Mar 7 2016
Viavi Solutions Inc.'s ("Viavi") Optical Security and Performance Products division, a leader in the design and manufacturing of high-precision optics, announced today an expansion of its MicroNIR™ ultra-compact spectrometer portfolio that gives pharmaceutical manufacturers new tools to improve productivity, cut costs, and operate smarter manufacturing processes.
The new MicroNIR OnSite and MicroNIR PAT, the industry's smallest and most cost-effective near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy solutions (covering 950-1650nm), shift process monitoring and material analysis out of the post-production lab and into real-time analysis at the point of use and in the field.
As pharmaceutical drug manufacturers look to implement Quality-by-Design operations driven by rich analytics, meet ever-increasing pressures from regulatory bodies for improving quality, and transition from traditional batch-process to continuous manufacturing, some of the cumbersome legacy methods of post-production analysis simply fall short. The new MicroNIRs allow companies to simply point the device at an organic substance to quickly and accurately measure its material makeup and monitoring critical process parameters in a simple non-intrusive manner. The MicroNIRs real-time readings enable increased productivity, safety and quality in a form factor that doesn't sacrifice performance.
MicroNIR PAT (process analytical technology) is the industry's smallest and most versatile NIR spectrometer. It is designed for use in GMP environments for real-time in-line monitoring of multiple points on batch- or continuous-manufacturing processes without the need for extensive capital costs or major reconfiguration of existing manufacturing processes.
MicroNIR OnSite, a rugged handheld analyzer suitable for rapid and nondestructive analysis of raw materials, enables Quality Control managers in pharmaceutical, chemical, and food manufacturing to quickly accept or reject incoming material, as well as perform compositional testing and quality checks on products throughout the manufacturing process.
"We have worked with the MicroNIR technology on our solid dose continuous manufacturing pilot line. The excellent performance and compactness of the MicroNIR products provide an increase over competing instruments that are more expensive and much larger in size. This allows us to explore in greater depth the process development, monitoring and control to a much greater extent that has not been possible before." Fernando Muzzio, PhD. Director of C-SOPS and Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University
"With this new class of MicroNIR spectrometers, we are democratizing NIR spectrometer sensors that can truly change the economics of manufacturing. In addition, we are helping solve other industries' challenges in the analytical measurement space. Other use cases for MicroNIR include food analysis to combat fraud, animal feed testing for optimizing nutritional ration, illegal substance identification, and many other applications enabled by the miniaturization, affordability and exceptional fit-for-purpose performance of the MicroNIR products," said Nada O'Brien, Director of Marketing and Product Management of MicroNIR.
The MicroNIR spectrometers are powered by Viavi's Linear Variable Filter (LVF) technology and other proprietary technology in optical system design and miniaturization. LVF is a proven space-qualified technology, and a version of it was used in some of the instrumentation in the New Horizon's Pluto exploration mission.