West Analytical Services maintains a Materials Testing Lab in Maumee, Ohio, with an emphasis on glass and glass raw material testing. In this lab, glass composition has been determined using Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence since the 1960s. Most raw material analysis has been performed using classic wet chemical and spectroscopic techniques. In order to better respond to customer timelines, the labs are now performing analysis of selected elements in sand, feldspar, dolomite and limestone with WDXRF following fusion of the samples with lithium tetraborate. The approach is to use those X-ray results where reliability can be established and to use other techniques where detection limits or other factors limit the precision or accuracy.
