ARL QUANT'X: RoHS and WEEE compliance

ARL QUANT’X : A high performance EDXRF system for meeting the RoHS and WEEE regulations

EU regulations relating to Restrictions of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) require that heavy and toxic elements such as Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr and Br are controlled in various types of components such as power cables, insulation wires, connectors and sockets. Energy Dispersive X-ray Flourescence (EDXRF) is one of the best suited elemental analysis techniques for this application. XRF in general and EDXRF in particular is a non-destructive method to analyze these heavy elements with relatively easy sample preparation or in some cases without any sample preparation.

ARL QUANT’X is a new high sensitive EDXRF instrument capable of detecting very low levels of toxic and heavy elements. Equipped with a unique Peltier cooled Si(Li) sealed solid state detector, this instrument offers highest energy resolution and very high peak to background ratio necessary for detecting ppm levels of Cd, Hg, Pb etc. without the need for peripheral dependence - no liquid nitrogen is needed for cooling the detector. Samples can be analyzed under air if low Z elements are not of interest. This is generally the case in RoHS and WEEE related applications. The instrument’s flexible sample compartment can handle irregular or odd shaped samples of all kinds minimising the need for complicated preparation methods. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed with ease and any unknown material can be screened for its composition using ARL QUANT’X.

Designed for easy transport and robustness, ARL QUANT’X can be placed close to the place where analysis is required. For example, it can be used for screening the incoming electrical and electronic components at the goods arrival point or it can be transported to the field where these components are effectively used.

ARL QUANT’X is capable of analysing elements from Na to U and its performance can be optimized on specific elements of interest such as Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr and Br using the integrated primary X-ray beam optics and unique pulse processing technology. Owing to high sensitivity of the Peltier cooled Si(Li) sealed detector, the instrument is capable of analyzing these elements in a few minutes with a high degree of precision and reliability. The cost per analysis of ARL QUANT’X is kept very low thanks to the minimal running and maintenance costs.

More detail in the ARL QUANT’X Product Page