From 9b26cfbf7ca3a227bdbd0f310e42ba94b10d29e7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: grabowski Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2026 21:51:00 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] PVC lab: instrument list with estimates, and cost it quality-automation.md: the day-one per-lot tier becomes a table with an instrument class and a rough price per check (moisture analyzer, strip oven, density balance, spectrophotometer, gloss, sieves, muffle furnace, stereo microscope), plus what was missing: a lab plaque press or two-roll mill so speck, color and DSC tests do not tie up a production press; sample conditioning as part of the method at 60 to 90 % ambient humidity; magnets for metal in lots and regrind. Day-one tier ~USD 55k to 150k (estimate); Karl Fischer and the ISO 182 Thermomat as options. Mature tier priced (~120k to 240k), handheld XRF as an option, and partner labs (Payap pharmacy, CMU science) to defer it. total-investment.md: the day-one tier goes into "Added scope, not yet in the roll-up" (55k to 150k USD, 1.8M to 5.0M THB); added total now ~290k to 690k USD, about 7 to 9 % on the subtotal. Headline total unchanged. --- docs/finance/total-investment.md | 6 ++- docs/quality-automation.md | 87 ++++++++++++++++++++++---------- 2 files changed, 64 insertions(+), 29 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/finance/total-investment.md b/docs/finance/total-investment.md index 2fa39bd..ab03b15 100644 --- a/docs/finance/total-investment.md +++ b/docs/finance/total-investment.md @@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ software lines, and the contingency on top). | Maintenance workshop and machine bay fit-out | 30k – 76k | 1.0M – 2.5M | estimate, same | | Visitor corridor and accessible entrance | 67k – 148k | 2.2M – 4.9M | estimate, same | | Artist platform, public side (calculator, campaigns, payments) | 40k – 90k | 1.3M – 3.0M | estimate, [artist platform](../artist-platform.md) | -| **Added so far** | **~235k – 540k** | **~7.7M – 17.9M** | about 6 to 7% on the full-vision subtotal | +| PVC material lab, day-one tier (incl. plaque press and sample conditioning) | 55k – 150k | 1.8M – 5.0M | estimate, [quality automation](../quality-automation.md); not costed in the metrology block above. The mature tier (torque rheometer, DSC, FTIR, ~120k – 240k) is deferred, with partner labs in between | +| **Added so far** | **~290k – 690k** | **~9.5M – 22.9M** | about 7 to 9% on the full-vision subtotal | ## Phased entry @@ -55,7 +56,8 @@ A credible launch phase is far smaller, roughly **1.7M to 2.9M USD - Newbilt Single system (not Duplex yet) - Bridge stampers from Stamper Discs, so no galvanics line at launch - Basic QC (microscope, benchtop PVC lab, sampled listening), full - metrology deferred + metrology deferred; the PVC lab's day-one tier is the added-scope row + above - Leased building instead of purchase, modest first solar array - Galvanics, automated presses, full metrology, and the biomass boiler follow as revenue-funded or second-round expansions diff --git a/docs/quality-automation.md b/docs/quality-automation.md index b09add7..d3051e4 100644 --- a/docs/quality-automation.md +++ b/docs/quality-automation.md @@ -205,37 +205,69 @@ the lot ID follows every record pressed from it: ### The PVC lab, in tiers +Prices are rough list-price ranges per instrument class (estimates, not +quotes; ask Thai distributors for local pricing and service). + **Per lot, in-house from day one** (benchtop instruments, all with data export for the traceability gate): -- Moisture content: halogen moisture analyzer or Karl Fischer titration; - minutes per sample, and the most common cause of noisy surfaces -- Heat stability: oven strips at pressing-relevant temperatures watching - discoloration over time; the formal methods are ISO 182 (Congo red / - conductivity), tracking HCl evolution -- Density: checked against the compound spec; feeds record weight - consistency -- Color: spectrophotometer L\*a\*b\* against the reference, plus gloss for - black compound -- Granulate physicals: sieve analysis for particle size distribution, bulk - density, dust/fines content -- Ash content: muffle furnace burn-off as a filler-loading drift check -- Pressed-plaque inspection for specks, gels, and contamination (shareable - with the optical inspection investment) +| Check | Instrument | Estimate, USD | +|---|---|---| +| Moisture, minutes per sample; the most common cause of noisy surfaces | Halogen moisture analyzer (Mettler HC / Sartorius MA class) | 3k to 8k | +| Heat stability: oven strips at pressing-relevant temperatures, watching discoloration over time | Lab oven with timed strip racks | 3k to 8k | +| Density against the compound spec; feeds record weight consistency | Analytical balance with density kit | 4k to 8k | +| Color L\*a\*b\* against the reference lot | Spectrophotometer | 10k to 30k | +| Gloss on black compound | Gloss meter | 2k to 5k | +| Granulate physicals: particle size distribution, bulk density, dust and fines | Sieve shaker with sieve stack, bulk density cup | 3k to 8k | +| Ash content as a filler-loading drift check | Muffle furnace | 3k to 8k | +| Specks, gels and contamination on pressed plaques | Stereo microscope and light table (the method is shareable with the optical inspection investment) | 3k to 8k | +| Test plaques for the speck count, color and DSC, without tying up a production press | Lab hot plaque press or small two-roll mill | 20k to 60k | +| Sample conditioning (below) | Drying oven, desiccators, sealed retained-sample storage | 2k to 5k | +| Metal contamination in lots and regrind | Grate or bar magnets at the hopper and regrind intake | under 2k | +| **Day-one tier** | | **~55k to 150k** | -**In-house as the lab matures** (the PVC-specific workhorses): +Two optional upgrades to the day-one tier: Karl Fischer titration for low +moisture levels and supplier disputes (10k to 20k), and the formal heat +stability method, ISO 182 Congo red / conductivity tracking of HCl +evolution (Metrohm PVC Thermomat class, 20k to 35k). -- Torque rheometry (Brabender class): fusion/gelation time and torque, - the standard predictor of how a PVC compound behaves in the extruder; - plain melt-flow index is less informative for PVC than for other - thermoplastics because the material is shear- and heat-sensitive -- DSC: glass transition, additive signatures, and the record-relevant - application of measuring the degree of gelation of a pressed record, - which correlates with surface noise and durability, turning DSC into a - process-tuning tool as well as an incoming check -- FTIR: identity fingerprint; record compound is classically a vinyl - chloride/vinyl acetate copolymer rather than pure PVC, and FTIR verifies - the copolymer and catches unannounced formulation changes +**Sample conditioning is part of the method, not an extra.** At 60 to 90 % +ambient humidity granulate picks up moisture between the warehouse and the +balance, so a moisture result is only comparable if the sample was taken +sealed, conditioned the same way every time and tested within a fixed +window. The lab sits in the conditioned QC zone ([scale](scale.md)) at the +HVAC's controlled humidity, and the retained sample of every lot is stored +sealed. + +The plaque press makes the inspection plaques; the **release test +pressing** of a new lot still runs on a production press, because that is +the real test. + +**In-house as the lab matures** (the PVC-specific workhorses, ~USD 120k to +240k together): + +- Torque rheometry (Brabender class, ~60k to 120k): fusion/gelation time + and torque, the standard predictor of how a PVC compound behaves in the + extruder; plain melt-flow index is less informative for PVC than for + other thermoplastics because the material is shear- and heat-sensitive +- DSC (~40k to 80k): glass transition, additive signatures, and the + record-relevant application of measuring the degree of gelation of a + pressed record, which correlates with surface noise and durability, + turning DSC into a process-tuning tool as well as an incoming check +- FTIR with ATR (~20k to 40k): identity fingerprint; record compound is + classically a vinyl chloride/vinyl acetate copolymer rather than pure + PVC, and FTIR verifies the copolymer and catches unannounced formulation + changes and foreign polymers in the regrind +- Option: handheld XRF (~25k to 40k) brings stabilizer and heavy-metal + screening in-house for every lot instead of per supplier, worth it while + Thai and regional compounders are being qualified + +**Partner labs before buying the mature tier.** Pharmacy and science +faculties routinely run FTIR, DSC and Karl Fischer; Payap University's +Faculty of Pharmacy ([Payap partnership](payap-partnership.md)) and Chiang +Mai University's science faculties are the obvious places to ask +(unconfirmed which instruments they hold). Contract testing there defers +most of the mature tier until lot volume justifies owning it. **External lab, per supplier qualification** (not per lot): @@ -252,7 +284,8 @@ The tiers define the protocol: the per-lot gate runs moisture, heat stability, color, density, and granulate physicals plus the release test pressing; a new supplier additionally gets the full external panel and pressing trials. This is the working method for qualifying Thai and -regional compounds against the European references. +regional compounds against the European references. The day-one tier is +costed in [total investment](finance/total-investment.md) as added scope. ## Packaging QC