Kleve, Germany -- May, 2003 -- At GIFA 2003 (International Foundry Trade Fair, June 16-21 in Düsseldorf), SPECTRO will present a completely redesigned SPECTROLAB and thus a completely new laboratory spectrometer. The improvements relate to the instrument design, the optical system, the spark excitation, and the analysis software of the stationary metal analyzer. Brand new is the self-cleaning system, which automatically clears metal condensation from the optical interfaces with a pulsed Argon flush. In addition to primary metal producers, target customers for the SPECTROLAB also include foundries, metal processors and recyclers. The system is designed for complex analytical tasks, from the analysis of alloys to high-purity metals.

In addition to the modernization of the instrument design, improvements in the analytical performance were the particular focus of the product development. The first area of work for the SPECTRO development engineers was the excitation source. Instead of the earlier analog source, the SPECTROLAB now uses a new, digital, current-programmable "Source 3000." Together with newly developed source parameters, this new excitation source results in a drastically improved reproducibility of the measurement results and extremely shortened measurement times. For standard applications, the instrument delivers results in less than 18 seconds.

The spark stand, developed with gas flow dynamics in mind, allows for an optimal interface to the SPECTRO multi-optics system, improving the overall signal-to-background ratios.

Lower Cost of Ownership: Reduced Argon consumption and automated "Cleaning Flush"

An Argon consumption reduced by 45% during the measurement process compared to the previous SPECTROLAB becomes very noticeable in the operating costs. In addition, the maintenance intervals of the instrument are significantly prolonged due to the new product developments. In a long-term test with a steel sample, no significant contamination of the measurement chamber by condensate was detected after 5,000 measurements. Product manager Kay Toedter: "While the spark stand in the previous SPECTROLABs had to be opened and cleaned regularly, our new SPECTROLAB operates with an innovative cleaning flush. A short argon burst at 8 bar simply blows the metal condensate away." The frequency of the cleaning process is dependent on the matrix and can be freely parameterized by the user with the new instrument software. Series test results are not influenced by the automated cleaning process.

Even though the instrument has to be opened much less often for maintenance work due to the automated cleaning system and innovative design, all components in the new SPECTROLAB are easy to access and can be replaced in a very short time.

With the new 32-bit "Spark Analyzer Vision" software, SPECTRO has achieved further improvements in the areas of operational transparency and program setup. Network compatibility, the transfer of data into all Windows Office programs, and also the connection to internal and external databases are second nature to "Spark Analyzer Vision."

The new SPECTROLAB will be presented for the first time at GIFA 2003. At the convention, SPECTRO will demonstrate details and improvements of the instrument focusing on measurements oriented to actual practice.

SPECTRO at the GIFA 2003
from June 16-21
Düsseldorf Fairgrounds
Messeplatz
40474 Düsseldorf

Hall 11, Booth F68

SPECTRO - the global leader in Optical Emission and XRF Spectroscopy, is a multinational company committed to innovation, instrumentation support and service. With more than 500 employees, SPECTRO has shipped over 19,000 instruments to customers throughout the world. SPECTRO is committed to producing advanced products, better and more diverse solutions, and providing an unparalleled support infrastructure.