Oxford Instruments introduces new metals analyzer

Oxford Instruments, based in the United Kingdom, has launched the Vulcan, a metals analyzer that the company claims is the fastest metals analyzer with the most advanced reporting tools on the market.

The Vulcan is an ergonomic, balanced handheld LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) analyzer with a simple user interface. The analyzer has been designed for the rapid identification of a wide range of alloys in manufacturing plants within multiple industries and the scrap metal processing/recycling markets worldwide.

The Vulcan takes one second to measure metal alloys - faster than any X-ray fluorescence analyzer or laser product on the market, Oxford notes. In quality control and quality assurance this means that large inventories of incoming raw materials or finished parts can be checked very quickly.

The Vulcan analyzer offers high performance and guarantees high accuracy and precision for its analysis results. For example, when analyzing aluminum, it not only provides the commercial grade of aluminum, but also its accurate chemical composition. The Vulcan’s ease of operation reduces possible user error so results obtained from analysis will be reliable and consistent.

The Vulcan is splash water and dust proof (IP54 certified). In addition, Vulcan’s measurement window is protected by sapphire glass, which eliminates punctured detectors. The instrument has been designed to withstand harsh environments and is tough enough to be used in a scrap yard.

Oxford’s Vulcan analyzer can be connected, via Wi-Fi, to the company’s OiConnect cloud service, which allows secure storage of results and reports. Alternatively, data can be downloaded to a computer or laptop on a USB stick, which allows all data including measurement results, measurement tags, camera images and more to be saved in one location and accessed from any computer.

Mikko Järvikivi, Oxford Instrument’s product manager, says, “Vulcan is a true revolution in the handheld metal analyzer market. It delivers unparalleled speed, ease of use and ruggedness while still providing accurate and precise results for all common alloy types. Vulcan combines Oxford Instruments’ decades of experience in developing mobile and handheld elemental analyzers with our market-leading knowledge about handheld LIBS analysis.”

Because Vulcan is a laser tool, there is no need for staff to attend expensive and time consuming radiation classes meaning that users can start working with Vulcan quickly and easily.

Vulcan Smart has been designed for ferrous applications and its performance is limited to stainless steels, tool steels, low alloy steels and nickel alloys. However, Vulcan Smart can be upgraded to include cobalt, copper, lead, tin, titanium and zinc calibrations.