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The steel and metals industries are typically one of the largest bulk producers of constructional and engineering materials. All such industries are typified by having a continuous production process demanding day and night control of not only the process but also the quality of the incoming and outgoing materials. Moreover, the sheer volume of the materials flow through such plants places heavy demands on the laboratory whose task it is to characterize the materials taking part in the process.
Traditionally, XRF analysis plays a dominant role in controlling the production processes within these industries. The speed and precision of XRF analysis has made it a preferred method of analysis in such industries since chemical analysis is required almost instantaneously in order to steer the production process.
PANalytical solutions
One XRF spectrometer stands out for this highly demanding applications in the metals industry: the Axios-Metals. The Axios-Advanced sequential X-ray spectrometer is ideal for high-precision metals analysis and can measure all elements between beryllium and uranium. The simultaneous Axios FAST X-ray spectrometer can analyze up to 28 elements simultaneously in less than one minute with a high degree of precision. This means that classical wet-chemical analysis methods, with all their attendant time and manpower commitments, are no longer considered as the optimum analysis techniques in the metals industry.
Other factors favoring a switch to XRF analysis in these industries are the non-destructive and non-polluting nature of XRF analysis the latter characteristic becoming increasingly more important from an ecological and environmental viewpoint. Characterized by highly precise, sub-ppm determination the Epsilon 5 polarized EDXRF spectrometer out-performs its rivals in medium to heavy element analysis, targeting a wide range of elements, many of environmental significance.
