Element Materials Technology is set to open a new $7m aerospace materials testing laboratory in Shanghai, China.

The 30,000ft² facility will provide services such as chemical analysis, fatigue testing, failure investigation and mechanical testing services, in addition to metallurgical analysis and on-site testing.

Once open, the new facility will enable customers to additionally benefit from pre-testing services, comprising a full machine shop and heat treatment furnaces for materials before they undergo testing.

Scheduled to open next month, the facility has completed the accreditation of ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 and Nadcap, while OEM audits are currently ongoing.

The laboratory is expected to bring capacity and expertise to large aerospace manufacturers and region-based supply chains associated with the manufacturers.

Element Materials Technology aerospace executive vice-president Rick Sluiters said: “Our new laboratory in Shanghai creates an unparalleled offering for customers in the region as it provides a local service, saving them time and money while still connecting to the group’s large, global network of technical capability, capacity and expertise.

“The Chinese aerospace industry is going through rapid growth and this investment is a direct response to our customers’ needs for destructive testing services, for metals and composite materials, that will be used on the current and future generations of aircraft developed in the region.’’

Element recently delivered a year-long project to investigate the hydrodynamic behaviour of the new Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) C919 aircraft at the UK’s Element Warwick laboratory.

In May 2018, the company made an investment in its aerospace product qualification testing site in Bloomington, Minneapolis, US, to expand the site’s capabilities.