Yellowknife (May 19/04) - A new sample preparation and crushing lab is opening in Yellowknife.

Opening in the airport industrial area tomorrow, Acme Analytical Labs will perform crushing and sieving for gold and base metal exploration and mining companies. The company also performs rare earth analysis for the diamond industry, as well as environmental analysis.

The company will take samples primarily from mineral exploration companies and crush them down to a fine gravel. The samples can then either be assessed at the same lab or sent on to other labs for mineral analysis.

Based out of Vancouver, Acme has been in business for 34 years with labs in South, Central and North America. The company is also opening a lab in Beijing. Close to 400 people work with the company worldwide.

Branch manager Angelo Karitsiotis says the company has already invested more than $100,000 in setting up the lab.

"Hopefully, we'll have five to six employees with the lab running 16 hours a day," said Karitsiotis.

Exploration companies operating throughout the Northwest Territories and Nunavut could save money through Acme by not having to send bulk samples to labs elsewhere, along with saving money on turnaround time, said Karitsiotis.

Acme hopes to acquire Tyhee Development Corp., Starfield Resources, Miramar, Cumberland and Canadian Zinc as clients.

Karitsiotis admits exploration companies seem to be more active in Nunavut than in the Northwest Territories, but the decision to be located in Yellowknife was made because operating costs are lower than they would be in Iqaluit.

"It's a bigger centre with more resources," said Karitsiotis of Yellowknife.

Acme will have two 1,500lb crushers on site, which are four feet high and two feet wide. "Our capacity is 400 samples per shift," said Karitsiotis.

A dust extractor, called a torit, is being installed at the shop to keep the dust down. The operation is also not expected to be loud, said Karitsiotis.

Altogether, the building is about 2,000 sq. ft. in size with an Atco trailer in the back for drying core samples, which have to be wet in order to be cut.