Sample Preparation Lab

We have experience of producing prepared samples for mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical analyses from a wide range of materials including, rocks, minerals, fossils, concrete, ceramics, sands and soils.

The Sample Preparation Lab is able to offer the following activities:

1) Rock cutting, grinding and polishing of surfaces

2) Vacuum and pressure epoxy (clear or dyed) resin impregnation of friable material

3) Preparation of standard 30 µm thin sections and ultra-thin sections also with various sizes both covered and uncovered or orientated, polished (single or double) for optical and electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence and fluid inclusion analysis

4) Preparation of uncovered sections for staining of carbonate and non-carbonate phases

5) Mineral separation via magnetic and heavy liquid separation techniques

6) Homogeneous powder or pellet production for X-ray analytics and other geochemical analyses

Devices:

• Struers Discoplan TS abrasive cutter
• Buehler Isomet low speed saw
• Buehler Petrothin grinder, Struers DP-U2 grinder
• Struers DP-10 polisher
• Fritsch Pulverisette ball mill
• Retsch MM 200 mixer mill
• CitoVac high capacity vacuum impregner
• Frantz Isodynamic magnetic separator
• Fluxana Vulcan sample fusion system
• Sieve systems
• Centrifuges, ultrasonic cleaner, ultrapure water distillator for analyses