Patent ID: 7410804

Claim:
A method of forming an array of powder samples arranged in predefined locations where all samples have a flat surface in a common plane comprising: (a) providing a main support having at least N perforations from a first surface of the main support to a second surface of the main support in predefined locations, where N is the number of samples in the array and N is at least two; (b) providing a flat support temporarily attached to the first surface of the main support; (c) loading sample X in perforation X of the main support where X is an integer from 1 to N; (d) forming a flat surface of each sample where the flat surfaces are in a common plane by forcing the samples within the perforations against the flat support; (e) retaining the samples in position within the perforations using at least one cover contacting the main support; and (f) exposing the flat surfaces of the samples in the predefined regions where the flat surfaces are all in the common plane by removing the flat support.