Atomic Spectrometry

Bruker introduced its second generation S1 Titan handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) product line. In addition to a more ruggedized, weatherproof housing, the new versions include a detector shield as standard. Four models are available, with different sources and detectors. The high-end S1 Titan 800 has a variable voltage X-ray source and a silicon drift detector. The systems were introduced around the start of the year. Bruker also introduced the S2 Kodiak XRF system for the online multi-element analysis of mining materials. The real-time process control system is designed to be suspended over ore or slurry travelling on conveyor belts.

Elementar displayed an updated version of its Rapid N nitrogen analyzer. The primary advance of the new Rapid N Exceed is that it can run much longer before requiring routine maintenance and service.

Shimadzu unveiled two new energy dispersive–XRF spectrometers, the EDX 7000 and EDX 8000. The compact systems are general purpose benchtop instruments and can measure elements down to sodium (the 7000) or carbon (the 8000). The systems became available in February at a price of roughly $75,000–$90,000.

TSI showed off its handheld laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology with the introduction of the ChemLogix Handheld LIBS. The system uses the same software as the larger lab LIBS system introduced last year (see IBO 4/15/13). The handheld system is controlled by a color touchscreen and is housed in a rugged case. It will begin shipping this summer at a price between $30,000 and $40,000.

GC

INFICON introduced the transportable, 5.9 kg (13 lb) Micro GC Fusion, which enables temperature programming for analysis up to C12 gas phase. It can be run from a touchscreen or wireless interface. The modular design houses one or two modules, with a design for three or four modules to be released later this year.

OI Analytical’s (Xylem) 4100 Water/Soil Sample Processor is a 40 mL vial processor for volatile organic compounds. The system holds up to 100 samples and can operate with a single or double Eclipse 4660 purge-and-trap instrument. Vials are cooled at 10º C or less in the 4100 sampler without an accessory. The vial gripper has a vial sensor with an inflatable pneumatic perimeter that grips the glass vials completely, and eliminates dropping or sample spilling when lifting the vials to and from the sampling station. The 4100 system was launched this month and is priced at $34,500 for the basic system.

Informatics

Thermo Fisher Scientific launched a new Lab Execution System (LES) module. Built on the SampleManager LIMS and designed for quality analysis/quality control labs, it is web based and enables instrument integration, including workflow and methods management, and retrieval and archival of raw scientific data.

Lab Products

Hanson Research introduced its first filter changer system for its dissolution testers. The Vision AutoFilter Changer can be used with as many as three dissolution testers and enables filtered or filterless sampling. The list price is $19,500.

LC

The Shimadzu UF-Amino Station LC/MS amino acid analysis system was designed by Shimadzu and Ajinomoto to enhance lab throughput in amino acid analysis, allowing for nearly five amino acids to be analyzed per minute. The system utilizes the LCMS-2020 MS, which automates the pretreatment derivatization reaction and provides accurate results even in the presence of a large amount of impurities. The UFAmino Station is priced at about $130,000.

Materials Characterization

Cannon Instruments gave Pittcon attendees a first look at the CAV 4.2 automated viscometer. The dual-bath system with touchscreen control provides many evolutionary advances over Cannon’s current generation of products. The system will become commercially available in the third quarter at a price that has not yet been determined.

Grabner Instruments (AMETEK) introduced a low volatility version of its MiniVAP series. The new MiniVAP VPXpert-L has improved precision and is optimized for samples with relatively low vapor pressures, which has relevance for many sample types outside of petrochemicals: inks, cosmetics and fragrances. The new pressure transducer is optimized for pressures in the range from 0.1 kPa to 100 kPa. The system has the same price as the existing model in the series, which was introduced at Pittcon 2009.

Issys has introduced its microcoriolis technology into an instrument to specifically serve applications in the wine industry. The Winesense provides automated measurement of viscosity, sugar content (Brix), alcohol content, density and other parameters of wine and other beverages. The system was introduced at the end of January and is priced under $10,000.

Micromeritics has already begun shipment of its ASAP 2460 surface area and porosity analyzer. The base unit has two ports, and the system is fully expandable with modules to add additional pairs of ports very economically. Compared to the previous ASAP product line, the new system is considerably smaller, and the overall price has also been reduced.

Shimadzu also updated its DSC-60 differential scanning calorimeter with the introduction of the DSC-60 plus, which has improved sensitivity and heat capacity measurement.

Shimadzu’s AGS-X series of physical testers will soon start shipping a larger model with a force capacity up to 300 kN.

TA Instruments (Waters) presented a number of new accessories for its thermal analysis and rheometry instruments: a tribology accessory for measuring friction, an optics plate accessory for adding microscopic examination to the analysis, and a mechanical cooling system that can provide temperatures down to -100° C without the use of liquid nitrogen.

MS

Advion showcased its new expression S compact MS (CMS), which was launched in January and replaces the company’s initial CMS system except for OEM products. New to the system are an extended mass range of up to 1200 amu and polarity switching with a scan speed of 10,000 u/sec, so that it is compatible with any LC or supercritical fluid chromatograph. The system’s price is $55,000.

Molecular Spectroscopy

ABB introduced a product that stemmed from last year’s acquisition of Los Gatos Research (see IBO 5/15/13). The Greenhouse Gas Analyzer is a portable system based on cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy. The system is intended primarily for the monitoring of greenhouse gases (methane, carbon dioxide and water) in environmental use but also has potential applications in emissions compliance monitoring and industrial hygiene. The system, which weighs in at 15 kg (33 lb), began shipping in December 2013 at a price of about $29,000.

HunterLab introduced the D25 NC color analyzer. The system uses a novel rotating carousel design to read from many different locations in order to determine the average color characteristics of a sample. It is primarily designed for quality control applications in the food industry. The carousel can accommodate irregularly shaped whole products without requiring milling or other sample preparation. The system will begin delivery in four to six weeks at an introductory price that is expected to be somewhat less than the final list price of about $18,500.

Industrial Test Systems presented the new eXact iDip, a simple photometer primarily intended for the mass consumer market. The system has a small display but is more user friendly when mated with a Bluetooth phone, which acts as the control and data system for the device. It offers 27 different water quality tests, which use consumable reagent strips. The device will begin shipping in a few weeks at a list price of $179.

JASCO introduced the NRS-4100 Raman microscope system, which comes standard with 532 nm and 785 nm lasers. Other available options include a 457 nm laser that aids in suppressing fluorescence. The system is now ready for shipping at a price of about $100,000.

RAMMICS showed some of its Raman instruments that, unusual for the technique, make use of a green laser. A newer version of its handheld Raman instrument was introduced late last year at a price of just $16,000, while the R532 Mixsplitter instrument has been introduced only recently. This system is designed for analyzing mixed powder and randomly samples different grains to identify all of the chemical species present. This system is priced at about $23,000.

Shimadzu’s IR Tracer 100 is an FT-IR instrument with increased sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. Introduced in fall 2013, the high resolution system is priced at about $28,000.

Smiths Detection demonstrated the Target-ID, a very small, portable FT-IR instrument that is specifically designed for drug identification applications in law enforcement. The system has an extensive library that can be modified by the user and a battery life of about four hours. The instrument can analyze powders and tablets, and also ships with a novel Clear Sampler system for picking up trace quantities for analysis without affecting the analysis. It will begin shipping in four to six weeks at a price of about $25,000.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has built onto its Picospin benchtop NMR line with the introduction of the Picospin 80, an 80 MHz system that began shipping at the beginning of the year at a price of $60,000–$80,000.

Sample Preparation

Shimadzu launched the Noviplex Plasma Sample Collection Tool based on the Noviplex Card technology developed by Novilytic Labs. The card-like device is designed for the rapid collection of 2.5 µL of plasma from whole blood samples of 20–75 µL for analysis by LC/MS/MS. The “lab-on-a-chip” format removes the need for syringes, phlebotomy and centrifugation for the generation of plasma samples by using a solid phase method that deposits proteins and metabolites in blood as a monolayer upon drying, which takes only 15 minutes. The Noviplex Card Plasma Sampler is available through Shimadzu only in North America.