Adaptable, lightweight analysis instrumentation suitable for the recycling industry was the focus of the Olympus display at the Australian Waste and Recycling Exhibition (AWRE) recently held in Melbourne. Each year, AWRE provides an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase innovation, meet with key figures from industry and government on the trade show floor and at seminars and workshops.

The Delta Professional has been developed specifically for the Alloy and NDT sectors, especially companies conducting analysis of manufactured and scrap materials such as stainless steel and a wide range of other alloy types.

Also displayed at AWRE was the GoldXpert, a stylish and functional bench-top precious metals analyser ideal for the new and second hand precious metals market. The unit was designed to be compact and attractive, ideal for use on a showroom floor. The GoldXpert can take the drudgery out of routine analysis.It is easy to use and provides carat and compositional analysis results with one push of a button. An XRF analyser uses a controlled beam of radiation to excite the electrons in a sample causing the elements to ‘fluoresce’.

Each element fluoresces at a specific energy level, which can be identified as a characteristic peak. A higher peak indicates a greater concentration of an element. Technological advances have enabled Olympus to design and build lighter and more compact analysers that are now more affordable for smaller companies.
In Australia the largest market for XRF analysers has been the mining and mineral exploration sector. Overseas scrap metal companies, especially in Asia and the US, use XRF extensively, but in Australia a lot of companies are yet to discover the benefits the technology provides. Scrap metal is like gold, if you can identify the composition of your scrap accurately you can really take advantage of the market.