Envista Forensics launches in-house materials science lab

08 March 2022 Consulting.us

Envista Forensics, a Chicago-headquartered forensic engineering and consulting firm, has launched a new in-house materials science lab.

The firm will roll out four lab capabilities in the coming year, with the first one going live this week.

The global consultancy will now offer in-house Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, which helps identify defects in materials that could have caused a failure – including plastics, paints, petroleum products, and organic acids. FTIR can help engineers and investigators determine defects, installation issues, contaminations, and other failures.

"Although we have already provided FTIR for clients for the last 10 years, our ability to centralize this process, without the need of a third-party, will allow for a simpler, more streamlined approach to provide reports," said Wes Grandlienard, technical director, Envista Forensics.  "The goal is to eventually provide this service not only to clients but also to any other companies in need of this type of materials testing."

Envista Forensics launches in-house materials science lab

Envista plans to roll out three other materials lab services over the course of the year: ionic contamination testing, which uses ion chromatography to detect contamination of equipment caused by water or smoke damage; shingle desaturation, which uses vapor degreasing to determine the cause of roof damage; and fire debris analysis, which uses gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze fire debris for ignitable liquid residues.

Headquartered in Chicago, Envista’s approximately 600 global consultants deliver services in failure analysis, fire and explosion investigations, digital forensics, building and construction consulting, and damage evaluations, among other areas.

The firm has more than 30 offices across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, and works with leading companies in the legal, insurance, and risk management industries.

Envista last year acquired Memphis, TN-based Grecco Construction Consultants.