The release of the first OPC analyzer device integration (ADI) specification has been welcomed by Malvern Instruments, one of the founder members of the working group set up in 2008 to develop a common method for data exchange and an analyzer model for process and laboratory systems.

The new standard will ease the integration of analyzers for the implementation of multivariate process control strategies. It is based on OPC-UA (Unified Architecture) which is universally accepted, platform neutral and achieves high speed data transfer. The standard is of particular value in the pharmaceutical industry where commercial pressures, Quality by Design (QbD) and the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative, are combining to promote transformational change in manufacturing practice.

Gerard Michel, Senior Automation Engineer for Malvern’s process systems, said, “This is a significant step towards the goal of true plug and play interoperability. At Malvern we have long recognized the importance of integrating different instruments to successfully automate control. For process instrumentation this is often a route to achieving maximum return on analytical spend and we are working hard to ensure that our customers can access all the benefits the standard brings from the outset.”

The OPC Analyzer Device Integration Working Group has seen the successful collaboration between members of the OPC Foundation, an organisation dedicated to ensuring interoperability in automation via open standards, and 21 other companies including representatives from instrument vendors and industrial users.

Malvern Instruments offers a range of material characterization tools for both laboratory and process applications. The Insitec range of laser diffraction particle size analyzers, for example, is specified to meet the rigours of the manufacturing environment and provides real-time measurement for both wet and dry streams with particles in the size range 0.1 to 1000 microns. Already widely used in a variety of industrial sectors, Insitec is a PAT tool with proven performance, increasingly adopted by the pharmaceutical industry. www.malvern.com

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