Most of our experts not only have a Ph.D., but also decades of experience working for large plastic manufacturers. This combination of academic rigor and industry knowledge is rare and invaluable in product liability litigation.
An expert must have experience with the specific type of plastic in your case. Our plastic experts have experience working with all common plastics — PC, PP, PE, PS, ABS, PVC, nylons, acrylics, epoxys, and more.
The first thing we do is perform a high resolution CT scan — non-destructive and generally reveals manufacturing and design defects. We follow up with forensic analysis and computer modeling to show exactly what caused the product to fail.
When asked a 'yes' or 'no' question on the witness stand, if the answer is yes, our experts are not wishy-washy and will answer 'absolutely!' This confidence comes from decades of hands-on experience with plastic products.
Wrong material selection, inadequate stress analysis, and failure to account for service conditions. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) computer models stress distribution throughout a plastic part to determine whether the design evenly distributes loads or concentrates them at weak points.
CT scans reveal voids near surfaces where cracks initiate, incompletely fused knit lines, and other internal defects invisible from outside. Contaminated resin is a serious issue: in one case, a folding step stool made in China contained foreign PVC particles embedded in what should have been pure polypropylene (PP).
SEM reveals the fracture mode — environmental stress cracking (ESC), tensile overload, fatigue, creep, or high-speed impact — each of which leaves distinctive 'tell-tale marks' on the fracture surface traceable to the crack origin.
High magnification reveals fracture surface detail not visible optically. EDS measures the elemental composition of defect particles. The 'gold standard' for proving crack initiation at a specific defect site.
Every chemical has a unique FTIR 'fingerprint.' Our computer chemical fingerprint library identifies chemicals and commercial products from their spectral signature. FTIR unmasks material substitution, off-spec resins, and contaminants that caused a failure.
FEA proves whether a product's design distributes stresses or concentrates them at failure-prone locations. Dynamic FEA simulates repetitive cyclical stress to expose fatigue-prone weak points.
Non-destructive. Reveals internal voids, knit lines, contamination, and manufacturing defects invisible from outside the part. CT scanning is the first step in most product investigations.
Compelling demonstrations and microscopic imagery that persuade juries, mediators, and opposing counsel.
"A picture is worth a thousand words is more true than ever in legal matters. Juries, mediation judges, and opposing attorneys are greatly affected by videos, photographs, and demonstrations."
Taking a piece of plastic and showing it can be bent in half without breaking, then applying a chemical and demonstrating it shatters like glass — dramatic and convincing!
A microscope image showing thumbnail features typical of ESC failure, closely spaced parallel striations typical of fatigue, or a bubble from which a crack developed — very obvious and convincing. A single SEM fractography map can be more persuasive than a 50-page expert report.
