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:

Types of refractometers respondents are using:

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

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

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