Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science has announced the addition of FT230 to its plating and coatings analysis range. The FT230 is designed to have simple maintenance, in addition, to simplifying and accelerating testing of components and assemblies and enabling better quality control. The device can be used by electronics and component-level manufacturers, general metal finishers, and plating-on-plastic facilities to inspect and tightly meet the specifications of their products.
The FT230 is designed to enhance the time to analyze the parts and eliminate the time wasted on preparing a measurement or manipulating the results. The company claims that in the traditional XRF up to 72% of testing time is lost on set up which is counterproductive. It features an improved user experience (UX). And sports “Find my Part”, an intelligent part recognition feature that automatically selects the features that need to be measured, the analytical routines, and reporting rules so the operator can devote more time working on the results instead of setting up the XRF. The onboard, user-built library is easily expanded to handle new parts and new routines as your work changes.
According to the company, the FT230 is the first product running Hitachi’s FT Connect software, and includes features and best aspects of its established SmartLink and X-ray Station software and adding new functionality ready to improve usability. Unlike the traditional software where most of the screen displays controls that are used infrequently, FT Connect focuses the interface on the most important aspects of the XRF. The display real estate is dominated by the largest sample view in the industry and clear results presentation, making it easier to position parts for analysis and see the results. Results are also displayed in the main measurement screen and can be exported in a spreadsheet or comprehensive JSON format for integration with SCADA, QMS, MES, or ERP systems. It also allows the creation of customized reports for internal or external customers.
The FT230 can measure plating and coating thickness and composition. It comes with functions to confirm instrument stability, it also features an on-board diagnostic that gives users information about the health of the instrument. The FT230 is designed to confidently measure coated parts throughout production, from incoming inspection, and process control through final quality control.
