RoHS Compliance and Lead Screening, EnvironmentalTesting and Mining Applications Using Handheld XRF – New Applicationsfor the SPECTRO xSORT

Kleve, Chicago, March 08, 2009 – SPECTRO AnalyticalInstruments presents a new range of applications for the SPECTRO xSORThandheld XRF instrument at Pittcon 2009 (March 8 to March 13, Chicago).First introduced to the market in September of 2008, SPECTRO xSORT’soriginal metal analysis capabilities have been expanded to includeapplications for RoHS compliance and lead screening as well as for theexamination of soil in environmental testing and the direct analysis ofores, concentrates and tailings.

The SPECTRO xSORT,weighing just 1.7 kilograms (3.7 lbs), is an analytical instrument forrapid non-destructive XRF screening analyses. With just a few secondstesting time, it non-destructively analyses the content of allimportant elements between sulfur and uranium contained in a sample.The modern silicon drift detector (SDD) used in the xSORT processessignals up to ten times faster than the detectors conventionally usedin handheld XRF instruments. Dirk Wissmann, Product Manager for XRFinstruments at SPECTRO, explains: “Depending on the task, users canutilize the high readout rate to measure with the xSORT much fasterthan with other instruments, or use traditional measurement times andachieve significantly better detection limits and accuracy.”

High Readout Rate, High-Speed Measurements, Attractive Price

RapidRoHS compliance and lead screening are among the most important of thenew applications reports Wissmann: “In the United States, lead residueshave recently been found again and again in toys, jewelry andcosmetics. Product recalls and high compensation claims are the result.This subject remains current and encompasses ever more industriesworldwide; right through to the classic wholesale and retail trade.”The SPECTRO xSORT can bring all of its strengths into play for thisapplication. The analyzer is non-destructive, offers a high degree ofanalytical flexibility and has a low purchase price. For screeningmeasurements the high speed xSORT really shows what it can do: “When awarehouse clerk needs to test several hundred products at a time, itmakes a big difference whether he/she has to hold the XRF instrumentstill for 30 or 90 seconds,” explains Dirk Wissmann. “With the xSORT,the clerk is not only finished faster, but doesn’t have any achingmuscles either!”

Fast environmental screening analyses are asecond important application area for the xSORT.  With the instrument,users simply press a button to test the elemental composition of soilor sludge or to discover whether or not an old telephone pole wastreated with outdated and now illegal wood preservative. As one wouldimagine, operation of the instrument is easy: The user places the probeagainst the soil or sample, presses the trigger and, within just a fewseconds, views the elemental contents on the integrated PDA display.Small or thin samples can be examined using the optional dockingstation. The SPECTRO xSORT is available with various configurationoptions for especially accurate results and additional ease of use.Options include extremely large surface area detectors for exact soilexamination or an integrated GPS module that keeps a protocol ofsampling locations when geologists analyze rock samples.

Thethree new SPECTRO xSORT applications packages - RoHS compliance andlead screenings, environmental examinations and ore analysis - areavailable immediately, worldwide.

About SPECTRO:

SPECTROis one of the worldwide leading suppliers of analytical instruments foroptical emission and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. SPECTROmanufactures advanced instruments, develops the best solutions forstrongly varying applications and provides exemplary customer service.SPECTRO’s products are exemplified by unique technical capabilitiesthat deliver measureable benefits to the customer.  From its foundationin 1979 until today, more than 30,000 analytical instruments have beendelivered to customers around the world.

AMETEK,Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments andelectric motors with an annual turnover of approximately 2.5 billionUSD. AMETEK’s corporate growth plan is based on four key strategies:Operative excellence, strategic acquisitions and alliances, geographicand market expansion as well as new products. AMETEK’s common stock isa component of the S&P MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 1000 Index.