New 360 Flame Photometer with Lower Limits of Detection

Sherwood Scientific announces a new clinical version of the Model 360 Flame Photometer. This new model adds sodium linearization for simple calibration, providing a low-cost instrument with unrivalled precision, ergonomic design and ease of maintenance.

The Clinical Model 360 is a single channel unit built around the very same mixing chamber, burner stem and burner head found in Sherwood’s acclaimed Model 410. It also incorporates the advanced automatic flame optimisation technology from the dual channel 420 series. As a result the Clinical 360 is fundamentally more stable, less noisy and with lower limits of detection than would be expected in such a cost-effective instrument.

Ease of operation is ensured by the ergonomic design, which uniquely places all the controls, the pressure gauge, air regulator and sample introduction on the front of the instrument. The large unobstructed sample work area features an innovative spill containment tray which is easy to remove and clean. LEDs on the front panel indicate the filter selected – sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium or barium – and the flame status. The detector response is automatically ‘linearized’ over the clinical measurement range when the sodium filter is selected. A useful display ‘hold’ button ensures that readings are not lost before they have been recorded and the peak picker function presents unambiguous results.

According to Jon Copsey, Sherwood Scientific’s Marketing Manager, ‘The Clinical Model 360 responds to the need for a low-cost clinical flame photometer, for example in countries where million pound budgets for autochemistry analysers are simply not available. Our very first Clinical Model 360 was shipped to a hospital in Egypt in February 2010, where it has received an excellent response from users. Further healthcare-related applications for the new instrument include the manufacture of solutions for clinical infusions and contact lens care. As with the industrial Model 360 Flame Photometer, the Clinical 360 benefits from Sherwood’s world-renowned stable flame technology which delivers the levels of precision, reliability and ease of use typically associated with a much higher cost unit.’

The Clinical 360 has a conveniently small footprint of 20 x 30 cm and provides exceptional ease of maintenance. The mixing chamber, burner head and burner stem come apart for cleaning without tools and the five-element filter stick is simple to remove. Electronics and pneumatics are housed in separate ‘pods’ which are easily detached from the main instrument chassis. This greatly reduces shipping costs in the event that a return-to-base repair or replacement becomes necessary. Similarly, the instrument is shipped with the chimney removed as the smaller volume reduces air freight costs significantly.