group analysis
- Co-polymer backbone chemistry, comonomer contents/ratios, polymer blends
- Additive analysis
- Chemical family, including base polymer characterization
Our facility is cGMP compliant, FDA registered and DEA licensed , and is centrally located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri.
Services:
- Materials Analysis & Identification
- Contaminants Identification
- Failure Analysis
- Physical Testing
- Deformulation
- Consulting
- Patent/Litigation Support
Case Study:
Heat Seal Adhesive Failure Analysis
Our client’s new heat seal adhesive was not providing a hermetic seal and released after only a few days. Faced with production line shut-down and delayed shipments, the customer called Chemir. They suspected that the new adhesive’s formula, a polyurethane-acrylic hot melt adhesive, was the reason for the failure. Our expert chemists deformulated both the old formula and the new formula. The results showed significant differences in the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, as well as the urethane-acrylic ratio. After concluding that these variations were the reason for the adhesion failure, we recommended a formula adjustment. The revised formula performed well, and the customer was able to resume operations.