Thermo ARL 3460 Parts list manual

ThermoElectronS.A.
EnVallaireOuestC,casepostale
CH-1024 Ecublens,Switzerland
Tel.(++41)(21)694 71 11
Fax(++41)(21)694 7112
http://www.thermo.com
TECHNICALDESCRIPTION
ARL3460 MetalsAnalyzer
OpticalEmission Spectrometer

ARL3460MetalsAnalyzer Page2/17 Technical Description
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CONTENTS
1. SPECIFICATIONS........................................................................................................................3
1.1 Functionprinciple..........................................................................................................................3
1.2 ARL3460 Optical EmissionSpectrometer.....................................................................................4
1.3 Stabilitywhichgivesconfidencetouser........................................................................................4
1.4 Accessoriesand options................................................................................................................4
1.5 Spectrometercomputersystem.....................................................................................................5
1.6 OXSAS Analytical Software...........................................................................................................5
1.7 Technical Description....................................................................................................................6
1.8 Storage.........................................................................................................................................9
1.9 Laboratoryrequirements...............................................................................................................9
1.10 Electrical requirements................................................................................................................10
1.11 Argonrequirements.....................................................................................................................11
2. INSTALLATIONOF ARL 3460METALSANALYSER................................................................12
3. SAMPLEPREPARATION...........................................................................................................13
3.1 SampleTaking–Moulds.............................................................................................................13
3.2 SurfacePreparation-SamplePreparationMachines..................................................................15

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1. SPECIFICATIONS
1.1 Functionprinciple
TheARL3460MetalsAnalyzerisasimultaneousQuantometer.Thismeanstheinstrument
measurestheintensityofseveral spectrallinessimultaneouslyinthelightemittedbythe sample,
whentheatomsthatcomposeitareexitedbyan externalenergysource.Theanalysedlightis
located approximatelyintothe 150nmto800nmwavelengthrange.The wholemeasuring system
isthereforebasedonthephysical phenomenonthat issummarisedasfollows:
Whencertain energyisappliedtoan atom,someofitselectronschangetheirorbit. Whenthese
electronsreturntotheirinitialorbit,apreciseenergyisrestoredinthe formofalightata
determinedwavelength.Thisisan atomicphenomenon,and consequentlyitispractically
unaffectedbythechemicalorcrystallineformoftheatom.Thismeanstheinstrumentcan
determine,forexample thequantityof silicon in steel;butwill notgiveinformationabouttheform
underthissiliconistobefound.Thefollowingfiguregivesaroughrepresentationofthis
excitation.
+4 +4 +4
Initialenergy E1Energy E2Return toenergyE1
Supplied energy +DE
Emissionof photonof
wavelength l: E2-E1= h • n= h •—
c
l
Excitation ofan atom
Asamplecontainingseveraldifferentelementswill thereforeproducelightcomposedof
wavelengthspecifictoeachoftheelements.Byseparatingthesewavelengthsbyadispersion
system,thespectrometercan determinewhichelementsarepresent,the intensityofeachofthese
wavelengthsbeing afunctionoftheconcentration oftheconsideredelement. Bymeasuringthis
luminousintensity(withaphotomultiplier) andbyprocessingthisinformation withacomputer,the
instrument canthusdeterminetheconcentrationoftheconsideredelement.
Aninstrumentthatallowssuchanalysisisthereforecomposedofthefourfollowingparts:
1) A sourceofexcitationthatsuppliesenergytothesamples.
2) A dispersion devicethatdiscriminatesthedifferent wavelengths.
3) Electronics that measuretheluminousintensityofeachofthe wavelengths.
4) A computerthatprocessesthemeasurementsandcontrolsthe instrument.
1
2
3 4
Excitation
Spectrometer
Electronics
Computer

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1.2 ARL3460OpticalEmissionSpectrometer
Forover60yearsthemetalsindustryhaslookedforonecompanytosetthestandardfor
instrumental analysisof metals.
TheARLModelARL3460 isthelatestinstrumentthatbringsthe costeffectivequalitycontrol.It
willmeetthe highestexpectations,butatapricethatisconsiderablybelowwhatuserswould
expecttopay.
TheARL3460isdesignedtoexcelasamono-baseormulti-baseinstrumentandforhigh
throughput sample analysis
Business dependsonconsistentlyproducinghighqualitymetalsormetalproducts,anduserneeds
ananalysissystemthatwill notlet himdown.The model ARL3460willgoonworking 24hoursper
day, 7daysperweektokeepproductionfacilityontrack.
Absoluteaccuracy ofanyanalysisdependstotallyupon thecalibrationoftheinstrument. The
modelARL3460isfactorycalibrated usingCARL.Thissophisticatedmulti-variable regression tool
correctsformatrixeffectsaswellasspectralinterferences.The model ARL3460 isreadyto
deliveraccurateanalysesfromthefirstdayofitsinstallation.
1.3 Stabilitywhichgives confidenceto user
Userneedstobesurethathewill getthe sameaccurateresultstomorrow,nextweek,nextyear.
Themodel ARL3460inheritsthesortofshortandlongtermstabilitythathavelongbeenARL
standards.
1.4 Accessoriesandoptions

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·Holders/adaptersforsmallandpin samples,
·Castingmouldsforferrousandnon-ferrousmetals,
·Samplepreparationmachinesforferrousandnon-ferrousmetals,
·Argonpurificationsystems,
·Gasdistributionsystemforargonbottles,
·Voltagestabilisersystems.
1.5 Spectrometercomputersystem
PersonalComputersystem(COMP-STD):
·ProcessorIntel Pentium4@2.80GHz,1GBMemory;
·160GBharddiskdrive,internalDVD/CDRWcombodrive
(DVDreader,CD-Writer).Nofloppydisk drive;
·OperatingsystemWindows®XPProfessional ServicePack 2,
English, French, GermanorSpanish;
·17"LCDTFTvideoscreen,keyboardaccordingtoselected
languageofoperatingsystem,mouse;
·IntegratedEthernet10/100/1000LANinterface
(RJ-45 connector);
·1serial (reserved forinstrumentlink),1parallel and8USB
ports(2frontand6back). 2USBportsarealreadyused
forthemouseandthekeyboard.
PleaserefertoourCommercial Quotationforthelatest configuration
Includesfactoryinstallationandconfigurationofoperatingsystemandinstrument software.
1.6 OXSASAnalyticalSoftware
OXSAS isthe mostpowerfulsoftwareavailable foropticalemission spectrometer,offeringboth
flexibilityandcomprehensivecapabilitiesin“one stateofart”package.
32 bitssoftwarethat runsonWindows® XP Professionalandincludesthe followingmain features:
·Modern,State-of-the-ArtGraphicUserInterface;
·IntegratedMicrosoft®SQLServer2005Express relational databasewhichstoresyourset up
dataandanalyses;
·Quantitativeanalysiswithanalysisparametertemplate;
·Shortcutsallowingtostartroutinesampleanalyses,routinemeasurementsofSCT samples
andbatchesusingauser-definedanalysistemplate.Thevalueofparameterssuchasthe
sampleidentificationcanbepredefined. Withsupport ofshortcut keysenablingusersto
operateanalysisexclusivelyon the keyboard
·Powerfulbatchmanagementforunknownsamplesanalysisandotheroperationssuchas
standardization,measurementofcontrol, typestandardandcalibrationsamplesorcustom
scriptsexecution
·Comprehensiveeditorforsettingup methodswithmeasurement andcorrectionsparameters;
·Manual inputsandstatusvalues. Pseudovaluescomputedonintensities, concentrationsor
anycalculationstep;
·Calibrationcurvedeterminationusingmulti-variable regressionwithadditivesand
multiplicativescorrections;
·Powerfulflexible sample identification;
·Manual andautomaticresult processing;
·Multi-purposeanalysisresultdisplayandprinting;

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·Element displaywithpossibilitiestoshowunitsandgradelimits.Precision:dynamic
(proportional totheconcentration range), fixednumberofdecimalsorfixednumberof
significant digits. ASTMrounding issupported;
·Resultvalidationandedition, withhistory;
·Grade check(targetandalternative),gradesearchandsort;
·‘KeytoMetalsforOXSAS’:amultilingualsteelandnonferrousmetalsdatabase.Unlimited
access tomorethan3,400,000recordsforchemicalcomposition,propertiesand
specificationsformetals.Easydirectexport ofgradeconcentrationdatatoOXSAS grade
limits. Searchandcross referencetools;
·Automaticmethodchoicebased onelement(s)concentration(s)orsampleidentification
·Resultsrecalculation(unknownsamples, calibrationsamples, Setting-Up, Control andType
Standardssamples).Withpossibilitytorecalculatemultiple samplesin oneoperation;
·Resultstorageand post-treatmentwithpowerful databasequeryfilters. Statistics.Exportto
filesinExcel orCSV formats.Tracingofresultmodificationwithintegrateddisplayof
modificationhistory;
·Instrumentcheckwithon-lineintegratedSPC-Basic.On-line evaluationbySPCofcontrol
sampleswithimmediatefeed-back. Automaticdetectionof out-of-controlandotherabnormal
states(bias, trends,etc.)accordingtonumerousnormalizationrules. Control samples
analysisscheduling;
·Instrumentstandardization, withhistory;
·Typestandardization,withhistory;
·Management ofSCT samples:supervisionofthestatusand maintenanceofSetting-Up,
Control and TypeStandardssamples.Oneclickcreation ofabatchwithall samples
requiring analysis;
·Monitoring: instrumentalarmmonitoring, systemeventlogging, peripheral device
monitoring, upto10configurable sample measurement runcountersforhelping defining
maintenanceschedule;
·Integratedinstrumentprofile tool allowingoverlaid graphicalviewofselectedchannels
intensities;
·Integratedcontextual help;
·Accountswithpasswordprotectionwithdefinable accessand operational rights, database
maintenancetools;
·Textcustomizationandtranslationintoanylanguage thathaveacharactersetsupportedby
theWindowsoperatingsystem.Standardlanguage delivery:English.
1.7 Technical Description
Spectrometerhasthe abilitytomeasureup to60spectral linessimultaneously.Itisusedfor
quantitativedeterminationofelementsbyphoto-electricmeasurementofcharacteristic
wavelengths. Consistingof:
Simultaneousspectrometer
Withconcavegrating“Paschen-Runge”mounting,castconstructionand 1m forcal length.
The spectrometer is shock mounted,insulatedand temperaturecontrolledto ±0.1°Cat38°C
to minimize profiling and standardisationfrequencyandmaximisesample throughput.

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Primaryslit: 20µm
Secondaryslit: 20, 25, 37.5, 50, 75, 100, 150 µm
Photomultipliertubes: 28mm,10-stage sidewindowtubes,fusedquartzorglass envelope.
The phototubesaremounted outside thevacuumchamberinorderto
avoid corona-dischargeandforabetterserviceabilityin caseofline
addition.
Attenuators: Allattenuatorsareprogrammableforoptimumphototubeadjustment,
eachattenuatorhas41steps
Grating: The spectrometerisprovidedwiththefollowing grating,appropriately
selected foryouranalyticaltask:1080 gr/mm;1667 gr/mm;2160
gr/mm.
Ruling
(lines/mm)
Order Blase
(nm)
Range
(nm)
Inverse dispersion
(nm/mm)
1080 1st
2nd
3rd
4th
600
300
200
150
400-820
230-400
170-230
130-205
0.93
0.47
0.31
0.23
1667 1st
2nd
3rd
347
173
116
220-528
160-260
130-176
0.60
0.30
0.20
2160 1st 200 170-407 0.47
Slitframe
Excitation
stand
sparksource
Vacuum
region
Spectrometer
housing Photomultipliertubes
Primary
Arflushed
entrance
optics
Grating

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Max. degreeofvacuum: 1x10-3 mmHg
Temperaturecontrol: Insideof spectrometeristemperaturecontrolled to ±0.1°at38°for
ambient temperature16-30°C
Sparkstand: Argonflushed.Standwithbuilt in ignitorforimproved traceanalysis.
Includedclosedwatercooled system.
The safetycircuitprotectstheoperatorandtheinstrument.It isnot
possible toperformananalysiswhen thestand doorisopen.This
circuit conformswiththe international normCEI 1010-1.
Fatiguelamps: Withbuilt-inintensitylevel selectablebysoftware. Thefatigue
improvesthestabilityof thephotomultipliersaswell astheirlifetime.
Sourceexcitationmodel: HIREP (HIghREPetition source)
Power: 400VP
Ignitor: 15 KVP
Sparkdischargerate:400discharges/ sec(400 Hz)
Measuring method: Integration
Spectrometercontrol: ARLMMB88microprocessorutilisingCMOStechnologywithstatus
measuringcardA/Dconvertersandattenuatorsincludedforeach
channel.Upto60analyticalchannels
Dustprotection: Built-in dustprotectionwithhighcapacitycooling fans
Argon Flow: 3.5 L/minduringanalysis
0.3L/min stand-by
Dimension: Height:119 cm
Width:166.5cm
Depth: 91 cm
91
85.5
119
166.5
136.5 30
67
Approximateweight: Net 450Kgapproximately
Packing Sealedairfreightpackingasfollows:
Packing Material Gross
weight
Dimension
(cm)
Volume
m3
1case ARL3460 748 195x140 x145 3,958
1case Screen 27 55x53x49 0.142

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1.8 Storage
Iflaboratoryisnotreadywhenthe instrumentarrives,theinstrumentmustbe storedin an
adequateroom. Recommendationsareasfollows:
Thestorageroommust beclosed,dryand musthaveatleastacemented floor.
Temperature: min.+2°C,max. 45°C
Humidity: max.80%,withoutcondensation
Thestorageroommust befreeof dust andcorrosivevapours.
Theinstrumentmuststayonitstransportationpallet. Thismakessubsequentmoveseasierand
limitsanyvibrations.
It isveryimportanttohavegoodaircirculationaroundtheinstrument duringstorage.Dustcanbe
cleaned,but humidityisharmful.
1.9 Laboratoryrequirements
Ambienttemperature: 16-30°C,maximumrateofchange±5°Cperhour
Humidity: 20-80% relative
Altitude: 2’500metersabovesealevel
400cmmin.
350cmmin.
min.80 1
23
4
5
6
1QuantometerARL3460
2Table (forcomputerandperipherals)
3Officedesk
4Chair
5Cupboard(forsamples,material,docu
-
mentation)
6Washbasin
Exampleof laboratorylayout

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1.10 Electricalrequirements
Single phasedsupply(phase, neutralandearth)
·Voltage: 230V+10%-15%, fuse16A;
·Earthimpedance:<1W(accordingCEI 1010standard);
·Frequency: 50/ 60 Hz ±2%;
·Power: 3.5kVA(5KVAregulatorrequired if fluctuationsexceedspecifications).
StandardNetwork
MostoftheEuropeannetworks providewithmainswithintherequirementsgivenat thebeginning
ofthischapter.Insuchcasetheconnectiondiagrambecomes:
V
V
230 V+10 %/-15 %
0V
Imax=15A
Line
Neutral
Earth
L
N
E
Instrument
Line
Input
Filter
brown
blue
yellow/green
Unstable230VACNetwork
Inthecaseofanunstable network, avoltagestabilisermust be inserted.Insuchacasethe
connection becomesasfollows:
V
V
230 V±x%
0V
Imax=15A
V230 V+10%/-15%
P ³5kVA
Line
Neutral
Earth
L
N
E
Instrument
Line
Input
Filter
brown
blue
yellow/green
Stabiliser
Input Output
UnstableNetworkwithoutNeutral
If anetworksimilartothe abovedescribed ismoreoverunstable,avoltage stabilisermust be
added. If so, the connectiondiagrambecomes:
V
V
230 V±x%
115 V
Imax=15
V230 V+10%/-15%
P ³5kVA
V0V
2* 2*
208 V±x%
104 V
Line1
Earth
L
N
E
Instrument
Line
Input
Filter
brown
blue
yellow/green
Stabiliser
Input Output
Line2
Generalearthoftheplant
Note*: StabiliserwithoutlinkorconnectionbetweenInput 2andOutput2. Dependingonthe
design,suchastabilisermaybeusedasaninsulation transformertoo!

ARL3460MetalsAnalyzer Page 11/17 Technical Description
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1.11 Argon requirements
Argonpipesmustbecopper,andmusthavebeencleanedbeforetheyareused(no oil nor
grease).
Therequired inlet pressureisabout2bars(2x105Pa). Atwo-stagepressureregulator(with
manualpressureadjustment from0to3barsofthe secondstage)must be installed.
Theargonmust haveaminimumpurityof99.996%and conformtothe followingspecifications:
·<5 ppm O2
·<20ppm N2
·<5 ppm H2O
·<5 ppm CO2+CH4
Foranalysing castiron withSi> 1%, foraluminiumandmagnesiumalloy,the highest impurity
contentsforoxygenandwatervapoursare:
·<2 ppm O2
·<3 ppm H2O
Fortheanalysisofnitrogenand oxygenthe required qualityis:
Argon quality Purity N2O2
Argon57 99.9997% <0.6ppm < 0.3ppm
Asfarasthe supplied Sircalpurifierisconnectedandoperational,itispossibletousealower
argonquality,thatis:
Argon quality Purity N2O2
Argon48 99.998% <10ppm < 2ppm

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2. INSTALLATION OFARL3460METALSANALYSER
TheactualinstallationiscarriedoutbythefactoryserviceengineerorbylocalARL
representative's engineer. Theserviceengineerwill performthefollowingtasks:
·Checkthat thedeliveryconformstothecontractandthe deliverypacking slip.
·Unloadtheinstrumentfromitstransport pallet.
·Opentheinstrumentbeforepowerup,soastodetermineifthetransporthascausedany
internal damagethatisnotvisible fromoutside.
·Checkthatthelaboratoryandthe connectionsprovidedfortheinstrumentthatcustomerhas
preparedmeet the requirements(in chapters2to5in the pre-installation manual).
·Installandconnecttheperipherals(computer, printer,etc.)totheinstrument.
·Start uptheinstrument.
·Carryout sometypical operationsthat provethat the instrument isoperatingcorrectly.
·Checkout(if applicable)the factorycalibrated programswithcertified standardssamples(tobe
providedbytheenduse)and instruct the customerhowtousethoseprograms.
·Givethecustomerabasictrainingonstartupand routine maintenanceoftheinstrument
(checks,precautions,changingConsumables).The customerwillalsobegivenan introduction
tothenormal useofthe software. Thisbasicteaching should notexceed one day.
Notes Samplepreparation,analyticalassistance,analyticalcalibrations,extendedsoftware
teaching,teachingthemaintenancepersonnel(troubleshooting)aswellasother
services,iftheyarenotincludedinthecontract,areadditionaljobsoutside
installation.Thesewillbecarriedoutaftertheinstrumenthasbeenaccepted.The
localtariff willbeappliedand ourlocalrepresentativecansendyouanoffer.
Itshouldbenotedthatreadingthedocumentation deliveredwillallowthecustomerto
dealwithanyproblems, orquestionsconcerningtheabove.
ARLalsooffersregulartraining coursesatourpremises.Ourlocalrepresentativecan
alsogivesthenecessaryinformation.
End ofinstallation
Attheendoftheinstallation,theserviceengineerwillwriteanendofinstallationprotocol,aswell
asatechnical report on theinstallation.
Theguarantee coverstheinstrumentaccordingtothetermsofthecontract.
Please,donothesitatetocall theARLrepresentativeifyou requireanyassistance.The
instrumenthasamodel code (nameofthe instrument),aswellasaserialnumber.These
indicationsareonalabelbehindtheinstrument.Theyarealsowritten atthe end ofthe installation
protocol.Kindlyquotetheseaswellasyourcompany's namein allcorrespondence.Thiswill help
ustogiveyouan efficient service.

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3. SAMPLEPREPARATION
Foraccurateand reproduciblemeasurementsitisessentialtohaveahomogeneoussample,
withoutinclusionsandwithaclean,flatsurface.Thusasuitable sample takingmethodtogether
withcareful samplesurfacepreparationareabsolutelyessential forgoodanalysis.
Forsampletaking and surfacepreparation, severalkindsof mouldsandpreparationmachinesare
readilyavailable forpurchase.
Ifrequired,yourlocalARLrepresentativewilladviseyouregardingwhichtypeand modelbest
suitesyourapplication.Followingaresomegeneralexamplesofthevarioussamplemould types
withassociatedsample preparation machinesandtheirmainapplications.
3.1 SampleTaking–Moulds
Sampletaking forspectrometeranalysisisafundamentaltechnique.Severalspectroscopybooks
explain theprocedureandadvisewhichmouldsshould beusedforagivenapplication.DINand
ASTMstandardsalsoprovidespecificationsandinformationabout thissubject.
Generally:
·Thesample coolingmust be rapidtoproduceafinegrain metallicstructure.
·Themouldisnormallymadeofcopperandkept veryclean.
·Anymould notin usemustbeturned upsidedown(orcovered)toavoiddirtoranyother
material ingress.
Herearesomeexamplesofmouldsthat aresuitableforcastinggood qualitysamplesand adapted
foropticalemissionspectroscopyanalysis.Aprobefordirectsampletakingisalsoshown.
Non-FerrousMetals
Themushroomformsampletakingmould isthe mostwidelyusedfornon-ferrousmetals.There
arehoweversegregationrisks,andthe mould diametermustbeadaptedaccordingly.
cut
here
usefulsurface
foranalysis

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Fe, Ni, Co bases
Hereisaverysimple mould,frequentlyusedforalloysofFe,NiandCobases.(Morespecifically
forcastironsand traces).
usefulsurface
foranalysis
CastIrons
Themould shownbellowissuitableforthefollowingmetals:
PigIronandmixermetal,castiron,malleable ironandnodularcast iron.
Thecoolingspeedisveryhightosuppressprecipitates.
cut
here
useful surface
foranalysis
Traces
Thering mould typeshownbellowissuitable forthefollowing metals:
Puremetals(fortraceanalysis),ormetalsthatwill havelowtendencytosegregation.The ring is
of stainlesssteel orceramic,sothatthe sample will bemostlycooledbythebottomcopperplate.
Thesampleishomogeneousonthissurface, butforonlyafewmillimetresindepth!
usefulsurface
foranalysis

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SPEMISProbe
Forsteels,thesampletaking can begreatlysimplifiedwitha SPEMIS probethatcantakeliquid
metal directlyfromthe casting.Thesampleobtainedhasthefollowing form:
cut
here
usefulsurface
foranalysis
3.2 SurfacePreparation-SamplePreparationMachines
It isessentialtouseanappropriatemachinein ordertoobtainacleanflatreproducible surface.
Werecommendthe useofthefollowingsamplepreparationmachinetypes:
Disk Sander
Thisisasanderwitharotaryabrasivedisk.
Somemachineshavetwodisks;whichisconvenientwhereacoarsegrain diskisusedfor
preliminarysurfacepreparation(roughing), andafinegrain forfinalsample surfacepreparation.
abrasive
disk
Thissurfacepreparationmethodisthequickestwaytoprepare iron, nickel and cobalt samples
(aswellasafewcoppers).Thesample mustbethick enough toallowtheoperatortohold without
theriskofinjurytohisfingers.
Theabrasivepaperdisk,basedwithaluminiumandsiliconoxidemixed withresin(Al/Si= 1:47)is
usuallysuitable.Afinegrain disk of"60"or"80"isrecommendedforthefinal finishandacoarse
graindiskof“40”forinitialrough grinding.
Fortheanalysisof soluble-insoluble aluminium,abrasivedisksbasedwithzirconiummustbeused
toavoid crosscontamination.
Note: Copper,aluminium,lead,zinc,magnesium,pureorevenverylowalloyed,and
generallyallsoft materials, cannotbeproperlypreparedusingabrasivepaperdisks.

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Surface Grinder
Rotatingsurfacegrinderswithmultiple grindstonesfixedonarotating armarehighly
recommended:
grindstonemagnetic
table
Thisgrindingmethod issuitable forall steels and castirons,aswell asfor nickel and cobalt
alloys.Pointstonote:
-Cooling liquids mustnot beused.
-Themagneticsampleswillbe keptinplacebyamagnetictable.Thenon-magneticsamplesare
held inavicethat isthensecuredbythemagnetictable.
-Thegrindstonesmustbe regularlysharpened,otherwisetheriskofsurfaceoverheatand
deteriorationofthesample ishigh,causingbadsparkingspots.
MillingMachineorLathe
Suchamachine shouldbeequippedwithamillingcutterorchisel of tungstencarbide.Themilling
machineistheideal machineforthepreparationofall aluminium alloys, purecoppers andother
soft metals.
Milling isalsotherecommendedmethodforthesamplepreparationof steelanalysiswithnitrogen
and carbonatlowerlevelthanthe10 ppm.
Themillingmachineismoresuitablethanalathe forsampleswithcomplexshapes, e.g. meltedor
machinedpieces.Moreover,the cuttingspeed of themillingmachineisconstantwhichensuresa
regularmachinedsurface.
Thesurfacepreparationisnormallydonewithoutcoolant(i.e.dry).However–foraluminium
samples–alittle ofisopropylalcoholmaybe used. Oiloranyothercoolant isprohibited.
Note:Ifyourpreparationmachineiseverusedforotherapplicationsthatrequired theuseofoil,
water,oranyothercoolants,thenthehead,themillingmachinetable,the millingcutterand
theviceforholding thesample,mustallbethoroughlycleanedbeforeusingagainfor
normalspectrometersamplesurfacepreparation.
Example
Somesteelspringscanbe analysedifpreparedasshownin thefollowingpicture(flatsurface
preparationbymilling orpolishing):
screwand nut for
squeezingthe spring
usefulflat
surfaceforanalysis

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PressMachine
Forsoft wiresamples, onecan flattenthemwithapress usingapressureofbetween 20to40tons
Iftheuseful surfaceareatobeanalysedissmallerthanthe15mm standardhole of thestandard
analysistable,oneshould useanothersmallerhole tableoraspecialsmallsample adapterto
accommodateit’ssize.
Inductive Furnace
Metallicchipscanbere-melted in afurnace.Thisfurnaceprovidessolidsamplesthat canbeused
forspectroscopyanalysis.