Automated X-ray sorting machine for round quartz blanks

An X-ray machine which allows the sorting of quartz blanks at the beginning of the manufacturing process is presented. The cycle time is about 5 s, with an X-ray exposure time of 2 s. The standard deviation of this instrument is about 6" of arc. Blanks can be sorted into 25 boxes, each of typically 15" of arc. The range of the cutting angle is about +or-5 degrees around the AT-cut. A PC-AT 386-25 computer controls measurements. Movements are controlled by a CNC (computer numerical control) device. Sophisticated statistical programs allow a permanent observation of the sorting process.<>