Laboratories and Testing Facilities
Systematic Quality Control
Consistent and uncompromising adherence to strict quality principles is one of the pillars of Saarstahl’s success. Continuous inspection of product quality is an essential part of this.
Use of state-of-the-art analysis and testing equipment, the high level of employee training in our laboratories and the strong focus on maintaining the highest standards form the basis for obtaining reliable test results at all times. Our chemical and technical laboratories are therefore accredited in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 (see accreditation certificates for scope of accreditation) by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS).
For us, quality assurance begins even before production with analysis of the charging materials, and it supports the manufacturing process up to the pre-delivery inspection of the product when it is ready for shipping.
To ensure our analysis techniques are always at the state of the art, we use standardized procedures and also work to further develop methods together with specialist committees, in addition to participating in national and international ring tests and comparative studies.
Technical Laboratories
In our technical laboratories, we check production processes, perform studies for material and process development, and examine damage and the consequences of heat treatment. To check the quality, we prepare samples and carry out mechanical-technological and metallographic tests in compliance with national and international standards.
The mechanical tests include tensile tests, notched bar impact bending tests, fracture toughness tests, hardness tests and creep rupture tests. Non-destructive testing methods that we use include magnetic testing (MT) and ultrasonic testing (UT).
For metallographic analysis of aspects such as microstructure, grain size, degree of purity, degree of decarburization and phase analyses, we use light microscopes, automatic image analysis systems and opto-electronic devices such as scanning electron microscopes with EDX and micro-sensors.
Chemical Laboratories
We test all quality-relevant charging and auxiliary materials in our chemical laboratories, including ferro-alloys. We monitor the production process here from hot metal to the finished product, provide analytical support for process development, and monitor the manufacturing processes from an environmental analysis perspective.
We also analyze trace elements as part of our research work. For this, we use automatic emission spectrometer lines, x-ray fluorescence analyzers, combustion equipment for analyzing C/S/N/H/O, ICP spectrometers, or atomic absorption instruments.
