RCI Analytical Laboratory
The Quality Control laboratory at Recycling Coordinators, Inc. operates daily, providing essential data to other departments, from acquisition and production to sales and customer service. The laboratory reports directly to the VP.
Our finished products are essential for our customers in enhancing the intricate composition of specialty alloys. The quality of our products is paramount and the accurate composition is critical to us. No resources were spared to equip our laboratory and train the highly qualified personnel. Only high purity chemicals and certified reagents are utilized.
The QC laboratory routinely analyzes a variety of feedstock samples as well as the finished products by X-Ray fluorescence. The palette consists in, but not limited to: Al, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Nb, Mo, Ag, Sn, Ba, Ta, W, Re, Pb, Bi. Semi-quantitative analysis of the non-metallic elements (Si, P, B) is also performed. Moisture by LOD or KF techniques is critical in determining the water content.
When a comprehensive characterization is required, the spectrographic results are backed by wet chemistry and further corroborated with the microcrystalline structure. For non-metallic samples, oxides or salts a suitable acid digestion transforms the metals in soluble ionic species, which are quantified by ICP-OS; this method, with ppm sensitivity, covers all metals resolved by X-Ray fluorescence. Thus, the provenance of the metals could be easily established. This is critical in establishing the ratio between metallic (alloys) species, non-metals and metallic compounds in the feedstock.
The QC laboratory has a full array of instruments, designed to provide both chemical quantifying and metallurgical characterization of the feedstock and the finished products. These instruments are assigned to specific departments as follow:
Microscopy Lab
Providing high magnification and high resolution imaging of samples at magnifications from 3 to 2000x, with digital or photographic storage capability.
- Zoom microscope with inverted polarized light
- Stereomicroscope with digital image processing
- Optical stereomicroscope
Spectroscopy Lab
Analyzing the samples prepared in the metallurgical lab or digested in the wet chemistry lab.
- X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for non-destructive alloy characterization
- Induction Coupled Plasma sequential spectrometer (ICP/OS) for non-metallic samples
- Gas Chromatograph for solvents, oil and bio-diesel characterization
- NITON portable gamma-ray analyzers for in-process testing
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Metallurgy Lab
Producing and polishing 50g buttons or 5-pound casts.
- 5-pound Induction crucible with 35 kW water cooled power source
- Graphite arc crucibles with 5 kW DC power source
- 3-D grinders and polishers for button preparation
- 25 ton tabletop press
- Vibratory Sieve Shaker for granulometric analysis
- Vacuum shelf drying oven with solvent recovery
- Bunsen burners
Wet Chemistry Lab
Quantifying elements or inorganic compounds by classical titrimetry or gravimetry. Acid digestions for ICP, LOD, LOI and KF titrations are carried out here.
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