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/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