Manufacturing Contamination Control Using SEM

The recent turn of the pharmaceutical industry towards Quality by Design (QbD) instead of Quality by Inspection (QbI) has sparked the interest of other industries as well. The QbD philosophy proclaims that manufacturers must know how the product will turn out before it is finished, not afterwards by inspection.

In order for the developers to produce this desired state of product, they need to have a complete understanding of all the pieces involved in the process. This means understanding the raw materials and the intermediates as well as the interactions between the two. With such an intimate understanding required to produce such quality products that are in demand, manufacturers are looking for ways to control the contamination before it reaches the final product.

The automotive industry has taken steps to move towards manufacturing contamination control by implementing steps to monitor the quality of their products. Some ways to control the foreign particles include: inspect the components going into the products, ensure that only critically clean parts are used, and maintain parts in top working order. While maintaining contamination control in the manufacturing industry is a lot harder to preach than to practice, advancements in scanning electron microscopes have heightened the awareness available on the manufacturing line.

Aspex has created its Advanced Quality Control (AQC) software for the Personal SEM Electron Microscope to count, size, and identify foreign particles in oil, bearings, steel, and other samples. Manufacturers can now see what is going into their products before it makes it to the final stages. The AQC is totally integrated, capable of automatic detection and identification of microns on the assembly line.

With the AQC software, manufacturers can
• Examine steel samples to see if the ratios of inclusions are at acceptable levels
• Assess bearing wear to identify potential causes of failure
• Assure the quality of pharmaceutical products by knowing components

The AQC from Aspex gives manufacturers the control needed to produce quality, clean products in a controlled environment. With reliable, automated scanning that allows the for backtracking to find the origin of the contaminates, the AQC provides insight into the smallest particle interactions. By setting cleanliness goals, monitoring product lines, and using the PSEM with AQC from Aspex, companies can control contamination to provide high-quality end results to their consumers.

Reference:
Aspex, http://www.aspexcorp.com/industries/industrial-automation.html