cl Thin Section Australia - Petrographic Sample Preparation
We specialise in quality geographic, petrographic, mineral sample preparation
Call Us Today Landline: +61 404 044 991
44 Joseph Avenue, Moggill, Queensland AUSTRALIA, 4070 (Office only)
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  • Fast Turnaround Time Guaranteed Quality

    All jobs are scheduled for completion to the highest quality within 10 working days.
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  • Bulk Order Discounts

    You will automatically be given a bulk rate discount if you Estimate/Order 100 samples at once.
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  • Easy Online Price Calculator and Ordering

    Get Instant Pricing with the Job Estimator – No Obligations.
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Your time is precious, so Thin Section Australia combines the latest automated equipment, web-based pricing/ordering and reliable service to deliver high quality petrographic, geographic and mineral sample preparation every time.

Price Calculator

Quickly estimate the cost of a single slide or multiple batches in a single order. Save your results for later or go on to order.

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Price Calculator

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Easily label individual samples with your catalogue codes, get a job estimate and if you’re happy, simply click to order.

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Its Easy & Quick

Thin Section Preparation for
in-house Experts and Consultants

We prepare thin sections and blocks for analysis with a polarising microscope, SEM (scanning electron microscope), microprobe, XRD (x-ray diffraction), XRF (x-ray fluorescence) and MLA or QEMSCAN. Producing thin sections is a time consuming process and requires specialized equipment and lots of practice to get it right. We regularly work with:
  • (1) Consulting geologists, petrologists, mineralogists, geoscientists and paleontologists

  • (2) University - Researchers, Lecturers and Students

  • (3) Mining exploration and quality control management

  • (4) Oil and Gas exploration and quality control management.

  • (5) Construction materials and geotechnical testing.

Client’s Reviews

The materials I trust to Scott and his team are common but expensive: samples are drawn from remote locations around the world, and time is committed to documenting their geological context and getting them through the rigours of international travel. I have every confidence in Scott's team getting me what I need to keep my research going.

Geoff Clarke

Professor Geoff Clarke
Scott and his team provide a quality service with extremely rapid turn-around and can deal effectively with all sorts of specimens from fresh quartzite through to weak, highly weathered mudstones. Many forms of impregnation and staining are available for very reasonable prices and the quality of the thin section has always been high. Thin Section Australia take pride in their product and customer service and are a pleasure to work with.

Trudie Bradbury

Senior Geologist
Scott and the team have always been tremendously friendly and helpful and have maintained great communication and regular updates. The turn-around time of samples is fantastic, quality is taken seriously and the range of thin-section sizes are particularly attractive.

Milo Barham

Lecturer of Applied Geology
Quality thin-sections, excellent turn-around times and faultless professionalism. Thin Section Australia happily made the effort to meet our very specific thin-section requirements.

Reservoir Solutions Pty Ltd

Reservoir Solutions Pty Ltd

Time is money, so what are
your thin section/block preparation options ?

  • Build your own sample preparation laboratory and hire a technician/lab manager. It must be kept running to cover high fixed costs. (Expensive and creates more work for you)
  • Send to the same old guy you’ve used in the past. He’s grumpy, provides poor service and still does lapping by hand. He used to be OK, but he takes forever to do a dozen polished thin sections. (Slow, unreliable and causes friction with your boss or clients)
  • Outsource overseas for a low base price, but by the time you factor in your freight costs, lost production (usually 6 weeks), express service fees, and then cross your fingers and hope there’s not a problem with the samples. (Slow and risky)
  • Outsource locally to a company with new automated equipment. Fast turn-around (usually done in less than 10 working days excluding freight time), instant job pricing online and guaranteed quality. Personal service where, if the customer is not 100% happy with a thin section, the laboratory will gladly do it again. (Risk management, fast service, quality control, easy)

Job Estimation | Order Process

The price estimation and ordering process can start by simply clicking on the Job Estimation or Order Now buttons on the home page.

After you register your account, you will take a step by step through the process of deciding what prepartion options you want (eg: slide size, polishing). At the same time, it will ask you to sort your samples into groups that require the same preparation because different preparation will decide a different price. It will give you a price per sample, per group and a total.Below are few examples of the information you will be asked to produce the result you want

Below are few examples of the information you will be asked to produce the result you want.

Blocks or Slides

Example sizes:
  • 28mm x 48mm,
  • 26mm x 76mm,
  • or even 51mm x 76mm

Polishing

Do you want your thins section polished or with ground cover slips ?

Thickness

What thickness do you want the sample materials, eg: 30 microns

Staining

Do you want your thin
section stained ?
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Production Process

The production process usually starts as a drill core, rock, clay or mineral sample.
view details
Thin sections are rectangular glass slides of various sizes with slivers of sample material glued on top. The material has a ground or polished surface that is so thin light or x-rays can be beamed through the glass and material sandwich to reveal information such as mineral type, quality and grain counts.
view details
Blocks are solid cylinders of solid material or loose particles embedded in epoxy with the top end ground or polished so the surface can analyzed.
view details

Watch this video for a quick overview of how to obtain an online Estimate and create an Order

Our technicians are highly experienced and based in Brisbane. We use the latest automated material preparation equipment to deliver a consistently high quality product. Our ever increasing knowledge base and constantly revised processes deliver fast turn-around times.

We are prepared to put our money where our mouth is. Ask us about our new customer trial offer to test our quality and fast turn-around on thin sections for petrology, geology, mineralogy, paleontology, geoscience or construction professionals.

Thin Section Australia started in 2013 following many requests from friends, who were tired of waiting up to six weeks to receive orders for important polished thin section samples.

Click on the video in the window to view the process
About Company

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Important: Orders submitted using email forms require a significant increase in labour to process,
so a loading charge of 10% will be automatically applied to the invoiced amount.