Panalytical has launched Cubix3, the third generation of its Cubix X-ray powder diffractometer range designed for those working in cement, minerals, pharmaceuticals or aluminium production.
The Cubix3 introduces features such as high-intensity data collection as well as extra flexibility in sample handling for automated environments.
X-ray diffraction has already reached significant importance as a process and production control method for powdered materials in many industries.
The company said that the initial investment is quickly earned back because of the ease of operation, the independency of operators and the safety for users when compared with traditional methods such as wet-chemical process control or microscopy methods.
Dr Uwe Konig, applications specialist, X-ray diffraction (XRD) at Panalytical, said: 'XRD analysis is recognised as the most efficient method of obtaining direct phase information for many types of materials.
'Results enable manufacturers to maintain consistence in the quality of their product while optimising production speeds,' he added.
Cubix3 yields a complete diffraction pattern up to 150 times faster than conventional detection technology, according to Konig.
The Walk-Up software available for Cubix3 enables a user with no knowledge of XRD to enter urgent samples at any time, even if the diffractometer is already processing a routine batch, and automatically receive a report of results with no user input to the analysis.
The Walk-Up/Cubix3 combination is said to be an ideal analysis tool for multi-user environments.
The Cubix3 supports the full analytical X-ray powder analysis technology from classical data analysis up to full pattern cluster analysis for statistical data interpretation and pass/fail determination.
