Solar Atmospheres Commissions Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
“February 24, 2020 – To meet the challenges of the metal treating industry, Solar Atmospheres recently purchased and commissioned a Hitachi smart Scanning Electron Microscope. The FlexSEM1000 II will allow Solar to meet customer needs, such as strict requirements for low level contamination from carbon, oxygen, and/or nitrogen, post heat treating. Additionally, the SEM will enable Solar to fulfill materials characterization and microstructural determination requests beyond the basic metallography and hardness testing. This investment is a response to the changing needs of Solar’s customers, and is in keeping with the company’s mission of looking forward in the area of technical capabilities while demonstrating a willingness to accept a challenge.
“This addition is a game changer” states Solar’s VP of Technology, Don Jordan. “We have made significant investments in our technical capabilities over the years, and this was a natural addition to our core competencies.” The SEM unit includes an energy dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) option in order to characterize the elemental composition of the sample under investigation. “SEM technology has come a long way recently,” Jordan continues. “Today’s SEM technology means you don’t need to be a PhD to run the machine. The human interface is user-friendly, meaning quick and accurate metallurgical photos and spectroscopy can be achieved.”