EMA reaccredits INTEC Materials Testing Laboratory
The Laboratory is accredited under ISO 17025, with two test methods under the scope of its accreditation.
SANTO DOMINGO. - The Materials Testing Laboratory (LEM) of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) reaffirmed its leadership in the materials testing sector by renewing its international accreditation, granted by the Mexican Accreditation Entity (EMA), which aims to endorse conformity declaration bodies, such as testing laboratories, calibration laboratories, clinical laboratories, among others.
LEM obtained accreditation for the first time in 2012, becoming the first laboratory in the country to be accredited in the metal-mechanical branch.
In order to evaluate the Laboratory for reaccreditation, INTEC received a visit from EMA evaluators, who confirmed that the LEM has maintained an effective Quality Management System and has the technical skills to develop tests in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017, for stress methods in metals under ASTM E8/E8M and Rockwell hardness in metals under ASTM-E18, scales B and C.
In the evaluation carried out, the Materials Testing Laboratory also received the technical update of the standard for tensile testing on metals to its latest version 2024.
EMA is a prestigious accreditation body that represents Mexico as one of the five Latin American countries that are part of the Multilateral Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA/MLA), which brings together the world's leading verification bodies. It is considered the most prestigious accreditation body in Latin America. The accreditation system in Mexico, represented by EMA, is comparable to the signatory members of multilateral agreements from countries such as the United States, Canada, France, Brazil, Argentina, China, and Japan, to name a few.
By maintaining the validity of the accreditation, the LEM demonstrates that it ensures the validity of its results, as evidenced by its constant participation in Proficiency Tests with satisfactory results. In addition, the report shows that the laboratory staff has the skills and experience in the requested methods, that the facilities and environmental conditions are kept under control and that the equipment complies with its maintenance and calibration programs.
The INTEC Materials Testing Laboratory provides services based on the rigorous generation and application of scientific and technical knowledge with a high level of competitiveness. These include testing services for various materials and products, including metals, polymers, composites and ceramics; tension, compression, bending or flexure, cleavage, shear, Rockwell, Leeb and Janka hardness tests, impact tests, metallographic analysis, determination of mass and galvanization thickness.
“Some of the tests carried out by the laboratory are key for the Dominican industrial and export sector, especially for construction, chemical, metallurgy and lumber companies,” said Betsy Campsteyn, General Coordinator of Laboratories.