(openPR) - Woburn, MA, -- Innov-X Systems is pleased to announce the development of reference materials specifically for the analysis of lead in toys and other consumer products. Critical for responsible toy and imports testing, these materials allow Innov-X to pre-calibrate their portable XRF units to offer immediate, quantitative results of ppm levels of lead in coatings. Previous to this development, it was not possible for any on-site XRF analyzers to accurately measure the quantity of lead in coatings at ppm levels without either a specific calibration, or prior knowledge of the paint thickness and density.

Innov-X Systems, a leading manufacturer of portable XRF systems, has seen a surge of sales for the analysis of lead and other metals in toys and consumer products. However unlike other applications including soil, RoHS/WEEE, and lead in paint, the consumer product safety application requires the analysis in units of ppm in thin coated samples. This has traditionally been a complex analysis for portable XRF because the instrument response is dependent upon the ppm concentration of the element being analyzed, as well as the thickness and density of the coating. Typically, the thickness and density values are not known and thus obtaining an accurate, in-field measurement is difficult.

In response to the demand for rapid in-field measurements, and the need for more quantitative results, Innov-X has worked with the industry to develop a set of calibration materials specifically suited for the lead-in-toys application. These materials are designed to be representative of many painted products and consist of a thin PVC substrate and a uniform coating of representative paint. The paints are spiked with known amounts of lead, barium and other hazardous elements and the coatings are layered into known, well-controlled ( +/- 8%) thicknesses. The standards are designed to be representative of typical industry paints, thicknesses and densities. Using a set of reference materials at nominal concentrations of lead (for example at 150 ppm, 300 ppm, 750 ppm, 1,400 ppm and 3,200 ppm) a calibration curve can be developed and supplied with Innov-X portable XRF analyzers. This pre-programmed curve allows for a direct read of lead concentrations in units of ppm- independent of substrate bias.

These reference materials and calibrations are critical to obtaining accurate portable XRF analysis that goes beyond simple screening for lead contamination. If operators use the bulk sample type of calibrations typically used for most portable XRF applications, those results will be dependent upon both the thickness and density of the coating and the thickness and density of the underlying substrate. Thus the same true ppm concentration can yield substantial variation from XRF measurements depending upon the underlying material. As the list of regulated metals expands to Barium (Ba), Antimony (Sb), Mercury (Hg), Chromium (Cr), Arsenic (As), Selenium (Se) and Cadmium (Cd), it will be even more important to offer both rapid screening and more quantitative analytical results to this industry.

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Innov-X Systems, Inc
100 Sylvan Road; Suite 500
Woburn, MA 01801
www.innovxsys.com

Sales Contact:
Suzanne Moller, North American Sales Manager
Email:sales@innovxsys.com

Media/PR Contact:
Carrie-Ann Doucette, Marketing Specialist
E-mail: advertising@innovxsys.com
E-mail: pr@innovxsys.com

About Innov-X Systems
Innov-X Systems is a vital force in the x-ray fluorescence (XRF) industry. Their systems perform fast, accurate analysis in seconds to identify, differentiate and quantify most materials by elemental composition. Founded in 2001, they pioneered handheld XRF instrumentation using a miniature x-ray tube rather than radioactive isotopes. Innov-X has rapidly expanded into many other XRF areas. In the area of border security, their client list includes the Department of Energy for Nuclear Non-proliferation inspections, the US Customs Service for testing imported products, and the US Food and Drug Administration for testing food-related products for metals contamination. Other products include the new SEA-Mate™ System for marine on-board fluids analysis; the Mobile X-50 portable benchtop XRF, that in comparison to handheld units, delivers higher power and superior performance throughout the periodic table. Innov-X has also taken a leading position in custom XRF and online/automated XRF instrumentation.

With R&D and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Innov-X has offices in Europe (the Netherlands), and Asia (Hong Kong). They maintain sales and service alliances in Canada, the Middle East, Latin America and worldwide. Service, installation and training is available in over 100 countries.

More company information is available at www.innovxsys.com/copr.
Product photos may be downloaded at: www.innov-x-sys.com/company/pressroom