Materials and Processes Laboratory

ALTER Technology’s Materials & Processes Laboratory provides testing, analysis, and measurement services for components, PCBs, assembled PCBs, crimps, welds, and materials. Cross-section analysis examines internal device structures through mounting, grinding, and polishing for defect identification in diodes, capacitors, and silicon dice. Assembled PCB qualification per ECSS standards includes vibration and thermal cycling testing; the lab is the only ENAC-accredited ISO/IEC 17025:2017 facility for microsectioning inspection. Crimp quality services validate crimped wire connections through indentation depth measurement, dimensional verification, tensile testing, and cross-section inspection per ECSS-Q-ST-70-26C. Advanced materials analysis employs SEM-EDS for surface analysis and failure investigation, Raman Microscopy for chemical identification, FT-IR for organic/polymeric/inorganic material identification, and XPS for material composition analysis. Coating and surface characterization tests include glass transition temperature (Tg), coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), layer thickness, surface energy, adhesion, and roughness. Additional services cover press-fit connector qualification, whiskers analysis, C-SAM scanning acoustic microscopy, and 2D X-ray/3D CT radiographic inspection. Accreditations: ENAC ISO/IEC 17025:2020, ESA Category A laboratory, ISO 9001 and AS9100 certified.