Services

Micro Metrology

If a feature can't be measured with confidence, it can't be validated, scaled, or launched.

Our metrology team—equipped with in-house CT and optical 3D technology—turns measurement from a back-end checkpoint into a front-end advantage.

At MTD, metrology is not just a quality check at the end of a run — it is where the process-control loop closes and where design, tooling, and production decisions get made with data rather than assumptions.

If a part cannot be precisely measured with confidence, it cannot be validated, scaled, or brought to market. At micro scale, that reality turns metrology from a back-end compliance function into a front-end partner to design and manufacturing

Earlier insight, lower program risk

Advanced metrology at MTD is not limited to measuring molded parts after production. Data generated from CT scanning, optical metrology, and 3D surface measurement systems can be combined with simulation-based engineering methods to help predict flash risk, dimensional drift, interface behavior, and material interactions earlier in the program — when design and tooling changes are easier and less costly to implement. The same metrology team that qualifies first-article parts also collaborates with customers during design review, helping connect simulation, tooling strategy, and inspection requirements before production begins.

Validation, traceability, and process capability

Every production program runs under an expanded IQ/OQ/PQ validation, with records that meet what a notified body or a customer/supplier quality engineer expects to see. Repeatable inspections produce auditable, FDA- and ISO-ready data, traceable across the life of the program. Cpk ≥ 1.33 is the capability target, maintained across all development and validation runs, under ISO 13485:2016, ISO 15378:2017, and ISO 9001:2015.

Gage R&R is performed on every gauging method before it is reliably used to measure parts. If the 10:1 rule cannot be met for a given feature, the feature's tolerance is renegotiated before the tool is cut — not after.

In-House Testing

Along with dimensional testing, various other tests may be required to meet a part’s desired specification to provide evidence of successful form, fit, and function. Our in-house testing includes:

Thermal Testing

Differential Scanning Calorimetry
Melt Flow Index
Moisture Content Analysis

Chemical Testing

Inherent Viscosity
Gas Chromatography

Mechanical Testing

Tensile Testing
Ultimate Elongation
Custom Failure Testing

In the micro products we produce, we are seeing increasingly intricate geometry like thin walls, small holes, and radii—dimensions that can be challenging to accurately capture.

MTD has in-house CT scanning and several innovative fixtures, including our rotary fixture and even mirrors, to measure parts without damaging them.

Maggie Beauregard

Director of Quality

Ready to produce a complex micro medical device?

It's never too early — or too late — to talk to MTD.

Let's talk

What process development steps are necessary to properly evaluate mechanical properties and specialized design features?

MTD combines Design for Manufacturing (DFM), scientific molding, material characterization, and application-specific testing to evaluate critical features, mechanical performance, and manufacturability before full-scale production begins

How can testing and robust validation protocols enhance product quality?

Robust validation protocols, detailed reporting, and documented process data help verify that parts consistently meet dimensional, functional, and performance specifications throughout production. This approach improves repeatability, reduces variation and risk, and provides the traceable quality documentation required for regulated medical manufacturing.

What non-contact measurement systems does MTD use for micro parts?

MTD uses advanced non-contact metrology systems including OGP multisensor measurement systems, high-resolution vision inspection, laser measurement technologies, and micro CT scanning.

What is Gage R&R, and why is it especially difficult to pass at micro-scale tolerances?

Gage R&R evaluates the repeatability and reproducibility of a measurement system. At the micro scale, extremely tight tolerances, part variability, and feature accessibility make achieving acceptable measurement variation significantly more challenging.

How does MTD validate its measurement systems for customer’s FDA submissions?

MTD performs comprehensive IQ/OQ/PQ validation, Gage R&R studies, calibration verification, and documented validation protocols to support customer regulatory and FDA submission requirements.

What material testing can MTD perform in-house without outsourcing to a third-party lab?

MTD supports a wide range of in-house testing capabilities including dimensional analysis, tensile and mechanical evaluation support, vision inspection, functional testing, inherent viscosity testing, DSC testing, and Gas Chromatography testing.

Can MTD measure internal features, multi-material overmolded assemblies, or hidden geometries?

Yes. Using high-resolution CT scanning and advanced metrology systems, MTD can inspect internal channels, overmold interfaces, hidden geometries, and complex assemblies without destroying the part.