Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science Corporation has expanded the capabilities of the X-Strata920 XRF coatings analyser to include a new high-resolution SDD detector and a new sample stage configuration. The X-Strata920 can help ensure that coatings meet the required specifications and minimise waste from excess coating or scrapping under-plated material. As well as the SDD option, the new X-Strata also has four chamber and base configurations to handle a large selection of sample shapes and sizes, including complex geometries found in the automotive industry. An SDD can offer advantages over a proportional counter for complex coating structures, as it can more easily analyse elements that have similar XRF characteristics, such as nickel and copper. This extends the range of elements that can be analysed to include phosphorus—important for electroless nickel analysis, and can more precisely measure thin coatings, such as gold in the nanometre range when conforming to IPC-4552A.
