Testing labs in Chassieu

ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by COFRAC (No. 1-0054) testing laboratory (accreditation status: active). Accredited test areas include: Calibration Electrical; Electrical Product Safety; Electrical Safety; Env Climate Temperature; Env Vibration Shock. Located at 11, rue d'Arsonval, 69680, Chassieu, France. Official accreditation scope: https://tools.cofrac.fr/annexes/sect1/1-0054.pdf

QARBONE is a French materials testing and expertise laboratory located at 94 Avenue du Progrès, Bâtiment D2, 69680 Chassieu, in the Lyon metropolitan area, and operates as a specialist division of the 6NAPSE Group. The laboratory was formally established in 2022 through the strategic merger of two complementary 6NAPSE entities: EMTT (Études Métallurgiques et de Traitement Thermique — Metallurgical Studies and Heat Treatment), which brought over thirty years of expertise in metallurgy and heat treatment, and CREALINS, which contributed established chemical analysis capabilities. By unifying these two heritage operations under the QARBONE brand, the 6NAPSE Group created a consolidated center of excellence for materials characterization, physicochemical analysis, failure investigation, and contamination detection, serving industrial clients across a broad range of sectors in France and internationally. The laboratory's core service offering spans three principal pillars. First, physicochemical and chemical analysis (analyse physico-chimique et chimique): QARBONE performs compositional analysis of metals, polymers, ceramics, glasses, and composite materials to determine elemental and molecular constitution, identify impurities, and characterize structural and surface properties. Second, foreign body detection and identification (corps étrangers): the laboratory applies rigorous microscopy and spectroscopic workflows to isolate, image, and chemically characterize extraneous particles, fibres, and inclusions found in products, components, or manufacturing streams. Third, failure analysis and corrosion expertise (expertise corrosion et analyse de défaillance): QARBONE engineers investigate in-service failures — including corrosion damage, fracture, surface defects, and material degradation — to determine root cause and support corrective action or legal proceedings. QARBONE's analytical instrumentation covers a wide methodological spectrum. Elemental analysis is performed by ICP-AES/OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy), ICP-MS, optical emission spectrometry (OES/SEO), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), enabling trace and major element quantification across metallic and non-metallic matrices. Molecular and phase identification relies on FTIR microscopy (IRTF), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD/DRX). Morphological and microstructural investigation is carried out by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX / MEB-EDX), optical microscopy, and stereoscopy. Thermal analysis capabilities include thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/ATG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Carbon and sulfur content is determined by combustion analyzers. Volatile organic and trace compound profiling is performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-FID, while ion chromatography addresses anion and cation characterization. A defining specialty of QARBONE is the detection, sampling, and characterization of foreign bodies — extraneous particles and fibres — in industrial products and manufacturing environments. This work encompasses particles in pharmaceutical batches, inclusions in packaged goods, metallic or polymeric contamination in process streams, and fibrous contamination of all origins. The laboratory's foreign body workflow combines stereomicroscopy for visual triage, SEM-EDX for morphology and elemental mapping, and FTIR microscopy for organic material fingerprinting, enabling definitive identification regardless of contaminant nature. This service directly supports quality investigations, consumer complaint resolution, regulatory compliance audits, and judicial or litigation mandates. QARBONE serves a diverse set of industrial sectors including aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, metallurgy, new mobility and electric vehicles, chemical and petrochemical industries, pharmaceuticals, and packaging. The breadth of material types routinely handled — metals and alloys, ceramics, polymers, elastomers, glasses, composites, and hybrid systems — means the laboratory can address virtually any solid-material characterization challenge across these industries. Its failure analysis and corrosion investigation capabilities are especially valued by manufacturers and component suppliers needing to understand in-service degradation or to support product liability and insurance claims. On the quality and accreditation front, QARBONE holds COFRAC testing accreditation under accreditation number 1-7332 (scope available at www.cofrac.fr), issued by the Comité Français d'Accréditation, the French national accreditation body operating under the international standard ISO/IEC 17025. This accreditation specifically covers the sampling and characterization of foreign bodies — particles and fibres — by SEM-EDX, stereoscopy, and FTIR microscopy, confirming that these critical analytical scopes are subject to rigorous independent audit and interlaboratory validation. Additionally, QARBONE holds Qualiopi certification as a quality-labeled training organization, attesting to the standard of its professional skills development activities delivered to industrial clients. As part of the 6NAPSE Group, QARBONE benefits from group-wide engineering, industrial services, and metallurgical consulting capabilities, giving clients access to a single-source partner for both laboratory analysis and broader industrial problem-solving. The combination of institutional heritage rooted in over three decades of metallurgical expertise with a state-of-the-art multi-technique analytical platform and formal COFRAC accreditation positions QARBONE as a technically rigorous and credible partner for materials characterization, contamination investigation, corrosion failure analysis, and regulatory or judicial support mandates across the manufacturing and process industries.