RoHS Rapid Screening by Benchtop XRF

Applied Rigaku Technologies (USA) has published a new application report for the advanced Rigaku NEX QC VS analyser. Rigaku Application Note #1238 demonstrates performance for the elemental analysis of Chromium (Cr), Mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb), Bromine (Br) and Cadmium (Cd) in polyethylene (PE) by XRF rapid screening. Empirical calibration summary and detection limits are shown and instrument repeatability is presented.

The Restriction on Hazardous Substances initiative (RoHS) limits the allowable amounts of toxic elements in plastics and consumer goods. X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) is an established analysis technique for rapid screening to quickly determine the presence of hazardous materials regulated by the RoHS and RoHS 2 protocols.

To meet the industry challenge, Rigaku offers the NEX QC VS analyser, a new low cost benchtop Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometer with variable analysis spot size, specifically designed to serve the RoHS markets.

The new method adheres to ASTM test method F2617, Identification and Quantification of Chromium, Bromine, Cadmium, Mercury, and Lead in Polymeric Material Using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry. The Rigaku NEX QC VS is shown to be a reliable and rugged low-cost tool for measuring the toxic metals in PE and similar polymers both for screening incoming raw materials as well as during the production process.