Metals, Alloys and Metal Production

Rapid Elemental Analysis with Minimal Standards

Metal alloys are materials made of two or more metals, or of a metal and another material; therefore, mechanical properties like hardness and strength are attributed to a precise composition or stoichiometry. Chemical analysis is typically used as a basis for classifying metal and alloys, controlling their production processes, or verifying their designation. Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) is routine used to identify and classify metals and alloys.

Foundries, smelters and mills, as well as other aspects of the metals industry, are characterized by having continuous production demanding day and night control of both the process and the quality of incoming and outgoing materials. Elemental analysis by EDXRF plays a role in controlling the production processes within these industries. The speed and precision of XRF makes it a preferred testing method where high throughput chemical analysis is required to support the production process

Minimized standards with RPF-SQX analytical software

The Rigaku NEX CG EDXRF is powered by a new qualitative and quantitative analytical software, RPF-SQX, that features Rigaku Profile Fitting (RPF) technology. The software allows semi-quantitative analysis of almost all sample types without standards - and rigorous quantitative analysis with a few standards. Featuring Rigaku's famous Scatter FP method, the software can automatically estimate the concentration of unobserved low atomic number elements (H to F) and provide appropriate corrections.

RPF-SQX greatly reduces the number of required standards, for a given level of calibration fit, as compared to conventional EDXRF analytical software. As standards are expensive, and can be difficult to obtain for newly developed materials, the utility of having a NEX CG spectrometer can significantly lower costs and reduce workload requirements for routine elemental analysis needs.

Metals and alloys information and resources

• American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical,
  and Petroleum Engineers (AIME)
• American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
• Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF)
• Ames Laboratory: Metallurgy and Ceramics Program
• APMI International (powdered metals)
• ASM International
• Association of Iron and Steel Engineers (AISE)
• Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI)
• Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AIMM)
• Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Petroleum (CIM)
• Center for Powder Metallurgy Technology (CPMT)
• CSIRO: Mineral Processing and Metal Production Sector
• European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA)
• International Metallographic Society (IMS)
• Japan Powder Metallurgy Association
• Foundation for Metallurgical Research (MEFOS) - Sweden
• Metal Powder Industries Federation
• Mining & Metallurgical Society of America (MMSA)
• NIST Metallurgy Division
• NRL: Physical Metallurgy Branch
• Netherlands Institute for Metals Research (NIMR)
• Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME)
• The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS)
• Metallurgy Web Resources
• Wikipedia: Metallurgy
• Wikipedia: Alloy
• Wikipedia: Metal