Metallography Preparation & Micro-Etch Testing Services for Aerospace & Oil & Gas 

Reveal the Truth in the Microstructure—Accredited Work, Delivered Fast 

Why Preparation & Micro-Etch Metallography Matters 

From flight-critical hardware to pressure-boundary components, what you can’t see often dictates fatigue life, toughness, and failure risk. Proper sectioning, mounting, grinding/polishing, and controlled etching reveal the features that determine compliance: grain size/orientation, alpha/beta balance (Ti), carbide morphology, case depth, decarburization, weld fusion/HAZ, inclusion content, and coating integrity. High-quality prep and etch prevent artifacts that can mislead investigations and slow MRB decisions. 

AADFW’s Approach: Precision, Speed, and Proof 

• Accredited & precise: Work performed under ISO/IEC 17025 with documented procedures, calibrated optics, verified scales, and photo standards. 

• Faster results: Streamlined intake, alloy-specific prep plans, and decision-ready photo plates compress lead times without sacrificing rigor. 

• Trusted by industry: Aerospace and oil & gas teams rely on our audit-ready documentation, traceability, and metallurgical interpretations that stand up to OEM and regulatory reviews. 

Preparation & Micro-Etch Capabilities 

• Sectioning & Mounting 
  Low-heat sectioning (abrasive/precision saws), hot/cold mounting with orientation marks; preserved edges and thread roots for near-surface evaluations. 

• Grinding & Polishing (Artifact-Free Surfaces) 
  Automated sequences tuned by alloy and objective (e.g., decarb vs. inclusion rating) to avoid pull-out, smearing, or edge rounding; final finishes for optical/SEM. 

Alloy-Specific Micro-Etching (per ASTM E407 & OEM specs) 

• Steels: Nital/Picral/Kalling’s for pearlite/bainite/martensite, grain flow, decarburization boundaries. 

• Stainless & Ni-base: Glyceregia/Vilella to show carbides, delta/secondary phases, sensitization cues. 

• Aluminum: Keller’s/Barker’s for grain structure, exfoliation indicators, and coating interfaces. 

• Titanium: Kroll/Weck’s to delineate alpha/beta and identify alpha-case or machining/thermal effects. 

• Magnesium/Copper & Others: Etchants selected per objective and spec. 

Feature-Focused Evaluations 

• Weld macro/micro: Fusion, penetration, HAZ width, defects; fillet size/profile. 

• Case depth & Decarburization: Edge and first engaged thread cross-sections with microhardness traverses. 

• Grain size & Flow: Forging quality and orientation in heads, lugs, and pins. 

• Coatings & Interfaces: Thickness/coverage and failure mode at scribe/edge (with complementary tests on request). 

• Measurement & Imaging 
  Calibrated scale bars, image analysis, stitched panoramas; quantitative callouts (avg./max. depths, % area, intercept counts). 

Optional Add-Ons 

• Microhardness (HV/Knoop) profiles, SEM/EDS for inclusion or corrosion product ID, and correlation with OES / C/S / O/N/H chemistry where needed. 

• Reporting & Traceability 
  Photo plates with etchant/etch time, prep route, magnification, and location maps; acceptance tables (go/no-go), calibration references, and chain-of-custody—audit-ready. 

Industries We Support 

• Aerospace: Titanium and Ni-base components, weldments, and fasteners under OEM/FAA expectations (grain flow, alpha-case, HAZ integrity). 

• Oil & Gas: Pressure-boundary steels, weld overlays/cladding, and coating interfaces affecting sour-service and fatigue. 

• Defense & Advanced Manufacturing: Mission-critical parts (including additively manufactured metals) where microstructure consistency and documentation are non-negotiable. 
  Trusted by engineers and QC managers across mission-critical industries. 

Accreditations & Standards Compliance 

AADFW operates to ISO/IEC 17025 and supports Nadcap-driven program requirements, executing metallography to the applicable standards on our A2LA scope and customer specifications, including: 

• ASTM E3 (metallographic specimen preparation) • ASTM E407 (micro-etching) 

• ASTM E112 (grain size) • ASTM E45 (inclusion content) • ASTM E1077 (decarburization, with microhardness) 

• ASTM E384 / E92 (microhardness for case/depth profiles) 

• OEM/prime and AMS procedures (e.g., nital etch criteria) as specified in purchase documents 

Why Engineers Choose AADFW 

• Accredited & audit-ready metallography with calibrated imaging and documented etch parameters. 

• Faster turnaround—alloy-specific prep plans and standardized reporting keep gates on schedule. 

• Trusted partner to aerospace and oil & gas QA organizations. 

• Expert metallurgists who convert micrographs into clear go/no-go decisions and practical corrective actions. 

Request a Quote for Metallography Preparation & Micro-Etch Testing 

Get artifact-free sections and defensible microstructures, on time. Request a Quote to schedule preparation and micro-etch work today.