What Eclipse Laboratories does

Eclipse Laboratories, Inc. is a privately held independent testing laboratory headquartered at 1025 Highway 3 North, Northfield, Minnesota, founded in 1993 to provide testing services to the plastic card industry. The company operates a focused compliance and diagnostic-testing portfolio against ISO/IEC, ANSI/INCITS, AAMVA, and payment-network standards, including ISO/IEC 10373-1, 10373-2, 24789-2 and ANSI/INCITS 322 tests covered by its ISO 17025 accreditation (A2LA certificate 4200.01). Service scope spans magnetic stripe interchange analysis, lamination bond strength, flexure, abrasion, chemical and temperature exposure, contact/contactless IC card testing (ESD, static discharge, torsion, contact profiles), AAMVA DL/ID durability testing for driver licenses, and diagnostic problem analysis to identify root causes of card failures. Eclipse is accredited by American Express for physical testing, approved by Visa for qualification-process physical testing, and recognized as a third-party testing provider for Mastercard CQM compliance.

Name

Eclipse Laboratories

Legal name

Eclipse Laboratories, Inc.

Website

https://eclipselaboratories.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Eclipse Laboratories is an ISO 17025-accredited independent laboratory providing physical testing and compliance certification against ISO/IEC and ANSI/INCITS standards for the plastic card industry, including payment-network qualification work for American Express, Visa, and Mastercard.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Card Testing and Certification Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN)

Keywords

• Plastic card testing
• ISO compliance testing
• Card durability testing
• Magnetic stripe testing
• IC card testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Problem Analysis Services: Diagnostic testing services to identify why cards fail to work. Customers submit failing cards for comprehensive analysis of interchange parameters. Returns cards with detailed report and resolution suggestions.
2. Compliance Testing: Testing services for ISO/IEC compliance, payment network qualification (American Express, Visa, Mastercard CQM), and ANSI/INCITS standards. Customers pay for test services based on specific standards and parameters tested.
3. ISO/IEC 7810 Compliance Testing: Compliance testing for ISO/IEC 7810 card standards. Typically involves testing 50 cards with 3 cards per testable parameter. Follows ISO 10373-1:2020 test methods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Eclipse Laboratories provides independent third-party testing and problem analysis services for the plastic card industry. Services include magnetic stripe analysis, ISO/IEC compliance testing (e.g., 7810), IC card (contact/contactless) testing, AAMVA DL/ID durability testing for driver licenses, and third-party testing for Mastercard CQM standards. The lab is ISO 17025 accredited by A2LA and accredited/approved by American Express, Visa, and Mastercard for payment network qualification testing.

Product overview

Eclipse Laboratories provides a comprehensive suite of testing and certification services for the Plastic Card Industry. Founded in 1993 and ISO 17025 accredited by A2LA, the company offers Testing Services as its core offering, which encompasses magnetic stripe analysis, lamination bond strength testing, surface irregularities assessment, flexure properties, abrasion resistance, chemical exposure, temperature extremes testing, and IC card testing for contact/contactless cards. The portfolio includes dedicated services such as ISO/IEC 7810 Compliance Testing, Problem Analysis Service for diagnostic card failure analysis, AAMVA DL/ID Durability Testing for driver licenses, and Mastercard CQM Third-Party Testing for compliance certification. All services are delivered by staff with over 40 years of combined experience in card testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plastic Card Testing Services (Magnetic Stripe, Durability, IC Card)

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• A2LAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation) is the accrediting body for Eclipse Laboratories' ISO 17025 certification. The accreditation validates the laboratory's competence in performing specific ISO/IEC tests including 10373-1, 10373-2, 24789-2 and ANSI 322 tests. Certificate 4200.01.
• American ExpresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Express has designated Eclipse Laboratories as an approved provider for physical testing services in their card qualification process. This approval indicates trust in Eclipse's testing methodology and competence.
• VisacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisa has approved Eclipse Laboratories to conduct physical testing for their qualification process. This approval enables card manufacturers to use Eclipse for VISA qualification testing.
• ANSI/INCITSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEclipse Laboratories staff actively participates at US National standards meetings organized by ANSI/INCITS, which provides US input to ISO standardization activities. This involvement provides early access to changing standards requirements.
• International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEclipse Laboratories is an affiliate member of ICMA, gaining visibility among card manufacturers and industry participants through the trade association.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• FIME: FIME is a payment and digital identity testing/consulting firm offering EMVCo, ISO 10373, and payment qualification services. It directly competes with Eclipse Laboratories in the same card testing and certification niche for payment networks and card manufacturers.
• ICC Solutions: ICC Solutions provides smart card testing tools and ISO 10373 / EMVCo qualification services. It is a direct competitor in plastic card physical testing, serving card manufacturers and issuers with comparable accreditation-driven services.
• KEOLABS: KEOLABS specializes in ISO 10373, NFC, and smart card test solutions for the payment and identity markets. It is a direct competitor offering analogous accredited card testing tools and lab services to card manufacturers.
• Comprion: Comprion provides test equipment and services for smart cards, mobile payments, and NFC, including ISO 7816 and EMVCo conformance. It directly overlaps Eclipse's domain of physical and electrical card testing.

Broad incumbents

• UL (Underwriters Laboratories): UL is a large global safety science and certification company with broad testing capabilities spanning payments, electronics, and consumer products. While not specialized in plastic cards, UL represents the type of broad incumbent that could acquire or compete with niche card testing labs.
• Intertek: Intertek is a global TIC (testing, inspection, certification) provider with wide industry coverage including payment card and electronics testing services. It serves as a broad incumbent analog to Eclipse's accredited third-party testing model.
• SGS: SGS is one of the world's largest testing, inspection, and certification companies with broad capabilities across consumer products, electronics, and industrial goods. It represents a broad incumbent with overlapping quality and compliance testing services.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global TIC company providing conformity assessment across multiple industries. While not specialized in cards, it competes in adjacent testing/certification services and could acquire or compete with niche providers like Eclipse.
• TÜV SÜD: TÜV SÜD is a global testing and certification organization with broad industry coverage. It is a broad incumbent comparable to other large TIC firms and represents a potential strategic acquirer or competitor in payment-adjacent testing.

Emerging players

• Riscure: Riscure is a security testing lab specializing in smart cards, mobile payments, and embedded device vulnerability analysis. It overlaps Eclipse's domain in payment-related testing, with a more security-focused, emerging-player positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eclipse-laboratories-inc

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eclipse Laboratories