About Shimadzu

Shimadzu Corporation announced the launch of its general-purpose Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrophotometer, the IRAffinity-1, on January 28, 2008. To improve operability, this new system includes as standard equipment the new IRsolution control software. This software allows easy and accurate analysis of foreign materials from a variety of fields, including pharmaceuticals, food products, and electrical/electronics, as well as easy and accurate determinations during both acceptance and shipping examinations of pharmaceutical raw materials. This new system also offers improved serviceability of the optical element and smaller system dimensions.

*Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrophotometer: An analysis system that irradiates samples with infrared light, detects the transmitted or reflected light from the sample and uses “Fourier transform” mathematical processing to obtain spectra. Substances can be identified by spectral pattern comparisons, chemical structures can be estimated based on spectral peak positions, and substances can be quantified based on peak intensity. FTIR spectrophotometers are used for both R&D and quality control in a variety of fields, including pharmaceuticals, food products, chemicals/polymers, cosmetics, electrical/electronics, and life sciences. General-purpose FTIR spectrophotometers are used primarily for analyzing materials such as films and plastics, analyzing foreign materials in pharmaceuticals and food products, and verifying the raw materials used in pharmaceuticals prescribed by pharmacopoeias in various countries. General-purpose FTIR spectrophotometers now account for 60% of the total FTIR market, with the worldwide market for general-purpose FTIR units estimated at 28 billion yen per year. In China, India, and Southeast Asia, demand for general-purpose FTIR units is expected to increase by 7% or more every year.

The IRsolution control software for this new system includes programs for analyzing foreign materials, performing shipping and acceptance examinations required for verification testing in compliance with Japanese Pharmacopoeia, and inspecting and evaluating system performance as prescribed by EU and Japanese Pharmacopoeia.

Compared to Shimadzu’s previous model, the FTIR-8400S, this new system reduces both the system width and the installation area by 20%, providing the smallest footprint available for general-purpose FTIR units (width: 514 mm, footprint: 514 mm W ´ 606 mm D). This allows the system to be installed in narrower spaces, between other analysis instruments.

Additionally, the IRAffinity-1 system’s interferometer uses a dehumidifier to remove humidity through electrolysis, greatly improving optical element maintainability.
This system monitors and optimizes its optical system during both system initialization and operation, enabling measurements to be started immediately after power is turned ON and the system has started up, helping to improve analysis efficiency.

The main features of the new IRAffinity-1 system are as follows.

Built-In Program Supports Analysis of Foreign Materials from Many Fields

The IRAffinity-1 system is equipped with a program to analyze foreign materials in a variety of fields, including pharmaceuticals, food products, and electrical/electronics, which are the primary applications of current FTIR spectrophotometers. This software combines a library to store spectra of substances typically detected as foreign materials, with a newly developed evaluation algorithm that improves the accuracy of evaluations of foreign materials. It can also simultaneously identify multiple components in a single mixture.

Includes Software Supporting Verification Testing Prescribed by Japanese Pharmacopoeia

Previously offered only as an option, this system now includes software supporting verification testing prescribed by the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. This program determines the pass/fail of pharmaceutical raw materials that must be inspected during shipping and acceptance examinations by comparing the infrared spectra of reference and inspected items. In addition to pharmaceuticals, this program provides an effective tool for customers in all fields that require shipping and acceptance inspections.

Smaller Dimensions: 20% Reduction in System Width and Footprint

The new system meets user demands for a minimized footprint. Compared to Shimadzu’s previous model (FTIR-8400S), the IRAffinity-1 reduces both system width and footprint by 20%, realizing the smallest dimensions of all general-purpose FTIR units. This allows the unit to be installed in a limited space between other analysis instruments.

New Automatic Dehumidifier for Improved Serviceability

The automatic dehumidifier installed in Shimadzu’s higher-end model (IRPrestige-21) is also installed in this system’s interferometer. This dehumidifier eliminates the effect of changes in humidity resulting from temperature and air pressure differences, guaranteeing that the interior of the interferometer is always kept dry. This, in turn, ensures that stable analysis results are always obtained, and significantly improves system maintainability.

S/N Ratio is the Highest of All General-Purpose FTIR Units

One important factor when selecting an FTIR system is the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. With an S/N ratio of over 30,000:1, the IRAffinity-1 is 50% higher than our previous FTIR-8400S, and the highest ratio among currently available general-purpose FTIR systems. Basic performance was improved, with the new IRAffinity-1 boasting a maximum resolution of 0.5 cm^-1, 1.7 times the previous model. This S/N ratio improvement ensures that spectra with minimum levels of noise are obtained quickly.

Shimadzu Corporation has been selling general-purpose FTIR systems since 1984. In response to increasing worldwide demand for foreign materials analysis, verification of pharmaceutical raw materials, and film thickness measurements in the field of semiconductors, the new IRAffinity-1, a product that offers significantly improved operability, serviceability, and basic performance, allows Shimadzu to now offer a full lineup of FTIR products to meet the needs of users all over the world and to increase its share of the global market.