FT230 | Coating Measurement | XRF Machine

Are you in a long-term relationship with your XRF supplier but looking for something new? Maybe you’ve never owned a Hitachi XRF coatings analyzer, maybe it’s been a while since you’ve seen what our analyzers are capable of.

The FT230 coatings analyzer is the perfect reason to peak over the fence and see what you’re missing out on.

Make the switch to FT230 XRF coatings analyzer to increase your cash velocity

Time is money, get results faster

The time it takes to grab a part, set it up in the XRF and act on the results has a major impact on your production efficiency and material costs. The longer it takes, the more material is being plated – if that material is out of spec, it needs to be scrapped for a total loss. If the material is in spec, maybe you’re laying down more coating and using more chemicals than necessary.

The FT230 is designed to shorten that time so you can make quicker decisions. Here’s how and the results you can expect:

Wide-view camera – the first step in an XRF measurement is finding your measurement location. While the standard camera found in any XRF analyzer is great for fine-tuning, it can sometimes be difficult to navigate a large part to find individual features. The wide-view camera shows the operator the entire measurable area and allows the operator to click on the right features (assisted by powerful zoom), which brings the feature to the crosshairs.

This can save 20% of your setup time.
Automated focusing – once the location is set, the operator needs to focus the part. With traditional instruments this is done by focus laser or video focus. The FT230 can use a focus laser, but also offers two automated focusing features to speed up and simplify this step. Auto approach measures the distance from the X-ray tube to the part and automatically drives the tube to the predefined working distance.

Auto approach can be 33% faster than a focus laser.

Auto focus, sometimes called distance independent measurement, also measures the distance from the X-ray tube to the part, but instead of moving the tube, it keeps the tube at the same height and uses that distance to correct for the new geometry.

Auto focus allows you to load parts of different heights or measure parts that are recessed or stepped, and can be 62% faster than using a focus laser.
Find My Part^TM – for the ultimate in simplicity, teach the instrument how to handle a part once. From that point forward, the operator simply places a part into the instrument, runs Find My Part^TM and using machine vision, the FT230 recognized the part and loads the entire analysis routine – measurement locations, calibrations, collimator sizes, working distance, measurement time and what to do with the results.

Find My Part^TM can be 72% faster – or quicker – than a traditional setup.

Measurement routines can also be loaded by using name lookup and scanning a QR or barcode.

Easy, powerful software

When using their XRF coatings instrument, operators spend nearly all their time in the measurement screen. With the all-new FT Connect software on the FT230, we’ve put the operator first to make analysis easier.

New, smart software – the software platforms in use today are generally based on design requirements, limitations, and user preferences from decades ago. While they include many valuable features, it can be difficult to train new operators since interfaces have changed a lot since these tools were first developed.

The software on your phone, tablet, computer, TV, car and even your toaster oven have adapted in the last twenty years. With FT Connect on the FT230, the software for your XRF coatings analyzer can once again hold its head up high.

The user comes first – FT Connect completely inverts the user interface from previous software platforms. Instead of having a small view of the part surrounded by buttons, controls and settings, the FT Connect measure screen focuses on the two most important things an operator needs to do: set up a measurement and act on the results.

FT Connect features the largest sample view display on the market, occupying 60% of the screen, and has incredibly flexible lighting controls. The user can adjust dozens of LEDs either as rings, wedge segments or individually to ensure the best view possible. You can use the factory pre-set suggestions or create new customized lighting setups to simplify future measurements.

Results are displayed clearly next to the camera view with tools for evaluating trends and statistics, creating reports or exporting results and looking at historical results. Each result card can be expanded to view additional details about previous measurements for quick interpretation.

The data handling capabilities are ready for Industry 4.0. Results can be exported in spreadsheet or comprehensive JSON format for integration with SCADA, QMS, MES or ERP systems.

Global support when you need it to keep you running

At Hitachi, we know our job doesn’t end once the FT230 has been installed. We will work with you throughout the lifetime of the instrument to make sure you’ve fully supported – whether you need additional training, technical support, routine maintenance including preventive maintenance and certification or repairs.

Expert support, globally – our offices in the US, UK, Germany, India, China, and Japan provide top-level technical support and applications development capabilities. Complementing our offices is our global team of factory-trained partners, who are equally committed to your satisfaction.
Remote diagnostics – the FT230 has several layers of diagnostics to ensure your XRF is performing as expected. It comes with an instrument health check, has a daily check feature to verify your calibrations before you measure production parts and comprehensive instrument diagnostics.

Selected diagnostics data can be shared directly and automatically with our expert support team using ExTOPE Connect, cloud-based data management and storage solution. This is the fastest way to get the data to our engineers so they can review your instrument and work to pinpoint the exact problem area before going on-site. This helps to ensure that the right parts are available to the engineer and getting you running as quickly as possible.

The FT230 is just one of our solutions for the coatings industry. We offer a range of dedicated instruments: XRF coatings analyzers, handheld XRF for coatings and materials analysis, electromagnetic gauges for paint, anodizing and PCB copper thickness, instruments with expanded capabilities for solutions analysis and thermal analysis instruments for materials properties testing. Why not take another look at Hitachi and make the switch?

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