Aerospace and Defense Metallurgical Testing

Fully Compliant Special Process Validation and Defect Analysis for Primes and Tier-1 Suppliers.

Aerospace manufacturing demands absolute material verification and zero-defect execution. As an independent, small-business laboratory, MSI Lab provides commercial aerospace contractors with precise destructive testing without the prohibitive overhead pricing of massive network labs. We hold strict A2LA ISO 17025 Accreditation and are GE Aerospace S-400 Certified (Lab Code 68639), ensuring our data satisfies strict prime supplier quality system requirements and flow-down standards.

Core Testing and Analytical Capabilities:

  • Alpha Case Detection: High-magnification microstructural evaluation of alpha case depth in cast titanium alloys to validate safe process planning and prevent brittle fractures.

  • EDM Recast Identification: Optical photomicrographic evaluation to detect, measure, and map brittle white layers and altered microstructural zones generated during electrical discharge machining (EDM). This evaluation ensures your safety-critical components are completely free of structural micro-cracks that compromise high-cycle fatigue life.

  • Microstructure and Grain Size Analysis: Independent validation of thermal processing history, microstructural cleanliness, and grain boundary structures.

  • Fastener, Weld, and Braze Integrity Testing: Precision microhardness mapping, macrohardness checks, and destructive cross-sectional micro profiling of flight-critical joints.

Prime Certifications and Specifications Met:

  • GE Aerospace S-400 Certified — Pre-approved in GE Aviation's supplier network.

  • A2LA ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited (Certificate #2037.01).

  • Fully equipped to support suppliers needing independent testing aligned with ASTM, AMS, and prime manufacturing quality audits.

Optical photomicrograph showing alpha case layer depth and brittle oxygen-enriched surface morphology on a cast titanium alloy component to evaluate special process validation requirements.

Alpha case on cast titanium component

Optical photomicrograph showing an electrical discharge machining (EDM) recast layer, evaluating brittle white layer thickness and altered microstructural zones for fatigue-critical aerospace hardware.

EDM recast layer on titanium component

Optical photomicrograph showing the equiaxed alpha-beta microstructure of a Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy, evaluating phase morphology and grain distribution to ensure aerospace compliance standards.

Ti-6Al-4V alpha-beta titanium alloy