For product, equipment, and structure failures and manufacturing quality problems.
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A metallurgist has expertise in metallurgical analysis tools and how to use analysis data to understand what happened.
See the About page for our background and experience.
Al McGovern, Director Mechanical Engineering
Shure Inc., Illinois
Stuart Gordon, President
Bestway Products Co., California
We don't just give clients a lab report and leave it to them to figure out how to use the information.
We'll work with your team to understand the issue, identify the metallurgical analyses required, perform the analyses, and, with input from your engineers, use the data to help identify the root cause and potential solutions.
See this case study.
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We use these analyses when performing a failure analysis:
When a failure or quality problem occurs, a root cause analysis must be performed to identify the primary event or decision that enabled the problem to occur. For product design and manufacturing, the results of a root cause analysis are used to implement corrective actions to prevent the failure from reoccurring. For insurance and legal situations, the information is used to make a claim for compensation or defend against a claim. Watch these videos to learn more: 9-step Failure Analysis Process and Failure Analysis Case Studies.
Metallurgical failure analysis is the first step of the root cause analysis process. For failures during testing and use, a metal failure analysis is performed to determine the failure mode and failure mechanism of the failed item, whether any metallurgical characteristics of the failed item contributed to the failure, and the metallurgical reason for the failure. For quality problems, a failure analysis is performed to assess metallurgical characteristics of the problem item, whether they meet the item’s specifications, and the metallurgical reason for the problem. The information obtained from a failure analysis is then used to identify the root cause of the failure or quality problem.
It’s unlikely a root cause will be accurately identified without the information gained from a metal failure analysis. Instead, expect to live with a lingering problem. Amazingly, this is exactly what happens in many organizations.
The best step to take when a metal problem occurs is to call a metallurgist. In every case I have ever worked for a client, the benefits of involving a metallurgist quickly outweighed the cost, time, or effort used with any other approach. Just like any problem in life, when done properly, formal metallurgical failure analysis saves money, effort, and time. What distinguishes us from other metallurgical organizations is metals engineering expertise combined with lots of experience with every aspect of product design and manufacturing. With this broad experience, we bring multiple perspectives to help clients quickly get the information they need to solve problems and help them use the information to solve the problem.
Understanding what causes your metal failures is key to preventing them from happening again. We will get you the information you need to help you identify the root cause and the corrective action to prevent the problem from reoccurring. Hire us to find out what’s wrong with your product, equipment, or manufacturing process so that it doesn’t fail again!
Check out this classic book about component failures: Understanding How Components Fail, 3rd Edition
Imagine having a team of professionals dedicated to helping with metal failure analysis and providing metallurgical expertise when failures and quality problems occur. They can help you pinpoint the root cause and provide you with recommendations on how best to prevent the failures from occurring again. For people involved with product design and manufacturing, learning more about failure analysis will help you productively deal with component failures and quality problems. Want to learn more? Take our Metal Failure Analysis course.
Needs Review. Every metallurgical failure analysis project starts with a conversation with you and your engineering team to review the problem and collect background information. This is done by phone or internet meeting and usually takes 15 – 30 minutes. There’s no charge for this step. We’ll review photos and drawings of the problem component or material and discuss the circumstances of the problem. We will also discuss the project scope, the metallurgical analysis and samples required, and approximate cost. For the scope, it’s critical to have complete agreement on the problem to solve.
Identify the Project Approach. This is where I use my experience, training, and knowledge to identify the best path forward. This includes metallurgical analysis of components or metal stock. Selecting the appropriate metallurgical analyses and samples to examine is critical to get information that enables finding the cause of the problem and preventing it from reoccurring. The approach might also include review of technical literature and discussions with suppliers.
Project Quote. A quote to perform a metal failure analysis includes the project scope, the work to be performed, and the cost. After you approve the work we begin right away, and we meet or beat our timelines. We understand that failure analysis work is time sensitive.
Perform the Analyses. The metallurgical analyses are performed, and the data is collected and reviewed. The analysis information combined with the background information is used to identify the metallurgical cause of the problem and possible root causes.
Review data. We review the analysis findings with you and discuss possible root causes of the failure or problem. At this point your input is important. The metallurgical analyses results will indicate the conditions that cause the failure and whether there was anything metallurgically wrong with the metal. However, more background information is often needed to use the analysis to identify the root cause. Your knowledge about the item’s design, manufacturing, and use are important. This part is key - we won’t just give you a report and leave it to you to figure out how to use the information to fix your problem. We work with clients to help them use metal failure analysis results to understand how the failure or problem occurred, its root cause, and how to prevent it from reoccurring. This is what distinguishes us from other companies that offer failure analysis. We do more than just forensics - we help engineer solutions.
Written Report and Support. Once you have your reports and understand the findings we continue to support you throughout the implementation of the changes recommended. One reason to choose Industrial Metallurgists is because of our ongoing support during implementation.
Check out Michael Pfeifer's articles about metals and product reliability on the Accendo Reliability website
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Complete the form at the top of the page. We'll email to set up a meeting to discuss the problem and next steps.
Fracture and fatigue failures
Corrosion and environmental damage
Weld, braze, and solder joint failures
Manufacturing quality problems
Heat treatment and hardness problems
Surface contamination and residue identification
What is metal failure analysis? It involves metallurgical analysis of metals to determine the metallurgical reason for failure of metal components and joints during testing or use and manufacturing quality problems. Read this article to learn more about how failure analysis is used to help with metal failures and quality problems.
What types of metal failures can you investigate? Failures of components and joints in products, equipment, and structures. Also, manufacturing quality problems. These articles discuss examples of how failure analysis was used
How quickly should we contact a metallurgist after a failure? It's important to get a metallurgist involved as soon as possible. Metallurgists have expertise with metallurgical analysis tools, how to use the data from the analyses, and how metals respond to use conditions and manufacturing processes. Without a metallurgist it's likely that the problem will linger.
What information should we provide during the first meeting? Photos of the failure or quality problem, drawings of the component and possible the assembly, and information about when the problem occurred and the circumstances about the problem.
Can failure analysis help with manufacturing quality problems? Yes, failure analysis is a critical part of quickly getting the information needed to understand what's going on the with the metals and figure out the root cause.
Will Industrial Metallurgists help clients use the failure analysis findings to determine the root cause of failures and quality problems? Yes. We understand that many engineers are not metallurgy experts. We work with them to use the analysis findings to help identify potential root causes. Read this article to learn how to work with a metallurgist to avoid frustration.
