April saw the arrival of our Bruker Portable XRF machine. This is a handheld device about the size of a large power drill.
With this unit we are able to verify the composition of metals in a few minutes and we use this to check all incoming material orders when they arrive at the shop to ensure we have been supplied the correct material for the job at hand.
We have already also used it to advantage, to check the composition of damaged and broken axles, shafts and other components that we have had to replace in jobs in the shop and knowing what material has been used in a component that failed when we have to manufacture a new replacement is very convenient.
The XRF comes with self-calibration samples that are a verified test piece and all collected data is transferrable to a computer for electronic storage against the job number the material is used in. We are also able to issue a test certificate showing the full composition of the sample and we offer this as an additional service for our customers. The attached sheet shows an example of a test certificate as well as a list of the metals our machine can detect and analyse.
We chose to purchase a Bruker XRF, as they are considered to be one of the world leaders in this field. Whilst there are cheaper alternatives on the market we pride ourselves on using the best equipment available wherever possible.
