Smooth Operators

HEAD OF THE CLASS. To make sure they get the most out of their metal analyzers, recyclers should first take advantage of the initial operator training provided by the manufacturer immediately after a purchase. Most analyzer companies offer some kind of initial training with additional on-site training at an additional cost, according to Stuart Freilich of Universal Metal Corp., an international processor of scrap titanium, high-temperature nickel, nickel/cobalt and refractory metals and alloys located in Worcester, Mass.

Analyzer manufacturer and distributor Thermo Electron Corp., Waltham, Mass., has an initial training program and schedules free training classes for customers on an ongoing basis at locations across the country, says Tom Anderson, director of marketing for the Niton Analyzers Group, a division of Thermo Electron.

Formal classroom training is a common first step following an analyzer purchase, Anderson says. Much of the classroom training focuses on teaching operators how to use the equipment safely. This is especially important for X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers, which use radiation.

Oxford Instruments of Boston also offers formal classroom training in the form of monthly sessions held at four different locations in the United States, business development manager Mark Lessard says.

In addition to its formal classroom courses, Oxford Instruments’ includes on-site installation training, which is typically a half-day for the company’s XRF units and two days for its trickier OES equipment.

Anderson says that while some operators may catch on faster than others, it is important that scrap processors make sure everyone on their staff who is going to be using the analyzers devotes enough time to training. "People need to understand when they buy an instrument, it’s not like buying something you’re automatically going to know how to use," Anderson says. "You need to devote some time to learning how to use it."

AVOIDING MISTAKES. While analyzers can be a big help, if operators are not trained to use them properly, mistakes are easily made.

Operators must have a basic understanding of the equipment, how it works and what it can do, says Anderson. For example, optical-emission systems (OES) are considered trickier to use and require a more technically adept user than XRF analyzers. Understanding the difference is critical, because the two types of analyzers respond differently to particular alloys. XRF analyzers are marketed as performing better on high-temperature alloys, while OES analyzers fare better on aluminum alloys and carbon steel.

With the XRF analyzers Thermo manufactures, Anderson says the most common mistake is trying to get the equipment to go above and beyond its call of duty, like calling on it to measure carbon. "We get people trying to measure various grades of carbon steel, which [the XRF analyzer] is not going to do," he says.

Peter Nagusky of red metals ingot manufacturer The Federal Metal Co. in Bedford, Ohio, says improperly trained employees are likely to overestimate the accuracy of an XRF analyzer and misunderstand its limitations. "Many analyzers cannot read silicon or aluminum or other critical elements, and users tend to jump to conclusions about the metal based on the programmed categorization, as opposed to using the information from the spectrometer to infer and draw independent and more reasonable conclusions," he says.

Simply holding the analyzer too far away from the sample is another common mistake novices often make, says Lessard. "They might think they can be a foot away and shoot the sample, but they have to be right up there," Lassard says.

Learning the equipments’ limitations and how to prepare a sample properly are two of the most important things operators should know to ensure that they get the right results from metal analyzers.

CONTINUING EDUCATION. Many recyclers choose to follow up on manufacturers’ initial education with additional internal training—establishing a web of trained employees who can instruct each other.