Material Characterization image

High Throughput Characterization

Microstructure is the critical link between processing and properties of a material. This is true for conventional wrought and cast material as well as additively manufactured (AM) parts. Current techniques to measure spatially resolved crystallographic orientation, such as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), are prohibitively expensive for large-scale quality control and industrial research purposes, both in terms of the time and cost as well as the small sample size and stringent preparation requirements involved. At MRL, we have developed TiPolar - a computational polarized microscopy instrument for orientation imaging, that produces high-resolution (half micron for AM titanium) CMAP and pole figure results comparable to EBSD with many notable advantages over the conventional method:

  • no surface preparation required
  • no restrictions on environment - imaging is conducted in air
  • quick imaging (200,000 pixels/second) and automated processing of large sample areas (up to 6 inches)


Conventional Characterization

While developing high-throughput instruments like TiPolar, we also work to develop high throughput methods for data acquisition and analysis using conventional material characterization tools. Our characterization capabilities include:

  • Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
    • Secondary electron and backscatter detectors
    • Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)
    • Automated large area montages for SE, BSE, and EBSD
  • Optical microscopy
    • Automated large area montage capability
  • Hardness testing
    • Software tools in iCAAM for efficient storage and processing of data
      • automated image segmentation, feature extraction, and higher order statistics for analyzing spatial distribution of microscopy and porosity
      • user-friendly tools for compiling large area montages and generating pole figure and inverse pole figures from EBSD
      • generation of yield surfaces from hardness data
      • .

      Learn more about high-throughput microstructure characterization from the TiPolar Website, or send us your questions

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