Rugged, Stable, Waterproof: Anton Paar Launches Two New Heavy Duty Refractometers which Measure when Others Fail

Technology leader Anton Paar launches two new high-performance refractometers: Abbemat 450 and 650. The instruments combine extraordinary robustness with high precision up to ±0.00002 nD in order to measure the refractive index under harsh conditions.

The two new Anton Paar Heavy Duty refractometers are the solution for customers who handle aggressive samples or do refractive index measurements in fume hoods or glove boxes. The instruments are designed for remote operation. They consist of a measuring unit and a separate control unit that can be put in a safer place. This allows the user to operate the instrument from a distance of up to 5 meters.

To achieve the outstanding mechanical stability, Anton Paar machined the housing of the compact measuring unit from a solid block of aluminum, and then anodized its surface for durability. Instruments used close to the production line suffer their fair share of bumps and scrapes. The measuring unit can easily withstand these, as well as the splashes of water that are inevitable in this environment. The unit is fully waterproof to a depth of one meter for up to two hours (IP68).

The Abbemat Heavy Duty is available with two different accuracy levels, according to user needs: ±0.0001 nD (Abbemat 450) and ±0.00002 nD (Abbemat 650). The sapphire prism is scratchproof and provides a wide measurement range (1.26 nD to 1.72 nD). A built-in solid-state temperature control (Peltier) guarantees precise temperature adjustment between 10 °C and 85 °C.

Anton Paar demonstrates the ruggedness of its instruments under extreme conditions in a number of videos. Users should not attempt these tests at home, they really show the incredible durability of the instruments in the most extreme conditions imaginable.