Testing and Analysis of Materials and Products in the Laboratory
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Bureau Veritas Laboratoires, your partner for your analyses, tests and expertise in the laboratory
Bureau Veritas performs tests, analyses and expertise of materials and processes for products and manufacturing in most cutting-edge markets : aeronautics, space, defence, energy, automotive, rail, oil and gas, industrial equipment, construction and decoration products.
Our services also cover measurements of vehicle emissions and consumption on test benches and in-service on road, as well as measurement of pollutant emissions for indoor air, to guarantee regulatory and environmental compliance of your products.
Material expertise combined with knowledge of industrial challenges and requirements makes Bureau Veritas an independent partner and qualified technical support to support industrial success.
Why use our laboratory services ?
Manufacturers, distributors or subcontractors must ensure the safety of end users, property and people when it may be affected by their products. They face safety constraints, product warranty guarantees, environmental performance requirements towards their customers, the State and safety authorities. They must also anticipate regulatory changes (REACH, ecological transition) and adapt the supply chain and manufacturing methods.
Thus, to meet the challenges and requirements of their markets, many prime contractors and subcontractors rely on the results of our laboratories to provide evidence of the performance of materials and manufacturing methods used, such as :
- Validating compliance with standards and technical specifications
- Ensuring the absence of defects that could affect quality and safety
- Qualifying manufacturing processes (coatings, treatments, assemblies, additive manufacturing) to guarantee their quality
- Guaranteeing resistance to actual conditions of use and assessing durability
- Ensuring regulatory and environmental compliance
- Securing production and market launch decisions
- Identifying technical solutions in case of failure or traceability defect
The data and reports provided by the laboratories thus constitute strategic decision-making tools at all stages of the product, equipment or installation life cycle: research and development, design, production, in-service operation.
All industrial sectors are concerned, but particularly those that produce critical parts and equipment for the safety of property and people: aeronautics and space, military and defense, energy and nuclear, automotive and transport, building and infrastructure.
What types of materials are tested in the laboratory ?
Our laboratory has the technical expertise and equipment required to characterize the technical properties of materials, qualify and validate a manufacturing process or method, or analyse the cause of a failure, and this for a very wide range of materials:
- Metallic materials : including the main ones used such as steels, aluminium, titanium, nickel, or copper alloys.
- Polymers : elastomers, thermoplastics or thermosets such as resins.
- Composite materials : high-performance structures combining fibres (carbon, glass), fillers or reinforcements and matrices (resins).
Analyses, tests or expertise are carried out on samples, parts or equipment entrusted to the laboratory, in compliance with the required standards, regulations or technical specifications.
From raw material to product in service: what do we receive in the laboratory?
Our laboratories offer adapted services to each stage of the life cycle of your products and materials on :
- Raw materials,
- Unfinished materials, pre-machined materials or constituent parts of industrial products.
- Part type or production test coupons to validate the quality of manufacturing processes such as coatings, treatments, assemblies or new processes such as additive manufacturing.
- Finished products for project or final validation.
- Parts or equipment in service to search for technical properties in case of lack of traceability, diagnose condition, or analyse the cause of a failure.
Bureau Veritas laboratories are sized to meet customer demands from single-unit testing to large-scale production monitoring controls. For the latter, laboratories organize production in project mode while respecting industrial requirements and maintaining constant liaison with production and delivery requirements.
Bureau Veritas has a portfolio of recognitions (approvals* from major industrial contractors, certifications*, accreditations*) which are the assurance and proof of the quality of services provided.
(*) See "Agréments" or "Certifications" chapter of downloadable documents from Bureau Veritas Laboratoires (documentation.bureauveritas.fr)
What are the steps of our laboratory support process?
To guarantee the reliability of results, each file follows a rigorous process in the laboratory :
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1. Reception and traceability of your parts, products or samples
Upon arrival of your components, industrial parts or raw materials, our teams validate the compliance of the shipment with respect to your requirements from specifications and testing standards (ISO, ASTM, EN). Individual computer monitoring is ensured from receipt to transmission of results via the LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System).
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2. Preparation of samples or equipment submitted for testing
Our workshops ensure the machining, cutting or polishing necessary to transform your raw samples into standardized test pieces or samples, ready to be tested. Furthermore, for certain tests, specific conditioning is carried out, or testing equipment installed to carry out measurements on test benches or in service.
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3. Conducting analyses and tests
Our engineers and technicians carry out tests with high-precision equipment whose metrology is regularly checked. Each measurement is recorded in real time, manually or automatically, in our LIMS, to ensure complete traceability and data integrity, an essential criterion for regulatory compliance and the reliability of our reports.
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4. Delivery of the test, analysis or expertise report
Following controls, tests, analyses or expertise, we send you a report with detailed and documented results, with the conclusion of our experts on compliance with respect to the reference documents transmitted, such as standards, specifications, regulations, and findings or any recommendations.
Why choose Bureau Veritas?
Trusting our laboratories means ensuring the expertise of the world leader in inspection and certification to secure your production chains. Choosing Bureau Veritas support means benefiting from five fundamental guarantees :
Quality of results according to NF EN ISO / IEC 17025 standard : our laboratories have a quality and technical system compliant with NF EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Furthermore, Bureau Veritas Laboratories is accredited by COFRAC (scopes and sites available on www.cofrac.fr) and by PRI Nadcap (Material Testing Laboratory). This independent evaluation guarantees: technical competence, impartiality of tests, validity and reliability of results.
These accreditations are recognized worldwide and are mandatory in high-risk sectors, such as nuclear or aeronautics. Furthermore, the Bureau Veritas Laboratories site in Villars is certified ISO 19443 for conducting material characterization tests in the nuclear field.
- Industry trusted partner : our laboratories are approved by the largest industrial contractors. Our test reports constitute a cornerstone of your qualification for products or manufacturing processes, as tests comply with the specific requirements criteria of each contractor.
- An integrated and comprehensive range of tests : our laboratories have state-of-the-art equipment and a wide range of tests to meet your characterization, analysis or control needs. In continuous improvement, we integrate the entire chain : preparation and conditioning, cutting and machining of standardized test pieces, specific tests including according to the most recent regulatory or market requirements.
- Responsiveness adapted to your industrial flows : we synchronize our laboratory services with your delivery requirements. Whether it is an emergency analysis within 24 to 48 hours or a large-scale project follow-up, our teams commit to optimized and respected timelines.
- Decision support reports : beyond simple raw data, our experts deliver a detailed and illustrated test report that scientifically attests to the compliance of your materials or products with respect to standards, their resistance to actual constraints or compliance with environmental requirements.
