Particle analysis with SEM EDS

In today's fast-paced and dynamic world, manufacturers and researchers face increasing challenges to meet stringent quality standards and ensure the reliable performance of their products. Particle analysis has emerged as an indispensable tool in achieving these objectives, providing invaluable insights into the composition, size, shape, and distribution of particles present in various materials and fluids. 

Perception particle analysis software webinar

Introduction to automated particle analysis


Battery contamination

In the battery industry, where energy storage and efficiency are paramount, particle analysis plays a vital role in understanding battery quality, lifetime expectancy, and failure modes. By examining and optimizing particle characteristics, manufacturers can enhance the performance and lifespan of batteries, leading to longer lasting and more sustainable energy storage solutions. 


Steel inclusion analysis

In steel manufacturing, particle analysis is of utmost importance as it directly influences the mechanical properties and overall quality of steel products. Accurate identification and quantification of inclusions and contaminants in steel can help prevent defects, improve material strength, and ensure compliance with industry standards, ultimately bolstering the safety and reliability of steel components. 


Technical cleanliness

In other areas of technical cleanliness, where even minute particles can cause significant issues, particle analysis is indispensable. Industries such as aerospace, medical device, and semiconductor manufacturing rely on stringent cleanliness requirements to ensure product functionality and integrity. By employing advanced particle analysis techniques, manufacturers can maintain the desired level of cleanliness and mitigate the risks associated with particle-induced malfunctions or contamination.

 

Embark on a journey of precision, reliability, and excellence across the battery, steel, automotive, and technical cleanliness sectors. Let our expertise in particle analysis elevate your products to new heights, ensuring a future of uncompromising quality and customer satisfaction.

 

Automotive manufacturers, constantly striving for enhanced performance and safety, heavily rely on particle analysis for quality control and failure analysis. By scrutinizing particles in engine fluids, lubricants, and fuel systems, they can identify potential sources of wear, contamination, or defects, allowing them to implement targeted improvements and maintain the highest standards of automotive engineering. 

Accelerating Microscopy blog

Helping scientists answer questions that enable breakthrough discoveries in materials science, and industry

Gunshot Residue Analysis

When investigating crimes scenes, investigators use particle analysis to determine whether a given individual or firearm was used in the incident in question. If the analysis reveals common search criteria, such as the presence of lead, barium, and antimony, the sample could be confirmed as the result of a gunshot and used as supporting evidence in the investigation.


Perception Particle Analysis Software features

Thermo Scientific Perception Automated Particle Analysis Software provides a fully integrated, automated, and user-friendly solution for particle analysis on an SEM. Perception Software offers:   

 

  • Automated analysis of particles and inclusions, reducing the need for manual intervention and saving time for SEM users. Running unattended overnight, it collects imaging and EDS data of particles.  
  • An interface that is intuitive to navigate and operate, even without extensive technical expertise, promoting ease of use and efficient operation. 
  • Seamless integration with Thermo Scientific SEMs, ensuring compatibility, streamlining the workflow, and providing one point of contact for support. 
  • Data collection and customized application-specific reporting that allows for easy interpretation and extraction of meaningful insights tailored to specific industry needs.  

 

Easily perform comprehensive particle analysis

  • See morphology and composition; get image, sizing, and chemistry information for individual particles 
  • Easily set up and run SEM imaging 
  • Collect data overnight without user intervention 
  • Quickly and accurately identify and classify particles for a variety of applications 

Streamline your work with seamlessly integrated hardware and software

  • Start collecting data without extensive technical expertise 
  • Easily operate the system through the intuitive user interface 
  • Build custom analysis recipes 
  • Trust your work to software built on more than 30 years of experience 

Automatically create application-specific reports

  • Turn data into answers with application-specific reporting  
  • Create custom templates for ternary diagrams, MCR, electrical conductivity, hardness, and more 
  • Make complex data easy to understand for internal and external stakeholders 
  • Review individual inclusions or particles 

Particle Analysis Learning Center

Automated particle analysis

From automotive parts and steel manufacturing to quality control and the complete GSR workflow, Perception Software offers a highly integrated solution for automated particle analysis with EDS. It simultaneously offers high standardization for battery, steel, automotive, and cleanliness workflows and enough flexibility to finetune to your exact processes and requirements. The software is also compliant with many international standards, including GSR norms, and offers integrated reporting for court cases and many routine applications. The software can easily be adapted to comply with local regulations, analysis standards, or specific ammunition types. 


Perception Particle Analysis Software applications

Technical cleanliness

To tell if a product has been properly cleaned, you can use Perception Software to analyze and identify the particles that are released when washing. The amount and type of particles found can be matched to the set cleanliness specifications. If no harmful particles are found, the product is clean!

Steel inclusion analysis

To tell if your steel meets specifications, use Perception Software to automatically find and analyze inclusions in a cross section of a steel sample. The data is displayed in ternary diagrams to help you visually see the quality of the steel.

Battery contamination

When looking for small amounts of contamination, Perception Software can analyze tens of thousands of particles per sample. This provides a significant statistical basis for finding contamination.

Additive manufacturing

When examining print powder, Perception Software can find and identify debris, spherical or elongated particles, and particles with satellites to prove the quality of the powder.

Gunshot residue analysis

To confirm if a suspect recently handled a firearm, Perception Software can analyze thousands of particles to find a few characteristic gunshot residue particles. 


Related product

Thermo Scientific Axia ChemiSEM Scanning Electron Microscope

The Axia ChemiSEM System uses unique algorithms to process SEM and EDS signals simultaneously, allowing it to display the morphology and quantitative elemental make up of a sample together in real time.

Resources

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Particle analysis software application notes and eBooks

App note: Automated analysis of powder quality and defects

Learn how Perception Software can help you uncover particle size and defect distributions in metal powders used for additive manufacturing.

App note: Automated SEM-EDS analysis and phase mapping

Learn how Perception Software enables automated SEM-EDS analysis and phase mapping of complex-sulfide-nitride inclusions in steel.

App note: Automated impurity analysis for lithium-ion batteries with Perception Software

Learn how Perception Software and scanning electron microscopy can be used to automate analysis of impurity particles during manufacturing.
 

App note: Electon microscopy in technical cleanliness analysis

Learn how Perception Software combines energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy to automatically generate technical cleanliness reports in compliance with ISO 16232 and VDA 19.1 standards.

Automated SEM-EDS enhances surface cleanliness management in cleanroom manufacturing

Discover how Perception Software provides automated image acquisition and processing of SEM-EDS data for continuous monitoring of surface cleanliness in cleanroom manufacturing.

eBook: Quality control: Turn data into answers

Learn how Perception Software can support your work with standardized, recipe-based workflows that streamline data analysis.
 

Datasheets

Perception Software: Automated particle analysis

Learn how Perception Software delivers advanced SEM-EDS particle analysis, classification, and reporting for a range of applications.

Particle analysis software webinars

Steel webinar

In this webinar, we provide an overview of Thermo Scientific Perception Software and discuss how it automates SEM analysis of non-metallic inclusions in steel, enabling faster and more reliable data collection.

TC webinar

In this webinar, we’ discuss how Thermo Scientific Perception Software can help you detect and characterize contaminants to improve overall product quality. 

Battery webinar

In this webinar, we discuss how automated particle analysis can help manufacturers obtain fast, reliable, and reproducible data about battery quality. Watch on demand to learn how particle analysis can help improve battery quality and to see a demonstration of Thermo Scientific Perception Software’s flexible reporting tools.

Perception Software webinar: Introduction to automated particle analysis

This webinar introduces our all-in-one software package that can turn your scanning electron microscope (SEM) of choice into a dedicated solution for your particle analysis needs. In this webinar, we cover Perception Software’s most common applications, including everything from enhancing product quality to helping solve crimes.

Perception Software demonstration webinar

In this webinar, we demonstrate how Thermo Scientific Perception Software on the Thermo Scientific Axia ChemiSEM Scanning Electron Microscope can be used to automatically acquire morphological and compositional data on particles, powders, and inclusions. Watch on demand to learn the basics of the software and how it can support quality control in technical cleanliness, battery analyses, steel inclusion analysis, and additive manufacturing powder analysis.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.