Testing technology is a key component of our worldwide network of Technical Centers

Testing to make life safer

With worldwide accredited testing technology, Bayer MaterialScience puts plastics through their paces while remaining alert to the needs of the market.

For the material testers of Bayer MaterialScience, every time something fails in their laboratory, they count it as a success. As long as the failure is monitored, that is, and takes place under scientific conditions. In some cases, this requires a great deal of effort.
In the Physical Testing department of the Polyurethanes Business Unit, the very latest testing technology is used to put newly developed polyurethane shoe soles through their paces all day long, until the smallest tear eventually leads to complete failure of the sole, thereby indicating the load limits of the material. The laboratory washing bay of the Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants Business Unit also measures key material parameters such as the durability of innovative coating recipes. Like the hundreds of other Bayer MaterialScience testing procedures, the aim of this is to use new findings to continually optimize the material characteristics of the products.
To take one example, the Thermoplastics Testing Center of the Polycarbonates Business Unit for the Automotive Glazing sector has developed an innovative and practical testing procedure for determining the scratch resistance of windshields, headlight lenses and coated bumpers.
Under highly realistic conditions simulating vehicles in a high-velocity airstream, test surfaces are bombarded with sand particles at speeds of up to 150 kph. The scratch resistance is then quantified by means of optical examination.
Crash simulations for pedestrian protection demonstrate the lifesaving potential of testing technology. The material parameters of thermoplastics and polyurethanes for the automotive industry – determined in the lab and in real crash tests – are fed into simulation programs by Computer Aided Engineering experts who then analyze on the monitor how and where the front sections of vehicles need to be improved in order to protect pedestrians involved in accidents from serious injury.
Shoe producers, automotive manufacturers, consumer protection organizations and legislators worldwide are insisting on ever higher levels of quality and safety before consumer goods reach retail outlets. With high-tech materials and systematic technical support, Bayer MaterialScience helps its customers to meet these exacting requirements.
"Testing technology is a key component of our worldwide network of Technical Centers in Leverkusen, Uerdingen, Pittsburgh and Shanghai," says Dr. Dieter Holtkamp, Head of Physical Testing, highlighting the global expertise of Bayer MaterialScience. "And this must be at least as good as the high-tech materials that we sell on the international markets."
Expanding testing expertise is a key objective for all the laboratories in the network, both for standardized material tests and the application-specific testing of semi-finished products and components. Bayer MaterialScience’s expertise is confirmed by accreditations and certificates awarded to the testing laboratories in many countries. This ensures reliable results at all times, which often saves customers from having to perform complex acceptance on incoming goods, thereby reducing model cycle times. Recognized in many countries, the accreditation also facilitates cooperation with globally oriented customers.