Our Process
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1. Receive, Log, and Track
When the containers arrive at our facility, we log the customer’s shipment which includes creating a customer profile and noting exact weights.
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2. Sort
The customer’s lot goes into the sorting room where metals are sorted according to their type (implants, dental, medical).
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3. Mix
Copper and flux are added to precious metals prior to smelting. Copper is instrumental in helping all metals to alloy with each other, which assures the best possible homogenization.
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4. Smelt
Depending on weight and metal type, our experts select the appropriately sized furnace. The mixture is smelted (liquefied by heat) into a homogenous bar.
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5. Sample
During the smelting, we take a “pin” sample of the liquid metal to create four specimens that are representative of the whole bar: one each for the lab, an umpire (if ever needed), a reserve, and one for the customer. The assay is necessary to determine the exact composition of the bar.
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6. Pour
The molten metal is poured into an appropriately sized mold for cooling and hardening.
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7. Assay
Using one of the samples, an assay is performed to determine the precise metal composition of the bar. We have the ability to perform a quick X-ray fluorescence analysis in the presence of our customers for immediate results. These results can be used to calculate reimbursement while the client waits. The quick assay is in close range of the final assay which is performed in our in-house lab.
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8. Reimbursement
We then take the percentages of metal determined by the assay and multiply them by the weight of the bar to determine the exact amount of each metal. We reimburse customers based on the publicly published market prices for each metal.
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9. Separate
The homogenous bars will then go through a chemical separation process in order to individualize each metal to a fineness of 99.99+% purity.
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10. Trade and Repurpose
The recovered metallics are then marketed to end-user fabricators who make products for a number of industries including jewelry, dental, aerospace, nanotechnology, and medical.