Advanced Metal Coating Measurement & Analysis
Metal coatings are crucial for a variety of industries that rely on items made from metal, alloys, and plastic. These coatings may provide decorative features or optimize physical and chemical properties such as corrosion resistance, paint adhesion, wear and heat resistance, hardness, electrical conductivity, solderability, and lubricity. But coating materials must be applied correctly in order to get the desired results, as over-coating wastes money and resources while under-coating can cause catastrophic product failure. If coating inaccuracies aren't detected, entire products may end up being scrapped.
Correct coat weight and coating thickness is essential to success in the metal finishing, fabrication, automotive, and aerospace industries. Unfortunately, accurately measuring these coatings used to require equipment like a benchtop XRF analyzer, meaning larger and heavier items had to be disassembled or cut into samples to get proper coating measurements.
The Thermo Scientific Niton XL5 Plus Handheld XRF Analyzer is your solution in portability, providing advanced metal coating measurement and analysis directly at-line or on-site. Contact one of our specialists today to find out more
Small Size, Big Power
X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) is a non-destructive analysis method that uses X-rays to accurately determine the elemental composition of metals, alloys, and other materials commonly used in coating layers and substrates. Traditionally, coat weight and thickness could only be measured with benchtop XRF equipment, requiring smaller industrial items to be transported and larger, heavier items to have samples cut for analysis.
The Thermo Scientific Niton XL5 Plus Handheld XRF Analyzer is the most lightweight handheld analyzer on the market, making it easy to measure metal coatings directly at-line for process control or on-site for finished products. This advanced tool displays coat measurements in real time, allowing determinations about coating weight and thickness to be made with speed and confidence.
The Niton XL5 Plus precisely determines the exact weight and thickness of up to 4 layers of coating composed of alloys, pure elements, or compounds (via pseudo element) over substrates made of alloys, pure elements, plastics, or wood. Simple and intuitive, the Niton XL5 Plus measures ultra thin coating layers and analyzes almost any combination of metal coatings with unparalleled sensitivity and speed.
The Niton XL5 Plus analyzer has wide applications across a variety of industries, such as providing unmatched quality control for the zirconium (Zr) and titanium (Ti) conversion coatings used in the automotive industry, or efficient spot analysis of the nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC) used in the aerospace industry.
| Measurement Capability | Coating Example | Purpose or Improved Property | Industries, Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single mono-elemental layer over pure metal* or a non-metal substrate | Ag / Cu Zn / [Steel] Cd / [Steel] Cu / [Plastic] |
Electrical conductivity Corrosion resistance Corrosion resistance Metal coating primer |
Electrification products Various metal fabrication Aerospace, Military Various metal fabrication |
| Multiple mono-elemental layers over a pure metal* or a non-metal substrate | Au / Ni / Cu/ [Zn] Cr/ Ni / Cu / [Plastic] Ti / Zn / [Steel] Zr / Zn / [Steel] |
Decorative Decorative Corrosion resistance Corrosion resistance |
Accessories and apparel Fabrication, fixtures Fabrication, automotive Fabrication, automotive |
| Single mono-elemental layer over alloys | Cr / [Stainless steel] Rh / [White gold] Rh / [Brass] Ti / [Al alloy] Zr / [Al alloy] Cr (VI) / [Alloys**] |
Wear and corrosion resistance Decorative Decorative Corrosion resistance, paint primer Corrosion resistance, paint primer Corrosion resistance, paint primer |
Various metal fabrication Jewelry Accessories Fabrication, Automotive Fabrication, Automotive Various metal fabrication |
| Multiple layers over alloys | Cr /Ni/ [Brass] | Decorative | |
| Alloys as coatings over pure metals | NiP / [Steel] NiP / [Al] ZnNi / [Steel] |
Wear and corrosion resistance Wear and corrosion resistance Corrosion resistance |
General fabrication General fabrication Automotive, Aerospace |
| Alloys as coatings over alloys | NiP / [Kovar] | Wear and corrosion resistance | Glass sealing |
| Compound layers using tracer elements | P2 O5 / [Steel] TiN / [Tool steel] |
Corrosion, paint primer Hardness, wear resistance |
Fabrication, Automotive Cutting tools |
Contact one of our specialists today to find out more
This top-of-class model uses advanced hardware and software to provide lab-quality results. The Niton XL5 Plus Coatings Mode is exceptionally versatile, delivering accurate measurement and analysis results right out-of-the-box without any adjustments needed. And for those who want to fine tune their analyzer, an easy-to-use type standardization feature is available.
The Thermo Scientific Niton XL5 Plus Handheld XRF Analyzer is your premier tool for metal coatings analysis with unmatched speed, precision, and reliability.
The Thermo Scientific Niton XL5 Plus Handheld XRF Analyzer
Engineered to return lab-quality results, the Thermo Scientific Niton XL5 Plus Handheld XRF Analyzer puts the power of fast and accurate metal coatings measurement and analysis in the palm of your hand.
- Handheld, Compact Ergonomics
- Lightweight at 2.8 pounds (1.3 kilograms)
- High-tech, Miniaturized 5W X-ray tube
- Extra Large Area Silicon Drift Detector
- Upgraded Graphene Window
- Enhanced Light Element Detection
- Built-in System Checks
- ProGuard Detector Protection
- Integrated CCD Macro & CCD Micro Cameras
- Touchscreen Responds to Gloved Hands
- Password-protected User Security
- Comes with Locking Carrying Case and 2 Battery Packs
