Menlo Park Laboratory

Exponent's Menlo Park analytical chemistry laboratory offers advanced, custom testing services, including chromatography, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, extractables and leachables analysis, and contamination assessments. Our multidisciplinary teams support biocompatibility evaluations, material and process reviews, and ingredient change investigations that help clients understand real-world conditions that aren't captured by standard tests. 

• Extractables and leachables consulting support 

• Purity, stability, and contamination assessments for pharmaceuticals, supplements, and other ingredients, including custom analytical methods for challenging matrices 

• Contaminant identification and characterization 

• Microscopy 

• Surface analysis 

• Test method validation and QA/QC support 

• Failure analysis and root cause analysis, including forensic analysis

• Customized corrosion and electrochemical testing, including cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (ASTM F2129, ASTM G61), galvanic corrosion testing (ASTM F3044, ASTM G71), and passivation evaluation

• Simulated physiological conditions for accelerated in-vitro corrosion evaluation of medical devices

• Corrosion potential measurement and long-term monitoring (ISO 16429), including corrosion monitoring and remaining life estimation

• Metal ion release testing (ASTM F3306) and material compatibility assessments for various environments

• Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear polarization resistance (LPR), corrosion rate measurement, linear sweep voltammetry, and cyclic voltammetry

• Optical and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy for material characterization and surface analysis

• Material selection and evaluation for specific applications, including data center cooling systems and brake fluids

• Failure and root cause analysis, including forensic analysis

• Accelerated life testing and corrosion susceptibility assessments

• Performance evaluation of paints and coatings; high-frequency evaluation of neurostimulators 

Our scientists and engineers leverage our electrical and optical testing laboratories to evaluate power systems, semiconductors, consumer electronics, vehicles, medical devices, radio waves, optics, software, networks, controls, and batteries. Exponent's electrical experts provide critical insights into design and manufacturing processes to help clients understand their most formidable performance, safety, security, and compliance challenges.  

• Electrical safety and reliability testing

• Optics and photonics assessments, including lasers and LED safety compliance testing

• Testing-to-failure based on statistical sampling

• Failure and root cause analyses for devices, systems, components, subsystems, and integrated systems

• Modeling, measuring, and analyzing electric and magnetic fields (radiation) across frequency ranges for exposure, interference, emission, and susceptibility analysis

• Electromagnetic interference and compatibility (EMI and EMC) testing

• Technical prototype system development to support investigative techniques

• Electric shock and electrocution investigations

• Intellectual property analyses for hardware design, software design, and source code

• Computer and network systems forensics

Exponent's materials testing laboratory helps clients solve the metallurgical, materials, and electrochemical challenges they face during the entire product lifecycle, from prototyping through product development, manufacturing ramp, recalls, and end-of-product-life issues (including failure analysis). Exponent's expert teams assist manufacturers with all forms of analysis on all classes of materials, including metals, polymers, ceramics, thin films, and nanomaterials. We conduct a wide range of property characterization, including microstructural analysis, transport properties, optical properties, electronic properties, and mechanical properties. We're familiar with device construction and teardown for products in a variety of industries, including consumer electronics, medical devices, battery systems, personal care products, heavy machinery, and industrial and construction materials. 

• Materials characterization, including contaminant identification and dimensional analysis

• Metallurgical sample preparation, examination, and fractography

• Microhardness, micro- and nanoindentation, and optical profilometry

• Chromatography techniques (GC-MS, LC-MS, GPC) for material and contaminant analysis

• Spectroscopic methods: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)

• Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and plasma focused ion beam (P-FIB) analysis

• 2D and 3D X-ray imaging for structural and compositional assessments

• Friction, tack, adhesion, toughness, and impact testing

• Failure analysis, recreation testing, and reliability testing

• Corrosion testing and battery cell cycling

Our thermal laboratory allows our teams to collaborate on questions related to fires and explosions across a range of industries, from manufacturing and petrochemicals to consumer products and batteries. Whether it's determining the root cause of a fire or preventing one, our mechanical, chemical, aeronautical, fire protection, and nuclear engineers offer hands-on expertise to uncover the insights clients need to move forward through both customized and standardized testing.  

• Product failure and recall investigations, and appliance risk reviews

• Full-scale mock-up testing and recreations, including upholstered furniture and mattress component testing

• Appliance testing and risk review

• Fluid mechanics, flow loop characterizations, and water loss/leak investigations

• Elevated pressure gas release and pressure/leak testing of gas piping systems

• Thermal hazard evaluation and heat release rate characterization

• Vehicle ignition and fire testing, including hot surface ignition and spontaneous combustion/self-heating testing

• Flammability testing of plastics (UL 94), fabrics/textiles/garments (16CFR 1610, 1615, 1616), and cigarette ignition (NFPA 260, 261, CA TB106, TB116, TB133)

• Combustible/flammable liquid flash point testing (ASTM D92) and refrigerant ignition/flammability testing

• Hot wire testing (CEI-IEC 60695-2)

• Fire sprinkler, smoke, and heat detector testing