X-ray fluorescence is an elemental analysis tool that has been a mainstay of test labs for decades. A versatile NDT method that demands only minimal sample prep and can be run by novice operators, it is perhaps most valued for delivering accurate results quickly. Today, evolving XRF capabilities are moving this quality assurance workhorse into critical new roles in a widening spectrum of industries.
XRF is based on the concept that individual atoms, when excited by an external energy source, emit X-ray photons of a specific wavelength. By counting the photons of each energy emitted from a sample, the sample’s different elements can be identified.