ABSTRACT

One of the roles of the Canadian federal Materials Technology Laboratory (MTL) is to supply microstructural characterization services to projects of varying length and complexity involving a diverse array of clients, materials and product forms. The projects may be open and collaborative or contractual and confidential, and involve universities, other government agencies, small and large companies, international associations and multinationals. This range requires a large degree of flexibility regarding:

Timelines, cost estimates and degree of multitasking (project management) Number and type of specimens TEM techniques used Use of other microbeam techniques

Clients lacking transmission electron microscopy (TEM) capability may have concluded from their own investigations that TEM is needed or they may have

contacted one of our Program Managers or Project Leaders who suggest that TEM should be a component of the solution to their needs. In other words, TEM usage in industrial issues is almost always contingent on some other form of a more “macroscopic” technique suggesting that data are needed either on a much finer scale or of a nature that TEM can supply more effectively than other microbeam techniques.