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Mark Lessard

Expertise

Metals Analysispmi oil and gasPositive Material Identificationprecious metals analysisXRF Technology

Education

Northeastern University - BS, Mechanical Engineering

Mark Lessard

Business Development Manager , Thermo Fisher Scientific

For over 13 years, Mark Lessard was the Business Development Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific and the subject matter expert for handheld XRF analyzers, especially for metals analysis and PMI.

Analyzing Metals

The Connection Between Scrap Metal Recycling and Drug Abuse

The Connection Between Scrap Metal Recycling and Drug Abuse

March 31, 2020

Read more The Connection Between Scrap Metal Recycling and Drug Abuse
Metal Stress and Fatigue Test Results Published

Metal Stress and Fatigue Test Results Published

March 24, 2020

Read more Metal Stress and Fatigue Test Results Published
New Technology to Process Aluminum Alloy Powders May Benefit Automotive Industry

New Technology to Process Aluminum Alloy Powders May Benefit Automotive Industry

February 25, 2020

Read more New Technology to Process Aluminum Alloy Powders May Benefit Automotive Industry
Satellites Provide Copper Supply Data

Satellites Provide Copper Supply Data

February 18, 2020

Read more Satellites Provide Copper Supply Data
Potential New Rare Earth Elements Supply from Phosphoric Acid

Potential New Rare Earth Elements Supply from Phosphoric Acid

January 21, 2020

Read more Potential New Rare Earth Elements Supply from Phosphoric Acid
Silver Micro-alloy May Be World’s Strongest

Silver Micro-alloy May Be World’s Strongest

January 14, 2020

Read more Silver Micro-alloy May Be World’s Strongest
New Database Helps Create Innovative Steel Alloys

New Database Helps Create Innovative Steel Alloys

October 8, 2019

Read more New Database Helps Create Innovative Steel Alloys
Does Underkarating Matter?

Does Underkarating Matter?

September 24, 2019

Read more Does Underkarating Matter?
Metal “Fingerprinting” Helps Identify Counterfeit Steel Parts

Metal “Fingerprinting” Helps Identify Counterfeit Steel Parts

June 11, 2019

Read more Metal “Fingerprinting” Helps Identify Counterfeit Steel Parts
Scrap Metal Recyclers Benefit from Challenging Palladium Market

Scrap Metal Recyclers Benefit from Challenging Palladium Market

April 16, 2019

Read more Scrap Metal Recyclers Benefit from Challenging Palladium Market
How Critical Is Copper?

How Critical Is Copper?

April 9, 2019

Read more How Critical Is Copper?
New Advances in Scrap Metal Recycling for the Aluminum Industry

New Advances in Scrap Metal Recycling for the Aluminum Industry

March 26, 2019

Read more New Advances in Scrap Metal Recycling for the Aluminum Industry
New Gold-silver Metal Alloy Offers Variety of Applications

New Gold-silver Metal Alloy Offers Variety of Applications

February 26, 2019

Read more New Gold-silver Metal Alloy Offers Variety of Applications
Salvage Company Discovers 304 Stainless is Not What It Appears to Be

Salvage Company Discovers 304 Stainless is Not What It Appears to Be

February 19, 2019

Read more Salvage Company Discovers 304 Stainless is Not What It Appears to Be
New High Temperature Alloy for Aerospace Applications

New High Temperature Alloy for Aerospace Applications

February 5, 2019

Read more New High Temperature Alloy for Aerospace Applications
Magnesium from Asbestos Tailings May Benefit Automotive Industry

Magnesium from Asbestos Tailings May Benefit Automotive Industry

January 22, 2019

Read more Magnesium from Asbestos Tailings May Benefit Automotive Industry
API Inspection & Mechanical Integrity Summit for the PetroChem Industry

API Inspection & Mechanical Integrity Summit for the PetroChem Industry

January 15, 2019

Read more API Inspection & Mechanical Integrity Summit for the PetroChem Industry
New Metal Alloys May Help Prevent Stress Corrosion Cracking

New Metal Alloys May Help Prevent Stress Corrosion Cracking

December 11, 2018

Read more New Metal Alloys May Help Prevent Stress Corrosion Cracking
Malaysia International NDT Conference

Non-Destructive Testing for PMI in Malaysia

November 13, 2018

Read more Non-Destructive Testing for PMI in Malaysia
The materials science team at Sandia National Laboratories has engineered a platinum-gold alloy believed to be the most wear-resistant metal in the world. According to an article on the Sandia web site, it’s 100 times more durable than high-strength steel, making it the first alloy in the same class as diamond and sapphire, nature’s most wear-resistant materials. “We showed there’s a fundamental change you can make to some alloys that will impart this tremendous increase in performance over a broad range of real, practical metals,” said materials scientist Nic Argibay, an author on the paper. Without a protective barrier, even the strongest metals will wear down when exposed to friction with other metals. A metal’s ability to withstand friction is believed to be based on how hard it is, but the Sandia team theorized that wear is related to how metals react to heat, not their hardness, and they handpicked metals, proportions, and a fabrication process that could prove their theory. “Many traditional alloys were developed to increase the strength of a material by reducing grain size,” said John Curry, a postdoctoral appointee at Sandia and first author on the paper. “Even still, in the presence of extreme stresses and temperatures many alloys will coarsen or soften, especially under fatigue. We saw that with our platinum-gold alloy the mechanical and thermal stability is excellent, and we did not see much change to the microstructure over immensely long periods of cyclic stress during sliding.” The new alloy looks and feels like ordinary platinum, and it’s no harder than other platinum-gold alloys, but it’s much better at resisting heat and a hundred times more wear resistant. The research was published in Advanced Materials. Metals alloys are created to impart many properties beyond aesthetic ones, such as strength, flexibility, machineability, and durability. Getting the right alloy “recipe” is especially important in industrial applications such as the manufacture of aerospace and automotive parts. Costly incidents can result when incorrect or out-of-specification metal alloys enter the manufacturing process, resulting in defective critical components. Inspection and verification of metal alloys can be quickly and easily accomplished using handheld x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers. XRF is used for inspection of incoming raw material to ensure it matches the alloy grade and composition documented on the material test report prior to product manufacture. It is also used for final quality inspection before finished parts are sent to the customer. This “double-check” process helps ensure that the incoming raw materials and the outgoing finished parts meet the expected engineering requirements. XRF is a nondestructive testing technique that can analyze a metal sample in seconds with little to no need for sample preparation. Portable XRF analyzers deliver fast, accurate elemental analysis and positive identification for manufacturing requirements in seconds. In fact, advances in handheld XRF technology have expanded to the point that today’s analyzers are capable of distinguishing alloy grades that are nearly identical in composition to one another.

Platinum-gold Alloy Gives High-strength Steel a Run for its Money

October 23, 2018

Read more Platinum-gold Alloy Gives High-strength Steel a Run for its Money
Analysis of Copper Reveals Earlier Use of the Metal

Analysis of Copper Reveals Earlier Use of the Metal

October 16, 2018

Read more Analysis of Copper Reveals Earlier Use of the Metal
Magma May Help Geologists Find New Iron Ore Deposits

Magma May Help Geologists Find New Iron Ore Deposits

August 28, 2018

Read more Magma May Help Geologists Find New Iron Ore Deposits
Magnesium May Be the Key to Lightweight Automotive Metal

Magnesium May Be the Key to Lightweight Automotive Metal

August 7, 2018

Read more Magnesium May Be the Key to Lightweight Automotive Metal
ASTM Standards

ASTM Develops Additive Manufacturing Standards

June 26, 2018

Read more ASTM Develops Additive Manufacturing Standards

Metallic Glass Can Be Created Using 3D Printing

June 19, 2018

Read more Metallic Glass Can Be Created Using 3D Printing

New Reduced Platinum Catalyst for Catalytic Converters

June 12, 2018

Read more New Reduced Platinum Catalyst for Catalytic Converters
Aluminum scrap metal

Scrap Aluminum’s Green and Automotive Applications

April 24, 2018

Read more Scrap Aluminum’s Green and Automotive Applications
Ancient Metal Alloys Get a Facelift

Ancient Metal Alloys Get a Facelift

March 6, 2018

Read more Ancient Metal Alloys Get a Facelift
Does Your Metal Coating Stick?

Does Your Metal Coating Stick? New Study Has a Surprising Answer

February 13, 2018

Read more Does Your Metal Coating Stick? New Study Has a Surprising Answer
recycled toner cartridges

E-waste Stream May Produce a New Source of Iron

January 16, 2018

Read more E-waste Stream May Produce a New Source of Iron
Lead Found in Pots Made from Recycled Scrap Metal

Lead Found in Pots Made from Recycled Scrap Metal

December 5, 2017

Read more Lead Found in Pots Made from Recycled Scrap Metal
Automotive Manufacturer Combines the Best of Steel and Aluminum

Automotive Manufacturer Combines the Best of Steel and Aluminum

November 28, 2017

Read more Automotive Manufacturer Combines the Best of Steel and Aluminum
xrf analysis of steel in bridges

XRF Helps Craft High Performance Steel

November 14, 2017

Read more XRF Helps Craft High Performance Steel
military plane parts

Can XRF Be Used in the Military Supply Chain to Discover Counterfeits?

November 7, 2017

Read more Can XRF Be Used in the Military Supply Chain to Discover Counterfeits?
unloading slag

Portable XRF Analyzers Help Bring New Life to Old Slag

October 24, 2017

Read more Portable XRF Analyzers Help Bring New Life to Old Slag
using xrf to confirm metal in car mfg

Magnesium Alloy May Help Car Manufacturers Meet CAFE Requirements

September 19, 2017

Read more Magnesium Alloy May Help Car Manufacturers Meet CAFE Requirements
hurricane damaged scrap metal

Scrap Metal Recycling After Recent Hurricanes

September 12, 2017

Read more Scrap Metal Recycling After Recent Hurricanes
Metal Workers

How Quality Control Employees Help Keep Consumers Safe

September 5, 2017

Read more How Quality Control Employees Help Keep Consumers Safe
raw copper analysis

The Future of Copper: ICA Report Highlights

August 8, 2017

Read more The Future of Copper: ICA Report Highlights
steel foundry

Is Your Steel Fit for Purpose? XRF Analyzers May Help Find the Answer

July 6, 2017

Read more Is Your Steel Fit for Purpose? XRF Analyzers May Help Find the Answer
copper scrap

Copper Usage Trends and Its Effect on Manufacturing and Scrap Metal

May 12, 2017

Read more Copper Usage Trends and Its Effect on Manufacturing and Scrap Metal
rolls of steel

Portable XRF in the Metal Lifecycle

April 11, 2017

Read more Portable XRF in the Metal Lifecycle
refinery pipes and pmi

How to Prevent Mechanical Failures of Oil & Gas Piping with Positive Material Identification, Part 2

March 28, 2017

Read more How to Prevent Mechanical Failures of Oil & Gas Piping with Positive Material Identification, Part 2
PMI for pipes

How You Can Help Prevent Mechanical Failures of Oil & Gas Piping with Positive Material Identification, Part 1

March 21, 2017

Read more How You Can Help Prevent Mechanical Failures of Oil & Gas Piping with Positive Material Identification, Part 1

Lightweighting Automotive Metals

February 7, 2017

Read more Lightweighting Automotive Metals
auto manufacturing

XRF Analyzers Help Improve Automobile Fuel Efficiency

December 20, 2016

Read more XRF Analyzers Help Improve Automobile Fuel Efficiency
pmi of metal pipe

A Bird’s Eye View: How Real PMI Crews Check The Pipes

September 27, 2016

Read more A Bird’s Eye View: How Real PMI Crews Check The Pipes
monkey bars

Can One Metal or Alloy Get Hotter Than Another?

July 21, 2016

Read more Can One Metal or Alloy Get Hotter Than Another?
Portable XRF Now Matches Lab XRF

It’s Happened… Portable XRF Now Matches Lab XRF Capabilities.

May 26, 2016

Read more It’s Happened… Portable XRF Now Matches Lab XRF Capabilities.
microalloy weld

Analysis of Microalloyed Steels

May 5, 2016

Read more Analysis of Microalloyed Steels
GALM

Going to GALM?

August 13, 2015

Read more Going to GALM?

The Lighter Side of the Automotive Industry

August 6, 2015

Read more The Lighter Side of the Automotive Industry

Predicting Low Silicon in Process Piping Using Handheld XRF

August 26, 2014

Read more Predicting Low Silicon in Process Piping Using Handheld XRF
PMI of Metals

PMI Tools for Alloy Verification

August 5, 2014

Read more PMI Tools for Alloy Verification

Remember the Alamo… and the NACE/CORROSION Conference Nearby

February 27, 2014

Read more Remember the Alamo… and the NACE/CORROSION Conference Nearby

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