:: SPECTRO iSORT - The New Arc for Metal Analysis

SPECTRO Analytical Instruments has introduced the new powerful SPECTRO iSORT - a flexible battery-powered, hand-held spectrometer for on-site analysis. Weighing 4.5 kilograms (less than 10 pounds), the iSORT unit, containing optic, readout system, power distribution, rechargeable battery and cleaning system is easily carried in a soft-sided case with shoulder strap. Its sample probe, including arc excitation ignition as well as a PDA for data display and evaluation, weighs in at 1.3 kilograms (less than 3 pounds)

"The new iSORT uses an efficient arc excitation and requires neither argon nor a radioactive source,” explains Marcus Freit, SPECTRO Product Manager for Mobile Metal Analyzers. "Several hundred measurements can be conducted utilizing the instrument’s integrated rechargeable battery."

"The iSORT has been designed to be especially user friendly," notes Freit. "The operator simply holds the sample probe to the sample and presses the start button. The SPECTRO iSORT uses a ‘fingerprinting’ procedure to independently recognize the sample material. The optimal instrument settings for the material are then automatically used for the analysis." The iSORT identifies and analyzes aluminum, copper, cobalt, nickel and titanium alloys without manual operator intervention. Its intelligent ICAL calibration software saves time by controlling instrument status independently from external influences and eliminating the need for lengthy recalibrations for changes in location and temperature.

"Another important feature is the iSORT’s unique scrubbing system for the analysis of carbon in iron. The system prepares the atmosphere between the electrode and the sample, enabling the precise measurement of carbon with arc excitation in air like never before," adds Freit.

Applications for the iSORT include incoming quality control, material testing in production, component identification in chemical and petrochemical plants, material failure analysis, weld seal analysis, and the rapid determination of metal grades for buying and selling scrap metal.