FT-NIR system launched in UK
(Fourier transform near infrared) analyser that runs as a
stand-alone system, with no need for an attached PC, making it
easier to install in a process environment.
The InfraSpec NR800 has been specifically designed for the online measurement of multiple properties in liquid streams in process or laboratory applications.
It is said to combine high wavelength resolution, accuracy and a wide scanning range, with applications including non-contact identification of excipients and other raw materials in the pharmaceutical industry.
FT-NIR technology, based on interferometry principles, can be used to measure virtually any property in a liquid stream that correlates to an infrared absorption band.
Its use has been growing as demand in the drug industry as tighter, on-demand manufacturing scheduling has made it important to speed up validation of the quality of materials to the extent that conventional sampling and analysis techniques are too slow.
Compared with traditional laboratory analysis techniques that can take days, and are expensive in terms of chemicals and other consumables, FT-NIR measurement can be carried online in real time, making it ideally suited for plant monitoring.
The InfraSpec NR800 has been on the market for some time, but only recently introduced in the UK. Unlike many FT-NIR systems, the InfraSpec NR800 runs without a PC as a completely stand-alone system for online measurement, although external interfaces are provided for downloading measurement data and carrying out remote maintenance.
For process applications, it can be supplied in both general-purpose and explosion-proof versions, and a desktop laboratory model is also available.
Typical pharma applications for the system include the at-line testing of excipients prior to use and checking that blends are homogeneous.
