Solar Atmospheres Commissions Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

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.

“The purchase of an SEM fits naturally in Solar Atmospheres’ commitment as a leader in the vacuum heat treating industry, and its addition is a natural progression in the improvement of our metallurgical laboratory,” states Solar’s Corporate Chemist, Virginia Osterman, PhD. The SEM unit includes an energy dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) option in order to characterize the elemental composition of the sample under investigation. Osterman continues, “Today’s SEM technology has evolved over the years to a system with a more user-friendly interface resulting in quick, high-level metallurgical imaging and elemental analysis of a variety of materials.”

“SEM analysis is yet another value-added service available to our customer base” states Mike Moyer, Director of Sales. “Many of our customers have needs over-and-above what commercial heat treat companies offer. Now, not only can we help our customers develop a complex heat treatment process, but we can provide them with the analytical results to validate that process. It’s a one stop shop for them, adding value and reducing the time necessary to bring a process to production.”

For additional process information, contact Mike Moyer, Director of Sales, Solar Atmospheres, at 215-721-1502 x1207, or mikem@solaratm.com.