Latest Innovations in Optical Emission Spectroscopy with LECO GDS 900/950

The webinar “Latest Innovations in Optical Emission Spectroscopy with LECO GDS 900/950” introduces the fundamentals and recent advances of Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) using glow discharge excitation, a powerful technique for the elemental analysis of solid metallic materials. Following the successful market introduction, LECO will present an overview of the latest technological innovations and performance enhancements of this GDS platform.

The webinar will briefly revisit the basic working principles of Glow Discharge Spectroscopy, explaining how controlled sputtering combined with optical emission detection enables precise elemental analysis. Emphasis will be placed on the strengths of GDS in bulk analysis as well as composition depth profiling (CDP), demonstrating how both surface-near and bulk material information can be obtained with high accuracy and reproducibility.

A series of application examples will be shown to highlight the analytical advantages of the GDS 900/950 series. Grey cast iron, for example, can be analyzed directly without melting or the formation of chilled cast iron, making the results independent of the metallurgical history of the sample. The method is free of memory effects, allowing rapid matrix changes from sample to sample with minimal changeover effort.

Further benefits discussed include the very low argon consumption, the low consumption of CRM and SUS materials. No special sample preparation is required, as existing preparation methods are fully compatible with the GDS 900 series.

Finally, the webinar will address calibration concepts, highlighting the use of linear calibration curves that provide wide analytical ranges with limited interferences. Stable calibrations with reduced drift behavior minimize the need for frequent recalibration, beyond routine quality control checks, ensuring long-term reliability and efficiency in routine laboratory operation.