How near infrared composition analysers provide almost immediate testing, expediting quality assurance while reducing costs
For industrial processors and manufacturers, a composition analyser can be a crucial instrument in any lab or production-line setting. These can not only test the makeup, efficacy, and quality of products but help engineers evaluate moisture levels including proteins, fats, oils, contaminants, BTU, water activity, carbon content, film thickness, and coat weight.
“Owing to the range of accurate testing readily available with a composition analyser, using one can dramatically enhance precision and accuracy. With the right calibrations, operators can employ such a tool during any stage of product development from R&D through production to ensure a quality result,” says John Bogart, managing director of Kett US, a manufacturer of a full range of organic composition analysers.
However, in many cases, using traditional testing methods to determine a sample’s composition can be time-consuming and labour-intensive. This can cause testing, development, and quality control costs to skyrocket. The costs of performing tests, delaying operations to wait for results, and paying for the purchase and proper disposal of consumable products like reagents and chemicals for testing continue to add up.
Fortunately, with the right instruments and careful planning, lengthy test cycles can be dramatically cut, saving a substantial amount of time and money, while significantly improving quality control.
“Using cutting-edge instruments like near infrared (NIR) composition analysers that provide almost instant, lab-quality test results can make all the difference during development and production. This monitoring can be essential not only for precision and correct composition but also for safety and compliance,” says Bogart.
The benefits of faster composition analysis
With conventional, outdated testing equipment, sample preparation can be a labour-intensive process. Even when a sample is ready for composition testing, the work and waiting have only just begun.
When testing moisture content with legacy composition analysers, users can expect to wait between 5 and 15 minutes or more for a reading. When performing more complex chemical testing like water activity, protein, fat, and ash content, the wait time extends exponentially. With some composition analysers, one can expect to wait between 24 and 48 hours when testing for the presence of some constituents.
These testing delays not only slow R&D and product development but also allow any flaws or deficiencies to proceed into production. The overall costs of slow test cycles can be even more debilitating to processors and manufacturers when routine or recurrent testing must be performed as part of ongoing quality assurance.
However, a NIR composition analyser can produce accurate test results in a fraction of the time of traditional methods. Instruments can take a reading over the test subject or product stream for online models as well as desktop models like Kett’s BS-F1700 Compact Fiber Beat Sensor. Light is transmitted through the sample if translucent or transparent, or reflected off the process sample with models that measure the amount of light absorbed by the subject. The absorbance readings are then converted into component values by analysing the composition of the subject based on the instrument’s exact calibrations.
“Today, NIR spectroscopy provides non-destructive laboratory quality readings in real-time. Often, this requires no sample preparation and no contact with the sample. These instruments offer precise, virtually instant readings of moisture, composition analysis, even full-spectrum composition,” says Bogart.
He explains that this kind of full-spectrum testing allows users to measure a broad range of targeted factors in real time, with only initial instrument calibration necessary. Afterwards, accurate readings are nearly instantaneous which dramatically reduces the time needed for each test cycle.
He explains that NIR composition analysis cuts the amount of labour and payroll required for each test cycle, eliminating the need to purchase and then pay for the disposal of chemical reagents necessary for testing, as well as dramatically decreasing the instances of human error that mandate repeat testing.
Since NIR composition analysers are designed with speed and accuracy in mind, there is no learning curve for sample preparation. For most models, there is no sample to prepare at all. In some cases, tests can be performed even on the production line without the risk of user error.
The costs are reduced the most for online NIR composition meters that are capable of testing products in real-time during production such as Kett’s KJT700. These models do not need to pause for sample preparation or long test cycles, which could otherwise delay production or even take it offline.
“To the casual eye, it may seem like there are almost as many composition analysers out there as there are uses for them, but finding the perfect match for one’s needs, budget, and test cycle length can make all the difference to the outcome. Working with an experienced partner can help to narrow the field to select a precise, speedy composition analyser that is tailored to a business’s needs and built to last,” concludes Bogart.
For more information visit: www.kett.com
