Innovating for Our Changing World

In the technology world, if you’re not innovating, you’re falling behind. While other scientific technology companies continue to sell the same instruments they developed 10-20 years ago, SciAps invests in innovation with a strong Research and Development team. We stay on top of the new developments in every industry, discovering their pain points, and figuring out how we can solve those problems. Without that investment, we never would have developed the portable and handheld analyzer technology we have today. From the first handheld, laser-based (LIBS) analyzer in 2013 to the first portable benchtop XRF with a 80 kV X-ray tube in 2024, SciAps innovates based on industry needs.
What does it look like to innovate?
Being the first and then constantly improving the technology for our changing world.
- 2013: the first handheld, laser-based (LIBS) analyzer for material ID without X-ray.
- 2015: the first SciAps XRF, lighter, faster, more precise for scrap sorting.
- 2016: the first carbon analyzer, the Z-200 LIBS for NDT/PMI and the Z-300 for geochemisty applications.
- 2020: the next generation of XRF analyzers, the X-500 series for improved performance in scrap, NDT, and geochemistry applications.
- 2021: the next generation LIBS, the Z-900 series, perfect for the new EV and Strategic Metals applications.
- 2022: the first non-isotope handheld XRF lead paint analyzer, making lead paint analysis safer for inspectors and families.
- 2022: the first XRF handheld analyzer with a 55 kV tube for heavy and light REEs.
- 2023: the first portable lithium brines analyzer for exploration and mining to lessen environmental impact.
- 2024: the first portable benchtop XRF with a 80 kV X-ray tube for REEs for at site analysis.
- 2024: the first economical air-burn LIBS for quick material ID without X-ray for those areas with difficult X-ray rules and regulations.
- 2024: the first XRF detector protector that will eliminate punctures, saving scrap metal recyclers thousands of dollars a year in service costs.

Over the past ten years, SciAps has had customer needs in mind. Creating the best analyzers on the market is just the beginning. We pride ourselves in top-notch Customer Service and really listen to our customers needs, whether it’s a whole new material-identification tool, like the economical and X-ray free (which also means no regulations) air burn Z-70 LIBS, or a tweak to an analyzer, like the Detector Protector Technology (DPT) developed specifically for XRF analyzers used in the recycled metals industry.
SciAps, Inc. continues to innovate by developing
- the first XRF analyzer that can perform multi-element soils analysis, multi-element RoHS analysis on consumer products, and has published HUD PCS sheets at 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0mg/cm2 action levels for lead paint analysis, the X-550 Enviro/HUD.
- the first portable test station for lithium brines analysis, the Z-9 Liquidator, with a detachable handheld LIBS unit for in-field rock and ore analysis.
- the first XRF with an integrated fan, the X-550 Geochem, for demanding exploration climates that require high duty cycle operations.
- the first handheld XRF with the most advanced X-ray technology available, the X-555, led by a 55 kV X-ray tube and the largest silicon drift detector (SDD) available.
We continue growing and investing and now have global partners in two of the fastest growing markets: recycling and mining. We know that electronics and electric vehicles are crucial consumer goods for the 21st Century. The world will need to mine for rare earth elements and recycle those goods for the very same elements. That’s why our XRF and LIBS analyzers can help mine for REEs and recycle metals and identify REEs in Black Mass.
The good news is more and more companies are growing and improving their views on these global needs, especially when they invest in the young professionals entering or already making their mark in these industries. They know about the increase in demands and issues with mining and recycling and know the tools they need to get the job done.
That’s why SciAps is a proud supporter of ReMA’s Best Young and Brightest program and others like it. The next generation of young executives will be faced with solving these global issues, and we want to be part of the conversation. Our technology plays a vital role in every industry, and we look for opportunities to work with the innovators of today and tomorrow to develop more sustainable practices for the health of our environment.
In 2013, Don Sackett and Dave Day started SciAps, knowing they could not innovate in the bigger companies. They were the founders and employees at Niton and InnovX (aka Thermo Fisher Scientific and Evident), making them the best young and brightest of their generation. They were part of the team who developed the world’s first handheld XRF in the mid-1990s, and then right after 9/11, developed the world’s first XRF gun with an X-ray tube instead of a radioactive source. And they are part of the team ushering in these new innovations for a sustainable future.
Contact us for a demo of the analyzers we created for your specific needs.
