Bruker AXS today announced a technology breakthrough with the introduction of the new TRACERturboSD (TM), the world’s first handheld X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) instrument that uses a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) for dramatically improved speed, sensitivity and resolution. Bruker's industry-leading proprietary XFlash™ SDD, previously available only in high-performance laboratory XRF instruments, now offers unprecedented speed and analytical specificity when integrated into the novel handheld TRACERturboSD.
The Bruker AXS TRACERturboSD handheld XRF unit.
With this announcement, the Bruker AXS Handheld business, previously known as Keymaster Technologies Inc., builds on its long tradition of technology leadership in the handheld XRF industry that includes:
- 2001 - First tube-based handheld XRF
- 2004 - First vacuum handheld XRF, co-invented with NASA
- 2008 – First SDD-based handheld XRF
The revolutionary TRACERturboSD with integrated SDD offers unparalleled speed, sensitivity and energy resolution, previously found only in more expensive laboratory systems. Now all handheld XRF customer segments can benefit from these compelling performance advantages in their analytical work. For example, in art conservation and archaeology analysis the much better SDD energy resolution offers a significant gain in specificity and information content. In the aerospace industry, the proprietary Bruker SDD technology enables TRACERturboSD users to better and faster analyze sophisticated light element alloys, even without the use of a vacuum or helium attachment. Finally, in the general metals analysis markets the TRACERturboSD offers higher speed, sensitivity and selectivity for many demanding handheld XRF applications.
In addition to the new high-end TRACERturboSD, Bruker AXS continues to offer the standard S1 Tracer™ handheld instrument with traditional SiPIN diode technology for routine analysis. Moreover, the well-known joint Bruker-NASA vacuum technology can be combined with the SDD for the ultimate in light-element sensitivity in a handheld XRF instrument.
Frank Laukien, President and CEO of Bruker Corporation, said: "We are very proud to announce this cutting-edge next-generation handheld XRF, incorporating our proprietary XFlash SDD technology. We believe the TRACERturboSD will have enormous analytical benefits for handheld XRF users, and it truly represents a disruptive technology in this field."
John Landefeld, Vice President of Bruker AXS Handheld, indicated: "This breakthrough continues our tradition of technology leadership, going back to the initial introduction of tube-based XRF handhelds in 2001. Following the joint NASA-Bruker development of vacuum technology for handhelds in 2004, Bruker proves, once again, to be the technology leader in handheld XRF instrumentation."
"The aerospace industry and the art & conservation communities will be particularly pleased to find that high-end handheld XRF can now approach the capabilities of laboratory systems,” added John Patterson, Director of Marketing and Product Management of Bruker AXS Handheld.
The TRACERturboSD is being introduced to the aerospace industry at the Aeromat Conference & Exposition taking place June 23-26 in Austin, Texas. Bruker will also exhibit the new handheld SDD instrument at the Denver X-ray Conference on August 4-8 in Denver, Colorado.