Many modern rubber and plastic products are manufactured with different layers (coextrutions, laminating, and surface coatings or treatments) that perform specific functions. By embedding and microtoming cross-sections through these different layers and analyzing them microscopically using the optical comparator or light optical microscope , one can determine the number of layers present and determine the thickness of each. Subsequent analysis of the microtomed sections by microscope FTIR and SEM/EDX can also determine organic and inorganic compositions of the different layers. Analyzing sections in the TEM can resolve very thin sections.

* EDX is Energy Dispersive X Ray, LOM is Light Optical Microscopy, OC is Optical Comparator, SEM is Scanning Electron Microscopy, TEM is Transmission Electron Microscopy