Foundry Ecocer’s growth has paralleled that of its inhouse Analysis and Quality Control laboratory, which is equipped with the most modern analytical instruments and has recently been fitted with an important new instrument capable of further improving its analytical quality: the ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy).
This instrument, based on Argon plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP) with an optical detector (OES), is suitable for the qualitative and quantitative determination of inorganic elements present in various matrices (water, soil, metal alloys, production slag, rocks, etc.).
Not only can most metals present in alloys be detected (such as, Cu, Zn, Pb, Al, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cd) up to concentrations of μg/l, but also many other macro elements which may be present in ceramic materials, such as Ca, Mg, Na, K, Si, can be determined up to concentrations of mg/l.
We speak of μg/l and mg/l concentrations because the solid sample is always analysed in the liquid state and therefore, when solid, it is dissolved or mineralised with acids in order to be analysed.
The ability to determine all the elements in the sample at the same time, therefore without having to change lamps or perform other intermediate operations, as well as the extreme precision and sensitivity of the analysis, make this instrument extremely useful in the quality guarantee work that Foundry Ecocer’s laboratory carries out every day both on raw materials sent to the production cycle and on all finished products destined for customers.