Madison, WI (April 07, 2011) - Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world
leader in serving science, highlights that its FT-IR instrumentation
provides scientists with increased confidence in their results during
Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) testing. This means scientists are
able to focus on handling the ever growing number of samples produced and
letting the responsibility for performance verification go to the instrument
itself. The Thermo Scientific FT-IR instrument is designed to result in
improved efficiency within the laboratory and simplify the process of
complying with regulatory requirements. A technical note on this topic is
available to download from: www.thermoscientific.com/ftirconfidence.
Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS10: Data collection with
confidence
The main function in QA/QC testing is to determine whether or not a product
meets control specifications in relation to its identity, composition or
purity. Each stage of QA/QC testing is defined by strict standard operating
procedures (SOPs) due to the importance of product quality. Performance
Verification routines provide regulatory and audit level detail on
spectrometer performance, testing FT-IR systems against
manufacturer-published specifications. Not having to worry about the
performance of their apparatus means the analyst can devote more of their
time to more critical matters.
An example of how the process of QA/QC has been simplified can be seen by
looking at polymer blends of polyethylene and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA),
which are used for making food packaging films and hot melt adhesives. The
raw materials contain EVA at various concentrations blended with
polyethylene. To provide the correct functionality of the polymer film, the
EVA concentration of production lots must be controlled within very tight
limits. Spectra from samples with a range of EVA concentrations are obtained
and saved as references. Following this the FT-IR spectrometer is used to
routinely verify that material from the production line is at the expected
polymer blend level using the Thermo Scientific QCheck algorithm with its
unique high sensitivity setting to highlight very small but important
differences that may be present in the sample. This allows the QC laboratory
to quickly confirm the polymer blend with a high level of confidence in the
results.
"Thermo Fisher is a leader in FT-IR spectrometer hardware, but we also
continue to strive to make the process simpler for analysts. New advances in
both FT-IR spectrometer hardware and software are moving responsibility for
instrument performance from the analyst to the instrument itself," comments
Brian Davies, vice president and general manager of molecular spectroscopy
and microanalysis Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Performance Verification and
System Suitability tests notify users when their spectrometer is ready to be
used, while features such as QCheck allow single product classification.
This means the analyst can focus more on processing samples in the
laboratory and do not need to gain an in depth knowledge of every part of
the FT-IR operation."
For more information about the Thermo Scientific FT-IR Spectrometer please
call 1-800-532-4752. e-mail [email protected] or visit www.thermoscientific.com/ftirconfidence.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving
science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier,
cleaner and safer. With revenues of nearly $11 billion, we have
approximately 37,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and
biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities,
research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental
and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders
through two premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, which
offer a unique combination of continuous technology development and the most
convenient purchasing options. Our products and services help accelerate the
pace of scientific discovery, and solve analytical challenges ranging from
complex research to routine testing to field applications. Visit www.thermofisher.com.
For further press information please contact:
Laura Browne
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