Research & Development Services

Research and development is similar to engineering but is a distinct process with unique goals. R&D creates knowledge, develops designs, and moves on to creating — and proving the feasibility of — prototypes and samples. Engineering, which follows R&D, converts these samples into marketable or economically feasible products or processes. Consolidated Sciences in constantly striving to keep abreast of new research and technology.

Whether you're looking for general advice from an expert with over 30 years worth of experience and industry contacts or have a question specific to instrumentation and method, we would love to hear about your latest research project and if we can assist in your research goals.

Top

Project Consultation

The Consolidated Sciences' team is available for project involvement at the onset of your endeavors. Working hand-in-hand with our own expertise and industry contacts, we are able to advise on everything from budgeting to workflow, sourcing, and more. No project is too big or too small to benefit from our experienced eye.

Top

Method Development

Test methods form the basis of product testing and allow repeatable, controlled and meaningful assessment of packaged product's physical performance. Whether it be a routine verification/validation testing or a one-off technical investigation, using the correct test method is critical to a successful assessment. The test method's ability to deliver the right conclusions is a detrimental element in decision making.

Using a standard test method, perhaps published by a respected standards organization, is a good place to start. However, many times these organizations lag behind the forefront of engineering and it's required to develop a completely new test method or modify an existing test method.

Test methods are often scrutinized for their validity, applicability, and accuracy. It is very important that the scope of the test method is clearly defined, and any aspect included in the scope is shown to be accurate and repeatable through validation.

Consolidated Sciences can design and develop the performance-related test method from scratch or assist our client to improve, refine or validate an existing test method.

The following is a list of considerations in test method validation:

  • Accuracy and precision
  • Repeatability and Reproducibility (sometimes Gauge R&R)
  • Range, or a continuum scale over which the test method would be considered accurate
  • Measurement resolution
  • Curve fitting
  • Robustness, or the insensitivity to potentially subtle variables in the test environment or setup, which may be difficult to control
  • Measurement uncertainty

Configuration

For particularly difficult applications, we would suggest configuration and development advice in which an expert analyst travels to your facility. Typically, we are asked to improve detection limits in difficult situations. Recently, we worked with a customer to improve the detection limits on their GC-ICP-MS when the manufacturer was unable to assist with the particular application specifications. As you can see below, we dramatically improved the instrument's detection of germane from 11 ppb to about 5 ppt (Figure 1), arsine from 18 ppb to 45 ppt (Figure 2), and phosphorus from 1000 ppb to 3 ppb (CCT(O2), m/z 48) and 25 ppb (Standard, m/z 34) (Figure 3).

Germane repair

Figure 1. GC-ICP-MS analysis of germane before and after recommended changes.

Arsine repair

Figure 2. GC-ICP-MS analysis of arsine before and after recommended changes.

Sulfur repair

Figure 3. GC-ICP-MS analysis of sulfur before and after recommended changes.

Top