Positive Material Identification (PMI)

Positive Material Identification (PMI) is the analysis of metals and metallic alloys before, during and after manufacturing to establish composition by reading the quantities by percentage of its constituent elements.

PMI tools reveal the chemical composition of a metal or alloy. This allows accurate, on-the-spot identification of the material, before expensive mistakes occur. PMI is helpful at every link in the chain of custody. It ensures that the correct specified material reaches its intended destination and application. It's an important step in building critical process components, quality control of pipes, valves, and reaction vessels, and identifying light elements as well as trace and tramp elements.
Typical methods for PMI include:
» X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)
» Optical Emission Epectrometry (OES).