Phoenix County Metals

Case StudyPhoenix County Metals Precious metal identification was the first UK application for the new Niton XL2With their order placed before the instrument was officially available, Phoenix County Metals quickly benefited from their new Thermo Scientific Niton XL2 handheld XRF analyser. The robust Niton XL2has proven ideal for Phoenix’s application, which involves theidentification of gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium from waste materials and products. Phoenix is a specialist precious metals recovery company that has been trading for nearly forty years. The business collects, identifies, sorts and resells or recycles many different types of precious metal. Phoenix reclaims metal from many different sources including electronic equipment and scrap components through to jet engine turbines, which contain platinum plated parts. The precious metals are then evaluated for resale. However, where this is not possible, non-ferrous metals and other materials with no value are disposed of via licensed contractors.Any sensitive material, such as data on hard drives of computers or similar, is destroyed in a controlled and documented manner. Indeed, the company is a recognised contractor for the cleaning and decontaminating of classified military equipment. XRF EXCELLENCENiton UK Limited l Unit 19 The Calvert Centre l Woodmancott l Winchester l SO21 3BN l UKTel: +44 (0)1256 397860 Email: info@nitonuk.co.uk Web: nitonuk.co.ukPhoenix County Metals CaSE STUdyIn advance of the official release of the new Niton XL2 handheld XRF instrument, Phoenix were sufficiently impressed with the specification and competitive price point that they placed an order with Niton UK. As a result, they became the first UK owners of a Niton XL2 and have been suitably impressed with its performance. The Niton XL2 is used by Phoenix to monitor and immediately identify incoming materials, allowing them to be allocated to a particular process for recovery of their precious metal content. The software facilities within the Niton XL2 allow real time monitoring of the recovery process and further streamline the company’s tracking procedures.The new Niton XL2 combines sophisticated electronics and a high-end XRF detector within a strong and robust housing for durability.The Niton XL2 allows the user to simply ‘point and shoot’, providing rapid results that are displayed on a full-colour screen. Therefore, even non-technical persons can easily operate the instrument. A comprehensive software suite, provided with the instrument, allows customisation of the analyser, including personalisation of settings and the production of custom reports and certificates. The new Niton XL2 also allows simple data transfer to a PC via USB cable or Bluetooth, making communication of the results and their subsequent analysis or print-out quick and efficient. Although positioned at a competitive price point, the Niton brand and the fact that the XL2 has been developed by Thermo Fisher Scientific will give customers confidence in the product. In the UK, all Niton XRF instruments are supported with comprehensive warranty and service facilities, with an extended preventative maintenance contract available as an option. Paul Johnson of Phoenix County Metals commented, ‘We are very pleased to have been the first UK customer for the Niton XL2 and the new model is already proving its worth. We appreciate the combination of speed and accuracy in a simple to operate and very durable XRF instrument. The ability to move the XRF instrument around our site means that materials can be identified immediately as they arrive’.For further information on Phoenix County Metals please visitwww.pcm-ltd.co.uk. For further information on the Niton XL2and other XRF instruments in the Niton range, please see www.nitonuk.co.uk or call 01256 397860.The Niton XL2 analyser The Niton XL2 analyser provides a number of distinct benefits:• Very easy to use – even by non-technical personnel• Rugged design for real-world industrial environments• Truly non-destructive testing with near instantaneous results• From turn-on to trigger-pull to results in seconds• Confident analysis with technology from the industry leader• Competitive pricing to suit even smaller organizationsThese features make it the perfect choice to:• Analyze metal alloys for scrap recycling or final product QC• Carry out grade control, plant operations, and near-mine exploration• Screen electronics and consumer goods for leadTechnical SpecificationsWeight: 3 lbs 5.8 oz (1.53 kg)dimensions: 10.25 x 11 x 4 in. (256 x 275 x 100 mm)Tube: Ag anode 45 kV maximum, 80 uA maximumdetector: High-performance semiconductorSystem Electronics: 400 MHz ARM 11 CPU300 MHz dedicated DSP80 MHz ASICS DSP for signal processing4096 channel MCA64 MB internal system memory/ 128 MB internal user storagedisplay: Fixed angle, color, touch-screen displayStandard Analytical Range >25 elements from S to U (varies by application)data Transfer: USB, Bluetooth™, and RS-232 serial communicationalloy Modes: Metal Alloy, Electronics Alloy, Precious MetalsBulk Modes: Mining, SoilPlastic Modes: RoHS Plastics, Toy & Consumer Goods Plastics, TestAll™, Painted Productsdata Entry: Touch-screen keyboard, User-programmable pick lists, Optional wireless remote barcode reader