Frequently Asked Question$

Q: I have such and such samples to analyze. Can your equipment work with them?

A: The answer is YES. We have all possible combinations of equipments with TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES. This way we could provide with analytical lab equipment that most fit for the application.

Q: Why would I choose your equipment and not other brands?

A: We match and in most of cases outperform our competitors equipment for the same class of equipment. In most of cases it is smaller in sizes.

We are competetive with price.

Q: Why would I use LuminaTek services and not other's?

A: It is rather simple. We are flexible. Our pricing is more then reasonable and we do not have overhead cost. We can even drive to your location and do the sample analysis in our lab.

Q: How costly is your service?

A: We guarantee you- our pricelist will be 50% less expensive then any other similar services. We are charging only for our job and not for talking. If you dissatisfy with our service - we won't charge you anything.

Q: Is the word X-ray in the XRF means that your machine is dangerous?

A: Not at all! It is all certified. Our equipment is using very small x-ray tube inside and even in NON shielded condition it will provide almost the same

amount of X-ray as your old color TV. But even with such small power and short on time (usually less then a minute) we are still very serious about shielding it.

It is carefully designed and very heavy shielded to protect from any leakage of X-ray radiation during operation. It was sold in many countries including US and very safe to use.

Q: I'm sorry, but could you explain in a very dummy terms what is that XRF is and how does it works?

A: Let's say you have two bricks- Gold and Silver. How can you distinct one from another instantly? The color is giving them away.

Gold is yellow and silver is metallic-white. Imagine we will shine a light on both bricks and instead of looking with the naked eye we will use more precise instrument and computer in order to determine their colors. That's exactly what's happening inside of our machine. Sample is irradiated with a small beam of X-ray and detector is picking up the reflection from it. The rest of the process is a black magic done by electronics. The outcome is interpreted by a

program which tells you what wave lengths/energies did detector sees and how high the picks were. After that the same program automatically tells you what element were there and concentration levels. Every element in the chemical table has it's own signature (picks). It is like a fingerprint: every person will have it's own unique set. Same with elements- they will have their own unique set of characteristic picks.

Q: How expensive is your equipment? Can I buy it or do I have to be associated with Rochild?

A: It is not expensive. Some of the equipment is close to price of a cheap spectrum analyzer. 

We are not here to sell you a vacuum cleaner for $7000. Please let us quote you and you will be the judge of our price. An avarage cometetor will charge you with 50000 to 60000USD. We are closer to 34000USD for the same class of machine.

Q: What if I don't want to invest in to equipment but I need to analyze my samples on the regular basis?

A: As we mentioned before, we are very flexible and will find the right solution for you. In that particular case we would probably recommend you our long term contract or a loaner. Also we could place one of our staff work on a contract basis with you.

Q: What is so unique about that Elva-X spectrometer?

A: It is meant to be a truly "exploration" spectrometer. Because the sample chamber is so large you could place any large objects (including bricks, rocks, knifes, metal pipes etc.) right in it without destroying it or doing a sample preparation. It doesn't require a vacuum and therefore your sample wouldn't be exposed to the negative pressure and there is no waiting time to pumping the air. It has a very unique analog processor which allow the usage of Elva-X for many tasks in just "out of the box" condition. Usually when you buy a spectrometer it is meant to be for the specific task and if it is designed for an organic samples it won't perform well with alloys. Elva-X can do all of them at the same time. The only thing you would change is the calibration parameters. That means that your lab doesn't have to be uniquely specialized or have numerous equipment for different sample.

Q: What is the limitation of Elva-X spectrometer?

A: The main one is Z=11. That means we could only see anything above Sodium (Na). The rest of usage is up to your imagination and skills.

Q: Can you see the traces of drugs?

A: Generally no. Simply because most of drugs are an organic matter. But we could see all inorganic materials and sense the presence if them in organic matter.

Some drugs has specific chemicals used for manufacturing and we could trace some of the key components. For example  iodine products used by methamphetamine laboratory operators. We could easily trace even small amounts of iodine in samples.