The techniques in the following list can be used for alloy sorting and material composition analysis. XRF is used for the measurement of element compositions of a wide variety of specimens. Metallic-plating thickness measurement. Characterization of unique samples ranging from archaeological relics to filter paper residues.
Samples require minimal preparation.
They may be solid, liquid or even gaseous and of almost any size or shape. The technique provides an elemental, not a chemical analysis. XRF is inapplicable to the first 11 elements of the periodic table. Inspection is typically limited by x-ray attenuation in the sample. Sample penetration varies from about 0.01mm to 1mm in depth depending on the sample material.