Our modern society strongly relies on iron, steel, and various ferrous alloys. While recycling rates are increasing, the global demand for iron ore remains very high and is still growing. Iron ore mining is a competitive, high-volume business with many players in the game. The sales prices are significantly affected by the ore grades because steel- and metal-makers prefer high quality grades more than ever. Depending on the original type and purity of the mineral ore, different mineral beneficiation methods are used, including floatation-, magnetic- and gravity separation. These treatments differ in effectivity and costs. Careful selection of the appropriate methods and frequent monitoring of the original ore, intermediate and final grades is invaluable in enabling a cost-effective, and ultimately profitable, mining operation.

X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is the most accepted technology for this task. Modern systems like the S6 JAGUAR, a powerful benchtop wavelength dispersive XRF (WDXRF) spectrometer, enable accurate and precise analysis within minutes. Here, one of the key points to consider is the selection of the optimal sample preparation. While pressed powder preparation is fast and easy, the highest precision and accuracy is achieved with fused beads preparation. Fused bead preparation also allows for the analysis of different ores and ore grades from different locations as there is no mineralogical matrix effect anymore. This makes this preparation method often ideal for central and contract labs, for import/export grade control, and for incoming goods quality check at steel plants.

For more information, please read our Lab Report (XRF 167) and visit our website at bruker.com/xrf. Here you can also learn more about our dedicated out-of-the-box solutions for the mining industry: GEO-QUANT packages.

Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction (SC-XRD) is the only technique directly revealing 3D structures at atomic resolution, including the absolute structure of chiral compounds. This makes SC-XRD a powerful addition to the synthetic lab. The D8 QUEST ECO (PHOTON III Edition) is the affordable solution for investigating chemical and pharmaceutical compounds with this powerful method. The new D8 QUEST ECO provides better data from a greater variety of crystals twice as fast. The system comes with the newly developed STRUCTURE NOW software, a fully automated structure determination app, which brings the valuable information on the chemical structure to your laboratory – fast, accurate and reliable. With unbeatable ease of use and reliability, the new D8 QUEST ECO makes crystal structure analysis accessible to many more synthetic labs than ever before.

Innovative products, excellent customer support, and an effective service offering are all part of the Bruker winning strategy. However, time does not stand still, and emerging technologies present innovative possibilities in customer support. Today, Bruker AXS presents the Microsoft HoloLens 2, a promising technology to connect our customers, products, and service. The HoloLens 2 is a sophisticated augmented reality headset offered by Microsoft. Augmented reality is a technology that overlays digital information onto reality in real time. This digital information may be text, images, videos, and even 3D data, like 3D CAD drawings or animations. Real-time audio- and video-streams are also possible. This allows for a new video conferencing and support experience with numerous advantages. For example, a remote support engineer from Bruker can see the first-person view of the HoloLens 2 user to gain valuable insights into his or her support request and quickly provide expert solutions. All this is possible without the need for installing new software. Take advantage of this new technology during your next contact with Customer Support. Together with you, our team will plan how to deploy this innovative technology at your facility.

Metal production means high performance – day and night! The modern metal manufacturing process, starting from ores and scrap over primary and secondary metallurgy processes to billets, bars, plates, wires, and other finished products, is one of the most complex, continuous processes applied in modern large-scale industries. Metal manufacturers face economic challenges with a complex and competitive agenda. One key success factor is complete elemental analysis. Because every step in the process poses individual analytical requirements, there is no single analytical technique matching all requirements. In fact, multiple, complementary techniques are used and will become more imperative to optimize cost and quality. Bruker’s X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), spark Optical Emission Spectrometers (OES) and Combustion/Fusion Gas Analysis (CS/ONH) spectrometers are ready for the challenge! We invite you to learn more about Bruker’s solutions for the metals industries in our live 60-minute online seminar, From Ores to Metals: How Mining and Production Benefit from Elemental Analysis by Modern XRF, OES and CS/ONH, on October 6^th, 2022. Join us for a short overview, a live demonstration from the lab, and an interactive Q&A session.

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