An alternative to conventional ovens and furnaces for your laboratory

Sample preparation

An alternative to conventional ovens and furnaces for your laboratory

13 Jan, 2026

Conventional ovens and muffle furnaces are used daily in hundreds of laboratories for many different applications including ashing, loss on ignition, residue on ignition, and fusion. Traditional approaches involve a lengthy, time consuming, manual intense process that can also risk exposure of analysts to potentially dangerous vapours.

A different approach is to use a microwave furnace system such as the Milestone PYRO ashing system from Analytix that can be used for the same applications but with significant advantages over conventional systems. With a choice of three muffle types, ashing times can be reduced by up to 95% from hours to minutes using standard cruciblesand the same methodology currently used. 

Additional benefits include an integral exhaust system with no loss of heat to the laboratory plus odours are removed thereby eliminating exposure to the operator to fumes. In addition, the operating cost of running a microwave enhanced system is much lower compared to a conventional system. Even temperature distribution across the muffle eliminates cold spots and ensures reproducible ashing across all crucibles. 

More information online

Latest News

ILM 51.6 Sept 2026

Explore our Digital Edition

Discover the latest news and research

Digital edition

Explore Our Other Sites

Envirotech Online
New dust monitoring technology targets hazardous industrial environments
Explore more Arrow
Pollution Solutions Online
Safe drinking water worldwide
Explore more Arrow
Petro Online
Independent studies strengthen the evidence for quantitative optical gas imaging
Explore more Arrow
Chromatography Today
Inline degasser range upgraded with new vacuum control and pump technology
Explore more Arrow