XRF and LIBS pressed pellet calibration standards
- Standards to calibrate and trust your spectrometers
- Our unique capsules all but eliminate contamination
- We utilise Reference Materials, CRMs and your own project's rocks and soils
XRF and LIBS pressed pellets are made differently ...
All of our pressed pellets are binder free in order to give your spectrometer the cleanest and most accurate readings. XRF films and binders attenuate detector readings - we went binder free to obtain the best readings possible... and we avoid XRF film.
Our XRF pressed pellets are larger (32mm diameter) to more easily place the XRF window over the sample, thicker to overcome potential infinite thickness issues and polymer encased for strength and longevity.
Our LIBS pressed pellets are typically smaller (20-25mm diameter) so they can be built with higher pressures and are also encased in a strengthening polymer. This makes for a highly competent pellet sample face that can withstand laser blasts. Laser ablation does consume the sample... 50 microns at a time. We recommend you monitor the sample face condition as you shoot the pellet and replace it if you start seeing any assay variance.
Our XRF pressed pellets are larger (32mm diameter) to more easily place the XRF window over the sample, thicker to overcome potential infinite thickness issues and polymer encased for strength and longevity.
Our LIBS pressed pellets are typically smaller (20-25mm diameter) so they can be built with higher pressures and are also encased in a strengthening polymer. This makes for a highly competent pellet sample face that can withstand laser blasts. Laser ablation does consume the sample... 50 microns at a time. We recommend you monitor the sample face condition as you shoot the pellet and replace it if you start seeing any assay variance.
Custom pressed pellets - made from your own reference materials
Whilst Reference Materials or CRMs provide definitive assay data for calibration, you can go one better by using your own project specific samples.
The advantage here is that your sample's unique mineral matrix is used when making a Reference Material... and you get more accurate assays from your XRF or LIBS.
Send us an assayed, finely milled sample and we will do the rest. Alternatively, send a bag of rocks and we will do it all - whatever needs to be done. Feel free to contact us to discuss your requirements.
We can also provide you with pressed pellets of Standards, Reference Materials or CRMs.
The advantage here is that your sample's unique mineral matrix is used when making a Reference Material... and you get more accurate assays from your XRF or LIBS.
Send us an assayed, finely milled sample and we will do the rest. Alternatively, send a bag of rocks and we will do it all - whatever needs to be done. Feel free to contact us to discuss your requirements.
We can also provide you with pressed pellets of Standards, Reference Materials or CRMs.
- Our pressed pellet quality assurance
- Every pellet has its own serial number for traceability. We take care to mark each pellet as it emerges from its die so we don't mix up our samples.
- We record all pressing data parameters. This means if we want to make a batch of pellets a year later, they are pressed in the same way, to the same pressures... giving the same assay results.
- Sample hygiene is crucial. Raw material labelling and storage, weighing, spotless die sets and presses; clean benches. Pellet racking before capsule bonding, labelling... we pay attention to all of the little details. And we take the time to get everything right.
- All sample materials are different. Some love standard pressing parameters... some need special and particular attention. We record all of this.
- We regularly spot check pressed pellets with our XRF to make sure we have not mixed anything up. So far... so good, with a perfect record for thousands of pressed pellets.
- Our little screw top capsules are actually a really big dealWe are obsessed with making the highest quality pressed pellets from the best materials, with best practice methods and without contamination. We think that we deliver this in spades.
We won't make/sell you a pressed pellet that is at risk of contamination from poor storage practices we have seen elsewhere.
We know from experience that you cannot store two pressed pellets in the same box - sooner or later bad things happen from cross-contamination.
To counter this phenomenon, we trialled a number of different packaging alternatives, eventually developing a simple and highly effective method with individual screw-top capsules. Their best feature is that the sample face is NEVER in contact with foam, felt, other samples, contaminants or anything. If you only open these capsules when you take an assay, the pressed pellet should last and last without risk of contamination.
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones.
- Our results validate our quality obsessionOur pressed pellets are highly repeatable with low variance and this is summed up in our low Residual Standard Deviation results:
- Shooting the same pellet multiple times
- Shooting different pellets of the same standard multiple times
- Shooting different batches of old and new pellets made from stored standards
Dig into our Blog articles for more detail on this.
- Pressed pellet batches prepared for a CRM manufacturer
- 32mm XRF pressed pellet
- Muscovite mica pressed pellets for XRF and LIBS
XRF and LIBS pressed pellet Pricing A$125
Pricing reflects that all of our products are very much hand-made. You can't do this with a machine and we don't charge for failed pellets. We make them as dense as we can to the point of failure... then back off a little. Every pellet is individually packaged to minimise contamination and maximise longevity.
We can also make pressed pellets to your specifications.
We can also make pressed pellets to your specifications.
-
XRF pressed pellets A$125 eachMade from CRMs, Reference Materials or your own custom reference materials. 32mm diameter with the largest sample face area we can make in order to make them easy to shoot. Superior in every way to traditional XRF cups. Why shoot through a film if you don't have to? - LIBS pressed pellets A$125 eachMade from CRMs, Reference Materials or your own custom reference materials. 20mm, 22mm and 25mm diameter, depending on the material being pressed. On average, our LIBS pellets give you a larger sample surface area to shoot.
- LIBS slides $80 eachMade from CRMs, Reference Materials or your own custom reference materials. These are single shot materials with space for about 100 shots over the sample area. Our slide method enables pellet free LIBS sampling in the field.
- RequirementsCustom reference materials of 100g required to cover broken pellet losses. A minimum of four pellets to be made of each sample.
- RequirementsCustom reference materials of 60g required to cover broken pellet losses. A minimum of four pellets to be made of each sample.
- RequirementsCustom reference materials of 60g required. A minimum of four slides to be made of each sample.
High purity quartz glass blank
A$125
We searched high and low for a perfect high purity quartz XRF Blank. This one is certified at <100ppm total contaminants and we believe it, based on our own XRF assays.
Our XRF loves this blank, regularly reporting >99.99% silica.
We encase them in a screw top capsule to keep them pristine and
uncontaminated.
A$125
We searched high and low for a perfect high purity quartz XRF Blank. This one is certified at <100ppm total contaminants and we believe it, based on our own XRF assays.
Our XRF loves this blank, regularly reporting >99.99% silica.
We encase them in a screw top capsule to keep them pristine and
uncontaminated.
Zero polymer blank
A$125
If you want a silica-free blank... we can help you with our Zero blank. It took a while to find a suitable polymer without mineral fillers and this one fits the bill. Low density polymers tend to scatter X-rays all over the place and our radiation meter confirms this.
We recommend you shoot this one in an enclosed workstation or at least with an XRF tripod (soil foot) and stand back a 3-4 metres whilst it's being shot.
A$125
If you want a silica-free blank... we can help you with our Zero blank. It took a while to find a suitable polymer without mineral fillers and this one fits the bill. Low density polymers tend to scatter X-rays all over the place and our radiation meter confirms this.
We recommend you shoot this one in an enclosed workstation or at least with an XRF tripod (soil foot) and stand back a 3-4 metres whilst it's being shot.
CONTACT US
Please contact us for more information about our pressed pellet range and services
[email protected]
+61 407 689 231
+61 407 689 231