ZEISS EVO Solutions for Metals and Alloys

ZEISS EVO Solutions for Metals and Alloys

The world is built with steel and metals, vital for construction, infrastructure, transportation and communication. Our understanding of metals depends on the characterization and measurement of the smallest grains, inclusions and features. Combining powerful scanning electron microscopy with analytical solutions and dedicated software creates excellent images. Moreover, it extracts true knowledge to research advanced alloys and cleaner processes that meet the twenty-first century's construction, mobility and connectivity needs.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is now an essential tool for researchers and routine analysts. However, choosing the correct configuration and capability and training users of all skill and experience levels has always been difficult. Multiple-use instruments require flexibility, analytical capability, excellent productivity, reliability and stability. Finding the region of interest has to be fast, and the images you can create must be exceptional to understand the smallest features which make a considerable difference to metals' performance.

ZEISS EVO is the metals industries' stable, intuitive, uncompromising SEM for research and routine applications. It is easy to buy, easy to train and easy to use. In addition, we have created "Solution Bundles" for metals and alloy applications designed for customer workflows. They combine our comprehensive ZEN software ecosystem with its suite of automation and image analysis tools for easy productivity and insight. The benefit to our customers is a powerful, productive and easy SEM solution designed specifically for all your imaging and analysis needs.

Available webinar

In this webinar, we will outline the power of the ZEN ecosystem showing how its multi-scale and multi-modal analysis capabilities are used in the research and routine characterization workflows for metals and alloys.

ZEN Connect Solution Bundle

Connect multiple perspectives of your samples across different imaging techniques and modalities

To fully understand your metal and alloy samples, you will need to combine multiple microscopy technologies or SEM modalities. Often, this includes time-consuming workflows to locate regions of interest for further imaging and analysis.

The ZEN Connect Solution Bundle allows you to connect multiple perspectives of your sample across scales and imaging modalities. In addition, it enables you to bring all imaging technologies together – ZEISS or not – to answer your research questions.

The advantages of ZEN Connect in multi-scale and multi-modal characterization workflows for metal and alloys

Easy navigation through the acquisition of low-magnification overview images

  • Image your sample with any low magnification system and use it to navigate to your regions of interest (ROIs).
  • Understand your sample through images in context as you zoom in and out of datasets in the correlative workspace.

Overlay and align all your images to produce a contextual sample understanding

  • Load or import any image data.
  • Benefit from connecting complex multi-scale and multi-model data with simple overview data.

Manage your imaging project with Smart Data Management databases

  • All data is saved in a project-based database for intuitive analysis.
  • Search metadata to find images and their connected database.

Application in Focus – Steel

  • In steel quality and control, the control of inclusion size, morphology and distribution is essential for optimum mechanical properties. Manganese sulphide inclusions cause anisotropy of steel, thus weakening its hardness.
  • In this case, the steel had undergone calcium treatment to form calcium sulphide, which is much harder than manganese sulphide. Thus, the inclusions remain globular and maintain the isotropy of the steel.
  • First, a large-scale image of the entire specimen from a light microscope is created. The light microscope data allows for large surface areas to be scanned and inclusions identified on their length and width.
  • Next, the light microscope overview image is connected to the electron microscope images using ZEN Connect. This enables easy navigation to specific inclusions for high-resolution imaging.
  • For systems with EDS, EDS maps can be overlaid in context for the chemical composition of inclusions.
  • ZEN Connect enables scientists to analyze their data in a wider context connecting the large field of view images with the best possible resolution images to understand the inclusion formation.

Easy navigation with scientific context

  • Easy navigation with scientific context

Easy navigation

in four steps

Step 1

Use your favourite low-magnification system to acquire large fields of view.

Step 2

ZEN Connect organizes your images in a well-defined project.

Step 3

Align your high-resolution system to the overview image.

Step 4

Use the overview image to navigate and observe your high-resolution data in context.

ZEN Connect Correlation Solution Bundle

Increasing productivity and ease of use through correlative light and electron microscopy workflows

Once you have identified one region or location of interest using light microscopy, the natural workflow is to move the samples to the SEM to perform higher-resolution imaging or chemical analysis. It remains challenging to relocate this specific region of interest once the sample has been transferred from the light microscope to SEM.

The ZEN Connect Correlative Solution Bundle allows you to locate these regions of interest directly. This correlative workflow enables the correlation of stage coordinates to provide a fast and efficient workflow to locate features between instruments.

The advantages of the ZEN Connect Correlation Bundle in improving workflow productivity and ease of use between multiple microscopes

Fast calibration for easy navigation

  • Instead of wasting valuable time relocating regions of interest from microscope to microscope, you can now calibrate and navigate swiftly with only a few mouse clicks.

Correlative samples holder for precise relocations

  • Semi-automatic 3-point calibration of reference markers allows for precise relocation to regions or features of interest.
  • Create correlative data overlays to improve sample understanding and reporting.

Application in Focus – Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI)

  • Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) is a family of iron-based materials, which among different processes, can be obtained by heat treatment (so-called austempering) of nodular cast iron.
  • Optimizing the austempering process is important as the wear resistance increases through hard precipitates, whereas the toughness decreases.
  • Scientists typically use both light and electron microscopes for the micro- and nanoscopic analysis of the structure and precipitation.
  • Correlative microscopy allowed a systematic investigation in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) after being examined in the light microscope for a precise relocation of the (hard) precipitates.
  • For systems with EDS, EDS maps can be overlaid in context for the chemical composition of precipitates.
  • ZEN connect 2D add-on facilitates the exact relocation of the region of interest to avoid time-consuming searches.

Automatic calibration of correlative specimen holder, followed by image acquisition and marking of the region of interest using a motorized light microscope.

Loading the correlative specimen holder into the electron microscope for automatic calibration.

Automatic relocation of the region of interest, followed by high-resolution BSE image acquisition & EDS analysis. Finally, overlay over a large field of view light microscope image.

ZEN Analyzer & Image Analysis Solution Bundle

Automated, high-throughput and repeatable image segmentation and analysis offline

Producing images is only part of the workflow to characterise metal and alloy samples. The imaging of microscopic features is critical in understanding their fundamental properties, such as mechanical properties and corrosion resistance.

The ZEN Analyzer & Imager Analysis Bundle allows you to generate automatic measurements. Pre-defined measurement parameters and workflows enable fast and simple analysis using the offline analysis mode.

Advantages of the ZEN Analyzer and Image Analysis Solution Bundle to improve automation and repeatability of image segmentation and analysis workflows

Benefit from automated and repeatable workflows

  • Using the measurement program wizard, you can tackle complex measurement tasks in just a few minutes.
  • Once created, the programs are always available, and you can use them to analyze unlimited images.

Take advantage of the full flexibility to define and control the measurement process

  • Retain full control over the measurement process and adjust the settings to your needs.

Automated report generation for improved productivity

  • Use ZEN core´s powerful reporting functionality to create reports in MS Word or PDF format.
  • Fully automate the reporting process with ZEN core’s Job Mode.

Application area in focus – Dissimilar Weld

  • Joining two (or more) dissimilar materials, Nickel alloy and low alloy steel, is usually more difficult than joining separate pieces of the same material or joining alloys with only minor compositional differences.
  • Dilution can occur during welding, with subsequent formation of regions with different compositions from the parent material(s) and the weld metal. These dilutions may lead to inferior local corrosion resistance or altered mechanical properties.
  • Image analysis allows the rapid quantification & statistical analysis of the precipitates concentrated along grain boundaries. This fast and repeatable quantification of results helps increase weld analysis's efficiency.
  • When coupled with EDS mapping, the chemical composition of the precipitates can then be known.

Automatic segmentation of the brighter phase corresponding to grain boundaries precipitates.

Automatic generation of reports and statistical analysis.

EDS mapping of grain boundaries precipitates.

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Connect with a ZEISS Expert

In this webinar, we will outline the power of the ZEN ecosystem showing how its multi-scale and multi-modal analysis capabilities are used in the research and routine characterization workflows for metals and alloys.

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