Lab Manager | Run Your Lab Like a Business

Thermal Analyzers

Pharmaceutical and polymer industries are increasingly interested in both TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry).

by Lab Manager

Pharmaceutical and polymer industries are increasingly interested in both TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry). Drug companies use these techniques to test for drug stability and crystalline state (or lack thereof). Thermal analysis is not only about high temperatures. Some instruments have a cooling function that enables monitoring of low-temperature events such as glass transition in polymers.

Top 6 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a Thermal Analyzer

1. If you are going to be analyzing x,y,z, properties, ask if the company has any customers conducting the same type of work and if you can talk to them.

2. Ask if you can submit a sample for a demo using specified conditions and, if so, how long this will take and whether a report will be provided.

3. What type of post-sale application and technical support does the company offer, and how much will it cost you?

4. What features distinguish the company’s instrument from their competitors’?

5. What can the company tell you about the quality of the product, i.e., how it was manufactured and tested? This will help you determine the typical lifespan.

6. What can the vendor tell you about the total cost of ownership, including expected consumables, software upgrades, service, and warranty costs?

Type of materials respondents work with that require them to perform thermal analysis, according to our latest survey data:

Polymers 33%
Pharmaceutical materials 18%
Metals 13%
Foods 10%
Chemicals 8%
Environmental materials 5%
Ceramics 3%
Other 10%

Types of refractometers respondents are using:

Manual Portable 39%
Digital Benchtop 26%
Manual Benchtop 22%
Digital Portable 11%
Other 2%

Type(s) of thermal analysis respondents are currently using or planning to purchase for their lab:

Differential Scanning Calorimetry 24%
Thermogravimetric Analysis 23%
Differential Thermal Analysis 13%
Dynamic Mechanical Analysis 8%
Thermomechanical Analysis 7%
Evolved Gas Analysis 6%
Dilatometry 4%
Thermo-Optical Analysis 4%
Dielectric Thermal Analysis 3%
Other 8%

The top ten features / factors that influence our respondents in buying a thermal analyzer include:

Performance / Heat flow measurements
(resolution, sensitivity, precision and accuracy)
100%
Wide temperature range 92%
Versatility—able to measure large and small sample material 86%
Safety of operators 81%
Availability of accessories and replacement parts 79%
Low maintenance/easy to clean 68%
Ease of use (calibration and adjustments) 67%
Service and support 63%
Warranty 50%

Recently Released Thermal Analyzers


DTG-60/ DTG-60A
• Improves ease of operation, sensitivity and analytical accuracy of conventional standalone systems
• Basic functions required by simultaneous thermogravimetry/ differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) measurements are improved
• Features programmable atmosphere control
• Provides advanced acquisition, analysis and report functions which ensure comfortable simultaneous measurements
• DTG-60A is a new automatic DTG which defines new standards in autosampler technology

Shimadzu
www.ssi.shimadzu.com


Discovery Series TGA
• Combines innovative technologies for temperature control and mass measurement with an advanced user interface
• Introduces Diffusion-Bonded Sensor technology which improves sensitivity of the temperature measurement while maintaining a very short time constant for excellent signal resolution
• New TRIOS software makes it easy for users to manage the sample queue

TA Instruments
www.tainstruments.com


Flash DSC 1
• Opens up new frontiers in the field of materials characterization
• Ultra-high heating and cooling rates add a new dimension to the study of thermally induced physical transitions and chemical processes
• Enables users to investigate effects that were previously impossible to measure
• Features Fast response sensor and wide temperature range

Mettler Toledo
www.mt.com


afm+, AFM Platform
• Offers three important analytical capabilities
• Uses Anasys’ proprietary thermal probe technology for Nanoscale Thermal Analysis
• Allows the user to obtain transition temperatures on any local feature of a sample or to obtain a transition temperature map
• Is fully upgradeable to perform nanoscale infrared spectroscopy for measuring and mapping chemical composition on the nanoscale

Anasys Instruments
www.anasysinstruments.com

 

Thermal Analyzer Manufacturers

Anasys Instruments www.anasysinstruments.com
Anton Paar www.anton-paar.com
GE Healthcare www3.gehealthcare.com
Mettler Toledo www.mt.com
Netzsch www.netzsch-thermal-analysis.com
PerkinElmer www.perkinelmer.com
Rigaku www.rigaku.com
Setaram Instrumentation www.setaram.com
Shimadzu www.ssi.shimadzu.com
TA Instruments www.tainstruments.com