Metals and Automotive

Various analytical methods are used during the development, production and refinement of metals and work pieces. The closer the manufacturing process approaches the final product the more important non-destructive methods become checking the sample.

Based on the D8 product family Bruker offers a series of different DIFFRACTION SOLUTIONS customized to meet nearly any analytical requirement. As far as routine qualitative or quantitative phase analysis concerns, or texture or residual stress investigations, a D8 ADVANCE equipped with a high-end Goebel mirror or PolyCap optics on the primary side in combination with a scintillation counter, energy dispersive SOL-XE, or VÅNTEC-1 for super speed measurements allows the study of even oddly shaped samples.

In cases of more complex nature of the work pieces such as pieces with corrosion preventive finishing or surface hardening the D8 DISCOVER offers all the flexibility required to pick the sample properties. Preferred orientations and residual stresses can be investigated with a lateral or transversal resolution in the µm range; with other words the sample properties can be mapped along the surface or in the depth. To allow this capability even for routine work the D8 DISCOVER combines high-tech optics such as Goebel Mirrors or PolyCaps with ultra sensitive and fast detectors as the HI-STAR.

DIFFRACTION SOLUTIONS also provide analytical capabilities for the wide field of nanotechnology. In that content the Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) is an interesting technique. With the help of the NANOSTAR the size, the shape, and the shape distribution of nano-particle precipitates solved in metal alloys to improve their properties can be studied. The analytical results may be turned into a competitive advantage in case the refining process with nano-particle can be optimized.

Element analysis - Essential for process and quality control

Bruker's Optical Emission Spectrometers are worldwide used for the element analysis in all fields of the metal production and metal processing industry.

Foundries and steel plants belong to our customers as well as roller mills, automotive supplier and metal traders. There the element analysis is essential for process and quality control. With Optical Emission Spectrometers all relevant elements can directly be analysed simultaneously from sub-ppm to percentage levels.

Q4 TASMAN, or Q8 MAGELLAN, all spectrometers use optimized components to fulfill the analytical requirements regarding reproducibility, longterm stability and limits of detection. The instruments offer the possibility to improve product and process quality, are easy to operate at minimum costs of ownership.

For the automated metal analysis Bruker has developed Q8 CORONADO, fully automated analysis system for foundries and steel plants.

Offering Q8 CORONADO Bruker fulfills the requirements of the users 100%: Continuously high and user-independent analytical quality, reduction of sample turn-around time and highest quality system availability!

Q8 CORONADO, with the Q8 MAGELLAN spectrometer combined with an elaborate installation of the other components, has a small footprint requiring minimal floor space of 3 x 1 m.

High resolution 2D/3D analysis to maximize process control

Bruker's micro-spot X-ray fluorescence (Micro-XRF) tabletop instruments and electron microscope analyzers provide non-destructive methods and tools to perform spatially resolved compositional, layer thickness and crystallographic analysis solutions. The M1 MISTRAL and M4 TORNADO Micro-XRF instruments provide compositional and coating thickness analysis by X-ray tube and collimation down to 0.5 mm, or polycapillary optic in the M4 TORNADO down to 20 µm, for those routine and special QA/QC tasks. The M4 TORNADO is also capable of performing spatially resolved element or layer thickness distribution maps to see variations in composition when failure analysis is required.

Scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM and TEM) provide extremely high resolution and the opportunity to use the Bruker QUANTAX system to perform energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) for inorganic material analysis at the highest of spatial resolutions. Using the XSense wavelength-dispersive spectrometer, challenging materials in the low energy or light element range can be better determined due to its excellent energy resolution. Using the SEM based QUANTAX EBSD (electron back-scattered diffraction) system, crystal orientation maps can be acquired to understand the crystallography and phase boundaries, and study deformations in materials. Lastly, the XTrace allows the combination of Micro-XRF and EDS analysis on the SEM, providing the high sensitivity to trace elements of Micro-XRF and the light element performance of EDS.