SciAps Analyzer Software Profile Builder
Custom XRF and LIBS calibrations, built around your materials.
Not every material, matrix, concentration range or testing environment fits a standard method. Profile Builder gives advanced users the tools to develop profiles around their own samples, reference materials and reporting requirements — alloys, ores, soils, brines, coatings, powders or proprietary industrial materials.
It runs on a PC or Windows tablet alongside the analyzer, and turns an X-Series handheld XRF or Z-Series handheld LIBS into a benchtop method-development platform.
Beyond the Standard Applications
A factory application is a compromise, and a reasonable one: it has to work for everybody testing that class of material. Your samples aren't everybody's. The elements change, concentration ranges shift, the matrix interferes — and the calibration that nails one material can miss the next one down the bench.
Profile Builder is SciAps software for building the profile that fits, on X-Series handheld XRF and Z-Series handheld LIBS alike. You aren't held to factory calibrations, or to a multivariate technique someone else chose for you.
Six Things a Custom Profile Puts in Your Hands
- 01
The element list
Report the elements the job needs — including ones no factory app covers.
- 02
The matrix
Match the calibration to the material you actually test, interferences and all.
- 03
The concentration range
Calibrate across the range your samples fall in, not the one the factory assumed.
- 04
The standards behind it
Build from certified reference materials and your own internal standards.
- 05
The sample type
Take on the awkward ones — brines, powders, coatings, proprietary compositions.
- 06
The measurement conditions
Set the parameters the application calls for, not the defaults it shipped with.
What Each Technique Gives You
The software is the same on an X and a Z, but each offers distinct capabilities for customizing methods and calibrations.
Handheld XRF
Pair it with the Empirical app to define your own beam conditions and element list, then build matrix-matched calibrations for proprietary or unusual materials. Opti-Cal applies empirical correction factors to an existing factory calibration in two steps instead of a spreadsheet round trip.
Handheld LIBS
Take full control of methods, parameters, and standards on the Z-Series — the freedom that makes LIBS the preferred technique for academic and research work. Build user-defined, matrix-matched methods where factory calibrations don't fit, as Z-903 users do for local geochemistry and Z-901 users do for brines.
Built Around Your Own Standards
A custom method is only as good as the data behind it, so development centers on samples whose answers you already know.
- 1
Gather your knowns
Certified reference materials, your own internal standards, laboratory-analyzed samples, a historical sample library — whatever you can put a known concentration against.
- 2
Measure them
See how the analyzer actually responds to your materials, under the conditions the application calls for rather than a default.
- 3
Build the profile
The Calibration Wizard walks through it step by step, matching the calibration to the matrix and analytical range you encounter.
- 4
Refine without re-shooting
Reprocess stored spectra through a new calibration and test many versions against data you already collected — no second trip to the bench.
The software ships loaded with common certified reference materials, and you can add as many of your own as you need.
When a Custom Profile Makes Sense
Profile Builder is for people who want deeper control over their methodology — XRF and LIBS specialists, laboratory and QA teams, universities, geologists, materials scientists, process engineers, and manufacturers working on proprietary materials. Any one of these is reason enough to build one.
| If this is true | What a custom profile does about it |
|---|---|
| Your samples have an unusual matrix | Calibrates on that matrix rather than correcting for it after the fact. |
| You need a specialized element range | Reports the elements the job needs, including ones no factory app covers. |
| Concentrations fall outside a standard curve | Builds the curve across the range your samples actually land in. |
| You routinely test a proprietary material | Makes the method as repeatable as the material is consistent. |
| You have a strong set of known standards | Puts them to work — they are the raw material of a good calibration. |
| You're developing a new analytical method | Starts from your own data instead of assumptions made for someone else. |
Where Profile Builder goes to work
Profile Builder FAQs
What is SciAps Profile Builder?
Profile Builder is desktop software that lets advanced users develop and customize application profiles for SciAps handheld XRF and LIBS analyzers, rather than relying entirely on factory-installed methods. It runs on a PC or Windows tablet connected to the analyzer.
Does Profile Builder work with LIBS as well as XRF?
Yes. Profile Builder supports method and calibration development on both X-Series handheld XRF and Z-Series handheld LIBS. On LIBS it gives full control over methods, parameters, and standards — you're not limited to factory calibrations or fixed multivariate techniques, which is why it's widely used in academic and research settings.
Can I create a custom calibration?
Yes. Profile Builder supports custom application and calibration development using known reference materials or samples with established concentrations. On XRF, Opti-Cal can also apply empirical correction factors to an existing factory calibration without building a new one from scratch.
Why would I need a custom calibration?
A custom calibration is useful when your sample matrix, element range, concentration range, or testing requirements don't align well with a standard factory application — for example tuning a model to local geochemistry, or working with a proprietary alloy or polymer.
Do I need XRF or LIBS experience to use it?
Profile Builder is intended primarily for advanced users who understand elemental analysis, calibration development, reference standards, sample matrices, and analytical validation. Used straight from the box it also works as a benchtop control and data tool without building anything custom.
Does Profile Builder work with every SciAps analyzer?
Compatibility depends on the analyzer model, configuration, and application. Contact SciAps to confirm compatibility with your instrument.
Can a handheld replace laboratory analysis?
Handheld XRF and LIBS are powerful screening and analytical tools, but whether either replaces lab testing depends on the application, required detection limits, accuracy requirements, sample preparation, and regulatory requirements. Custom methods should be properly validated before being used for critical analytical decisions.