IM 2018 February 18 | Page 15

ANALYSIS AND SORTING The X-MET8000 Expert Geo offers fast material screening, dramatically reducing the need for laboratory analyses and their associated cost of mining and soil modes, which are designed to provide additional functionality and application usage. The Niton XL5 analyser the company says is the smallest and lightest handheld XRF analyser available today for elemental determination and features a powerful 5W X-ray tube. The new mining mode is designed to allow geologists and mining companies in early and late stage exploration, as well as in mining operations, to accurately determine, measure and evaluate the elemental composition of geological samples from magnesium to uranium, within seconds. The resulting data enables mining companies to locate on site and in real time the most viable resources. Soil mode is designed to enable regulatory bodies, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, and environmental laboratories to detect and quantify heavy metals. Users of the Niton XL5 analyser can measure low levels of environmental pollutants, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, selenium, arsenic, nickel, copper, chromium and zinc. “The Niton XL5 analyser is designed to allow users to observe increased analytical performance and lower limits of detection (LODs) over legacy Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analysers. New accessories also include the printed on-site and attached to sample bags to avoid mix ups. Alternatively, fully customised reports can be created using the report generator. Sharing results on-the-go with customers or colleagues is easy with the LiveConnect app, while the LiveConnect cloud service can export results securely in real-time and be accessed anytime, anywhere. Results from multiple X-METs can be managed with a single LiveConnect account. Christelle Petiot, Product Manager, Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science, says: “The X- MET8000 Expert Geo will save users time and money in more ways than one: it’s rugged and reliable so won’t let you down in the field; its revolutionary BOOST™ technology delivers faster analysis, even for trace elements, to help you complete testing programs faster and rely less on laboratory analyses; it truly is the tool of choice for mining professionals.” Designed with low cost of ownership in mind, X-MET8000 Expert Geo has been designed to withstand the harshest environments and weather conditions. It is IP54 compliant (equivalent to NEMA 3) for superior protection against dust and water and has been tested to MIL-STD-810G military standard for ruggedness. It has an impact-resistant case with environmental sealing. Rubber bumpers around the screen, nose and battery protect against shocks. X-MET8000 Expert Geo features a large heat sink for optimum robustness and stability even in hot environments (no need to wait for detector cooldown between analyses) and comes with a compact, rugged and waterproof case for transportation and storage. Thermo Scientific showcases the Niton XL5 Geologists, mining companies and environmental laboratories can now generate X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis faster in the field using the Thermo Scientific Niton XL5 handheld XRF analyser, launched in 2017. The newest update to the Niton XL5 analyser includes the introduction FEBRUARY 2018 | International Mining 13