Spectro upgrades xSort hand-held XRF analyzer

Spectro Analytical Instruments, headquartered in Kleve, Germany, has announced an upgrade of the Spectro xSort hand-held X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer with improved performance and precision for aluminum and other light elements, enabling recyclers to identify and sort more alloys faster and with increased precision, the company says.

The Spectro xSort AlloyPlus analyzes most alloys in two seconds, Spectro says, and identifies alloys based on light elements, such as aluminum, magnesium, silicon, phosphorus and sulfur, in seven seconds.

Spectro says advantages of the xSort include:

• Operators don’t have to switch methods between samples or bother with helium flushes or vacuum systems. Its compact, one-piece 3.62-pound (1.64-kilogram) design is optimized for easy use in the field, even in tight or less accessible spots.
• A shutter that automatically closes the measurement window between analyses to protect internal components also functions as the sample material for unique, automatic iCal standardization. All calibrations loaded into Spectro xSort are ready for use.

Additional features include an X-ray safety gasket to prevent backscatter radiation from light element matrix samples; wireless LAN; quick-change battery; interface bezel with operator-defined hot keys; “live” analysis results; simplified software with touch screen; and the Spectro iCal one-sample, one-time easy automated calibration system. Options include an integrated GPS receiver and integrated video camera. 

The analyzer is available in different models. The Spectro xSort Alloy employs a silicon PIN (Si-PIN) detector and delivers grade identification of metals in seconds without extensive analysis, the company says. The Spectro xSort AlloyPlus (Combi) features a top-of-the-line silicon drift detector (SDD) and is designed to provide reliable, high-productivity measurement and analysis.

The optional Spectro Metal Database helps extend prepackaged libraries or create customized grade libraries.

More information is available at www.spectro.com/xsort  or by emailing spectro.info@ametek.com.

Spectro is a unit of the Materials Analysis Division of Ametek Inc., a manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical products with more than 15,000 colleagues at more than 150 manufacturing and sales and service operations in the United States and 30 other countries around the world.