MiniFlex
Benchtop Powder X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Instrument
Qualitative and quantitative phase analysis of poly-crystalline materials
The MiniFlex benchtop X-ray diffractometer is a multipurpose powder diffraction analytical instrument that can determine: crystalline phase identification (phase ID) and quantification, percent (%) crystallinity, crystallite size and strain, lattice parameter refinement, Rietveld refinement, and molecular structure. It is widely used in research, especially in material science and chemistry, as well as in industry for research and quality control. It is the newest addition to the MiniFlex series of benchtop X-ray diffraction analyzers from Rigaku, which began with the introduction of the original MiniFlex XRD system decades ago.
MiniFlex Overview
X-ray powder diffraction with HPAD detector
MiniFlex XRD system delivers speed and sensitivity through innovative technology advances, including the HyPix-400 MF 2D hybrid pixel array detector (HPAD) together with an available 600 W X-ray source and new 8-position automatic sample changer.
Hybrid pixel array detector (HPAD)
This new direct photon counting detector enables high-speed, low-noise data collection and may be operated in 0D and 1D modes for conventional XRD analysis and 2D mode for samples with coarse grain size and/or preferred orientation.
XRD accessories enhance your MiniFlex
A variety of X-ray tube anodes—along with a range of sample rotation and positioning accessories, together with a variety of temperature attachments—are offered to ensure that the MiniFlex X-ray diffraction (XRD) system is versatile enough to perform challenging qualitative and quantitative analyses of a broad range of samples, whether performing research or routine quality control. The new (Gen 6) MiniFlex X-ray diffractometer system embodies the Rigaku philosophy of “Leading with Innovation” by offering the world’s most advanced benchtop system for powder diffractometry.
X-ray Seamless Pixel Array detector
The XSPA-200 ER is a compact multidimensional pixel detector for the MiniFlex. The most significant difference between the XSPA-200 ER and the conventional detector for MiniFlex is its high energy resolution. X-ray diffraction patterns measured by XSPA-200 ER have low background intensities because the detector discriminates fluorescent X-rays generated from the sample. The XSPA-200 ER enables the MiniFlex to obtain higher quality measurement data.
Advanced powder diffraction software
Each MiniFlex comes standard with the latest version of SmartLab Studio II, Rigaku's full-function powder diffraction analysis package. The latest version offers important new functionality; including a fundamental parameter method (FP) for more accurate peak calculation, phase identification using the Crystallography Open Database (COD), and a wizard for ab inito crystal structure analysis.
MiniFlex X-ray diffractometer history
The Rigaku MiniFlex X-ray diffractometer (XRD) is historically significant in that it was the first commercial benchtop (tabletop or desktop) X-ray diffractometry instrument. When introduced in 1973, the original Miniflex™ benchtop XRD was about one-tenth the size, and dramatically less expensive, than conventional X-ray diffraction (XRD) equipment of the period. The original instrument (Gen 1), and its successor that was introduced in 1976 (Gen 2), employed a horizontal goniometer with data output provided by an internal strip chart recorder. The third generation (Gen 3) benchtop diffractometer, introduced in 1995, was called Miniflex+. It provided a dramatic advance in X-ray power to 450 watts (by operating at 30kV and 15mA) and Windows® PC computer control. Both the Miniflex+ and the succeeding generations of bench diffractometers employ a vertical goniometer and allow the use of an automatic sample changer. The fourth generation (Gen 4) Miniflex II benchtop XRD was introduced in 2006 and offered the advance of a monochromatic X-ray source and a D/teX Ultra 1D silicon strip detector. The fifth generation (Gen 5) MiniFlex600 desktop XRD, introduced in 2012, built upon this legacy with 600W of available power and new powder diffraction software.
MiniFlex Features
MiniFlex Videos
MiniFlex Specifications
| Technique | X-ray diffraction (XRD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit | Phase analysis of poly-crystalline materials | |
| Technology | Benchtop X-ray diffractometer with advanced detector | |
| Attributes | 600 W X-ray tube, D/teX Ultra silicon strip detector, accepts unusual samples, tabletop form factor | |
| Options | 8-position autosampler HyPix-400 MF (2D HPAD) detector Graphite monochromator Air sensitive sample holder ShapeFlex sample holder |
|
| Computer | External PC, MS Windows OS, SmartLab Studio-II software | |
| Dimensions | 620 (W) x 722 (H) x 460 (D) mm | |
| Mass | 80 kg (core unit) | |
| Power requirements | 1Ø, 100-240 V 50/60 Hz | |
MiniFlex Application Notes
The following application notes are relevant to this product
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BATT1014 - Measurement of Li₇P₃S₁₁ Solid-State Electrolyte Using Airtight Sample Holder
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BATT1013 - Crystallite Diameter and Particle Diameter Calculation for Silicon Negative Electrode Material
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BATT0001 - Battery Material Development
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B-XRD1143 - Verifying the Validity of Crystallite Sizes Determined by the FP Method
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B-XRD1076 - Rietveld Quantitative Analysis of Trace Components in Cement
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B-XRD1081 - Quantitative Analysis of Polymorphic Impurities in a Drug Substance by the Calibration Method
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B-XRD1142 - Quantitative Analysis of Crystal Polymorphs by the DD Method
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B-XRD1093 - Quantitative Analysis of Amorphous Components in Cement
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B-XRD1001 - Quantitative Analysis of a 4-component Sample
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B-XRD1111 - Quantitative Analysis of 3-component Sample by DD method
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B-XRD1146 - Quantification of Blast Furnace Slag by Rietveld Refinement using Reference Intensity Ratio
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B-XRD1002 - Quantification of a 4-component Sample using RIR method
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B-XRD1133 - Observation of Phase Transition Behavior of Pharmaceutical Materials with a Benchtop XRD System
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B-XRD1060 - MiniFlex Measurement of Trace Samples
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B-XRD1063 - Measurement of a Film Sample
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XRD1003 - How to Evaluate Solid Pharmaceutical Drugs (3): Confirming Hydrates
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XRD1002 - How to Evaluate Solid Pharmaceutical Drugs (2): Confirming the Presence/absence of Amorphous Substances
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XRD1001 - How to Evaluate Solid Pharmaceutical Drugs (1): Confirming the crystal form of an API
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B-XRD1101 - High-T analysis - MiniFlex with HyPix-400 MF / BTS 500
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B-XRD1147 - High-precision Quantitative Analysis of Clinker Mineral Polymorphs by Rietveld Refinement
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B-XRD1150 - Evaluation of Graphitization Degree of Lithium-ion Battery Carbon Anode Material by X-ray Diffractometry
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B-XRD1149 - Evaluation of Barium Titanate Polymorphs by Rietveld Analysis
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B-XRD1072 - Crystallite Size Analysis Analysis of a Microvolume of Metallic Nanoparticles with a Benchtop X-ray Diffractometer
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B-XRD1071 - Crystallite Size Analysis of a Catalyst Material by the Scherrer Method
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B-XRD1127 - Background Reduction for Iron Oxide with CuKα X-rays using XRF Mode
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B-XRD1140 - Accurate and Highly Precise Quantitative Analysis of Cement Samples using Rietveld Refinement
MiniFlex Resources
Webinars
| X-ray Diffraction Measurements for Battery Research | Watch the Recording |
| Component Analysis and Standardless Quantitative Analysis for Pharmaceutical Applications | Watch the Recording |
| In-Depth Overview of the Use of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) in the Investigation of Asbestos and Respirable Silica | Watch the Recording |
| Analytical Tools for the Cement Industry: Backup with Powerful Benchtop X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer and X-ray Diffractometer | Watch the Recording |
| Powder X-ray Diffraction (XRD) for Pharmaceuticals | Watch the Recording |
| Dissolution Rate Enchancement of Poorly Water Soluble Drugs - Role in XRPD in the Pharmaceutical Formaulation Development | Watch the Recording |
| The Application of Chemometric and Statistical Analysis Techniques for X-ray Diffraction Data: Quantitative Analysis and Lot Release | Watch the Recording |
| Introduction of Part 11 Compliant Features in SmartLab Studio II | Watch the Recording |
| On the Diffraction Line Profiles in the Rietveld Method | Watch the Recording |
| Quantitative Phase Analysis Based on Rietveld Method for Data Collected on Miniflex600 | Watch the Recording |
Rigaku Journal articles
 Quantification analysis of cement materials |
Read the Article |
| Powder X-ray Diffraction Basic Course Fourth Installment: Qualitative analysis |
Read the Article |
| Powder X-ray Diffraction Basic Course | Third Installment: Sample preparation and measurement conditions to obtain high-quality data |
Read the Article |
| Cement analysis by X-ray diffractometry |
Read the Article |
| Benchtop X-ray diffractometer enabling use with HyPix-400 MF two-dimensional detector |
Read the Article |
| EasyX: Powder analysis software / Qualitative and quantitative phase analyses by simple operation |
Read the Article |
| Benchtop X-ray diffractometer MiniFlex300 / MiniFlex600 |
Read the Article |
| Making high speed, high resolution measurements using MiniFlex II + D/teX Ultra |
Read the Article |
| Benchtop X-ray diffractometer MiniFlex II + D/teX Ultra |
Read the Article |
MiniFlex Events
Learn more about our products at these events
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EventDatesLocationEvent website
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CERAMICS Expo 2025April 27 2025 - April 29 2025Novi, MI, USA
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IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference 2025May 3 2025 - May 7 2025Birmingham, AL, USA
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ChemUK 2025May 20 2025 - May 21 2025Birmingham, UK
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EMRS Spring Meeting 2025May 25 2025 - May 29 2025Strasbourg, France
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Rigaku Symposium at YaleMay 27 2025 - May 29 2025New Haven, CT
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Enhancing Pharma Processes - #4: Manufacturing and QCJune 17 2025 - June 17 2025Webinar
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Rigaku Battery Forum 2025June 23 2025 - June 24 2025Neu-Isenburg, Germany
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2025 European School on MagnetismJune 29 2025 - July 10 2025Cambridge, UK
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The Advanced Materials Show and The Advanced Ceramics Show 2025July 8 2025 - July 9 2025Birmingham, UK
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AIC 2025 congressSeptember 1 2025 - September 4 2025Florence Italy
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FEMS Euromat 2025September 13 2025 - September 17 2025Granada, Spain
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EMRS Fall meeting 2025September 14 2025 - September 17 2025Warsaw, Poland
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EuroMOF 2025September 20 2025 - September 23 2025Crete, Greece
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Gulf Coast Conference 2025October 13 2025 - October 14 2025Galveston, TX, United States
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ICMM 2025 2025October 26 2025 - October 30 2025Bordeaux, France
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CONGRESO GEOLÓGICO DE ESPAÑA 2025November 4 2025 - November 6 2025Zaragoza, Spain
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Rayons X et Matière 2025November 17 2025 - November 20 2025Orleans, France
MiniFlex Training
Upcoming training sessions
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TitleDatesCostLocationNotesCourse outlineRegistration form
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MiniFlex training (USA)May 5 2025 - May 7 2025$3,500OnlineWe offer up to 3 days of online training for groups of 2-5 participants, with a maximum capacity of 15 attendees per session. Day 1 covers Basic Hardware Operation and X-Ray Physics. Day 2 addresses Basic Software and Data Analysis. Day 3 explores Advanced XRD Quantitative Methods and Analysis
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MiniFlex training (EMEA)June 29 2025 - June 30 2025Please contact ECOE@rigaku.comNeu-Isenburg, GermanyMiniFlex training (EMEA)
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MiniFlex training (USA)July 7 2025 - July 9 2025$3,500OnlineWe offer up to 3 days of online training for groups of 2-5 participants, with a maximum capacity of 15 attendees per session. Day 1 covers Basic Hardware Operation and X-Ray Physics. Day 2 addresses Basic Software and Data Analysis. Day 3 explores Advanced XRD Quantitative Methods and Analysis
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MiniFlex training (USA)August 11 2025 - August 13 2025$3,500OnlineWe offer up to 3 days of online training for groups of 2-5 participants, with a maximum capacity of 15 attendees per session. Day 1 covers Basic Hardware Operation and X-Ray Physics. Day 2 addresses Basic Software and Data Analysis. Day 3 explores Advanced XRD Quantitative Methods and Analysis
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MiniFlex training (USA)September 8 2025 - September 10 2025$3,500OnlineWe offer up to 3 days of online training for groups of 2-5 participants, with a maximum capacity of 15 attendees per session. Day 1 covers Basic Hardware Operation and X-Ray Physics. Day 2 addresses Basic Software and Data Analysis. Day 3 explores Advanced XRD Quantitative Methods and Analysis
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MiniFlex training (USA)October 6 2025 - October 8 2025$3,500OnlineWe offer up to 3 days of online training for groups of 2-5 participants, with a maximum capacity of 15 attendees per session. Day 1 covers Basic Hardware Operation and X-Ray Physics. Day 2 addresses Basic Software and Data Analysis. Day 3 explores Advanced XRD Quantitative Methods and Analysis
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MiniFlex training (EMEA)October 19 2025 - October 20 2025Please contact ECOE@rigaku.comNeu-Isenburg, GermanyMiniFlex training (EMEA)
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MiniFlex training (USA)November 3 2025 - November 5 2025$3,500OnlineWe offer up to 3 days of online training for groups of 2-5 participants, with a maximum capacity of 15 attendees per session. Day 1 covers Basic Hardware Operation and X-Ray Physics. Day 2 addresses Basic Software and Data Analysis. Day 3 explores Advanced XRD Quantitative Methods and Analysis
Contact Us
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