For the past several years the Boeing Aerospace Company has been implementing advanced nondestructive chemical analysis methods to improve product reliability and reduce material inspection costs. Previous testing of incoming material for conformance to vendor test reports or of production materials for verification of alloy composition, had consisted of either time-consuming destructive testing or nondestructive chemical spot testing, which often was insensitive to differences between alloys of similar chemical properties. Beginning in 1974, development of EDXRF techniques was initiated to provide a rapid nondestructive analysis capability for both laboratory and factory use. For materials containing elements easily excited by EDXRF methods, costly destructive sampling and testing can be avoided. Generally, chips, wire, barstock, sheet or plate can be analyzed using an annular radioactive source. The uniformity of the X-ray flux diminishes sample geometry and surface roughness effects.