New Software enables Analyser Integration with Ease

Malvern Instruments has added new functionality to its Malvern Link II product, the powerful software package that enables the integration of multiple analysers within an automated control platform. The latest developments extend the benefits of Malvern Link II to the company’s Mastersizer and Zetasizer analyser ranges, streamlining their use for applications in process monitoring and control.

New drivers in Malvern Link II provide a single interface for the Mastersizer 2000, Mastersizer 3000 and the Zetasizer Nano systems, permitting their secure and efficient connection with all types of automated control systems, including DCS, Scada and PLC. Through this single interface users can establish automated monitoring and rapidly implement efficient closed loop control with minimal expert engineering input. This reduces barriers to automation and helps maximise the economic return on investment in analysis.

“Healthy order numbers suggest that the proven ability of Malvern Link II to enable analyser integration by those without significant control/automation expertise gives it broad appeal across the manufacturing industries,” remarked Gerard Michel, Senior Automation Engineer. ”We’re delighted to have the new drivers available to help more people with this issue and make it simpler for people for use our analysers efficiently for process monitoring”

Having the ability to fully exploit the data produced by any analyser is the key to optimising its value. Increasingly this means embedding it within an automated control system, often alongside other instrumentation, to implement multi-variate control. Historically such integration has been an expert task and the significant attendant costs have tended to inhibit uptake.

Malvern Link II is widely used to integrate the Insitec process particle sizer within manufacturing plant and it is positive feedback from this that has stimulated its extension to other instruments in the Malvern range. The Zetasizer Nano is the world’s most widely used system for nanoparticle, colloid and protein size, zeta potential and molecular weight measurements while the Mastersizer 3000 is the latest generation of Malvern’s highly successful laser diffraction particle sizing system. The new drivers act as a bridge between the analyser and the control system and are already being used to address water monitoring applications (Zetasizer) and cement measurement within the automated laboratory setting (Mastersizer).