Wet-method laser particle size analyser---NKT5600-H

Product Overview

The NKT5600-H Intelligent Fully Automatic Laser Particle Size Analyser embodies NKT’s 15 years of technological innovation and professional expertise in the field of particle characterisation. Incorporating multiple innovative and patented technologies, it delivers a breakthrough upgrade in particle size measurement performance. The instrument employs an advanced dual-lens optical system, combined with a new-generation array of forward, side and backward detectors, significantly expanding the measurement range and comprehensively enhancing overall performance. The hardware system has been fully upgraded, featuring a fifth-generation ultra-high-speed signal acquisition motherboard, which greatly improves the comprehensiveness and accuracy of scattered signal acquisition, ensuring data is authentic and reliable. The exterior is manufactured using an internationally advanced, single-step argon-protected injection moulding process, resulting in a lightweight body that combines an elegant finish with exceptional corrosion resistance. It features a built-in Laser Intelligent Management System (LIMS), independently developed by Nektar, which significantly extends the laser’s service life to near-theoretical infinity, effectively reducing maintenance costs for users. The innovative intelligent anti-fogging system monitors changes in ambient temperature and humidity in real time, responding to condensation on the sample window within milliseconds to completely eliminate measurement errors caused by fogging. The unique wet-cycle dispersion system employs a residue-free pipework design, effectively preventing the deposition of large particles and the accumulation of waste liquid after testing. This not only ensures the accuracy of testing across a wide range of sample types but also significantly enhances the consistency of repeat measurements, guaranteeing that every test yields authentic and reliable particle size analysis results.

Scope of Application

• Industrial Minerals and Powders: Non-metallic powders such as heavy calcium carbonate, talc and kaolin; non-metallic powders such as aluminium, copper and rare earths; building materials such as cement, ceramics and graphite;

• Energy and Chemical Materials: Lithium battery anode and cathode materials, catalysts, phosphors, rubber and plastic additives, drilling fluids, etc.;

• Pharmaceuticals and Biologics: Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), micro-pellets, ultrafine powders of traditional Chinese medicine, pesticide suspensions, spray formulations, etc.;

• Food and Household Chemicals: Dairy products, starch, protein granules, pigments, dyes, coatings, inks, etc.;

• Environment and Geology: Particle analysis of silt, sediments, dust, aerosols, water treatment flocculants, etc.

Technical Explanation

1  End-to-end, one-click intelligent testing – minimised operation, consistent results

With built-in, editable SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), the entire testing process—from water intake, degassing and background measurement, through to sample dispersion, data acquisition, saving and cleaning—can be automatically executed at the touch of a button. By leaving complex operations to the instrument, the operator need only load the sample, significantly reducing reliance on operator experience. This mode completely eliminates the inevitable procedural variations and subjective errors associated with manual operation, ensuring that test data remains highly consistent and reliable regardless of the operator or the time of testing. It perfectly aligns with GLP laboratory standards and quality traceability system requirements.

1  LIMS Laser Intelligent Management System — Intelligent Optics, Sustained Stability

Integrated with the advanced LIMS Laser Intelligent Management System, it enables precise and intelligent control of the laser light source. The system monitors the optical path status in real time, instantly activates the laser upon receiving a test command, and rapidly reaches a stable operating state within 3 seconds, significantly reducing waiting times and enhancing testing efficiency. Upon completion of the measurement, the system automatically shuts down the laser, fundamentally eliminating power wastage from idle standby. This intelligent management technology effectively prevents light decay caused by prolonged laser operation, significantly extending the service life of core components. Theoretically, the laser is designed to require no replacement throughout its lifetime, delivering ultimate reliability and ultra-low maintenance costs to customers.

1   Second-level quick-change sample window system — innovative structure, second-level operation

Equipped with a revolutionary quick-change sample window mechanism, featuring a user-friendly snap-fit and guide structure design. Without the need for any tools, users can independently complete the entire process of removing and installing the sample window within 10 seconds, greatly simplifying maintenance procedures, significantly reducing instrument maintenance time, and ensuring continuous operational efficiency in high-throughput testing environments.

1   Intelligent Multi-dimensional Reporting and Analysis System — Flexible, Efficient, Intelligent and Intuitive

Equipped with professional-grade particle size analysis software, it integrates a robust database and a multi-dimensional reporting system. It supports multi-format report export and customised editing, and features the ability to compare multiple data sets on a single screen, significantly enhancing data interpretation efficiency and report generation flexibility, whilst fully meeting the requirements of research, quality control and compliance.

1  Single-Path Dual-Lens Optical System — Pure Light Signal, Ultimate Sensitivity

Adopts an innovative dual-lens design where a Fourier transform lens and a filter lens work in concert. This technology establishes a pristine single-path detection environment, efficiently filtering out unnecessary stray light interference from the incident light signal and significantly improving the purity of the optical background. This directly results in a dramatic improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio, giving the instrument exceptional capture and resolution capabilities for scattered light signals from minute particles in samples. It greatly enhances measurement sensitivity and accuracy, making it particularly suitable for high-precision analysis of nanomaterials and low-concentration samples.

1  Ultra-high-speed signal acquisition system – capturing transients, revealing the minutest details

Equipped with a fifth-generation ultra-high-speed signal acquisition motherboard, the system achieves an ultra-high sampling rate of 10,000 times per second. Thanks to this hardware-level breakthrough, the system can comprehensively and synchronously capture all particle light scattering signals without omission within the 0.1-second instant that a sample passes through the measurement zone. This completely resolves the issue of signal loss caused by the random orientation of particles, thereby ensuring the utmost precision and high repeatability of particle size distribution results.

1 Sixth-Generation Long-Life, High-Stability Photodetector — Meticulously Engineered for Consistent Precision

The core photodetector array is equipped with Nectec’s proprietary sixth-generation high-stability photodetector. Manufactured using specially selected high-performance raw materials imported from Germany, it possesses exceptional resistance to oxidation and ageing, ensuring that photoconversion efficiency remains virtually unchanged for a decade. The theoretical lifespan of the detectors matches that of the entire instrument, requiring no replacement throughout its lifetime. This fundamentally ensures the long-term consistency and accuracy of measurement data, whilst delivering ultra-low lifetime maintenance costs.

1 Intelligent Active Anti-Fog System — Intelligent Sensing, Active Defogging

Equipped with an intelligent active anti-fog system, it monitors changes in ambient temperature and humidity in real time, providing millisecond-level early warning and rapid response to the risk of fogging on the sample window. Through active defogging technology, it completely eliminates condensation on the optical window, removing signal distortion caused by scattered light due to fogging, and ensuring that measurement data remains accurate and reliable at all times.

1   Intelligent Dual-Alignment Optical Path System — One-Button Calibration, Dynamic Stabilisation

Pioneering the dual optical alignment system, which integrates both mechanical and optical alignment technologies. It enables one-touch activation and instantaneous, precise alignment, completely eliminating the need for cumbersome manual adjustments. Furthermore, the system continuously monitors and automatically maintains the optimal optical path throughout use, ensuring long-term stability of measurement results and high instrument reliability, truly offering a hassle-free and effortless experience.

1  Residue-free sample design – zero residue, genuine data

Featuring an innovative flow path system design, the layout of the tubing and the drainage structure have been comprehensively optimised. At its core is a self-cleaning recirculation pump incorporating patented technology; its unique structure and fluid dynamics design ensure that no residual liquid remains in the tubing or pump chamber after testing. This approach completely resolves the cross-contamination issues caused by sample residue in traditional instruments, guaranteeing the independence and absolute accuracy of each test result at the hardware level, and significantly enhancing the instrument’s test reproducibility and reliability.

1   Professional-grade dust and vibration protection — Unaffected by environmental fluctuations, ensuring consistent data

Featuring a professional, integrated sealed dust-proof system and anti-vibration design, it effectively prevents the ingress of external dust and the transmission of vibrations. This design ensures the long-term stability and precise focusing of the core optical path system; detector positioning requires no manual adjustment, significantly reducing maintenance frequency and guaranteeing exceptional repeatability and reliability of measurement results, even in complex industrial environments.

1   Automatic Dispersant Dosing System — Precise Intelligent Control, Simplifying Complex Tasks

An optional high-precision automatic dispersant dosing system is available. This system integrates seamlessly with the instrument’s intelligent SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), automatically adding a precise, quantitative amount of dispersant during the test according to pre-set methods. This completely eliminates random errors associated with manual addition, ensuring high consistency in sample preparation and significantly enhancing the reliability, repeatability and automation of test results.

1  Operational Error Protection System — Intelligent Safeguards, No Fear of Mistakes

A comprehensive, intelligent error-proofing system is built-in, combining hardware interlocks with intelligent software logic. The system detects non-compliant operations in real time, immediately triggering active alerts and halting the process; it ignores invalid commands, thereby fundamentally preventing hardware damage caused by human error. This significantly enhances the equipment’s durability and operational safety, giving you complete peace of mind.

1  Intelligent Real-time Dew Point Monitoring and Early Warning System — Anticipating Risks Before They Arise

Designed specifically to safeguard the measurement accuracy of the laser particle size analyser in harsh environments. This system integrates high-precision sensors with intelligent algorithms to monitor the micro-environmental conditions within the instrument’s core optical system in real time, enabling proactive prediction of condensation risks. By issuing immediate risk control alerts and intervening proactively before physical phenomena occur, it fundamentally prevents data deviations caused by light scattering due to condensation on the optical window, ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of particle size distribution results.

1   High Repeatability

The NKT5600-H offers excellent repeatability, with measurement results remaining highly consistent across multiple experiments, typically maintaining the error margin within an extremely narrow range. This outstanding repeatability stems from the instrument’s precision optical system design and stable laser source, which ensure that the conditions for collecting particle light scattering signals are identical in every test. Whether testing consecutive batches of samples or measuring the same sample at different time points, the laser particle size analyser provides stable and reliable particle size distribution data. This effectively mitigates the impact of human operational variations and environmental fluctuations on results, offering robust data support for quality control in both scientific research and industrial production.

1 High accuracy and resolution

The NKT5600-H offers excellent accuracy and resolution. Through its precise optical system and advanced data processing algorithms, it is capable of performing high-precision particle size distribution measurements on particulate samples. In terms of accuracy, the instrument utilises a stable laser light source to ensure uniform and consistent beam intensity. Combined with a precision detector array, this keeps measurement errors within an extremely narrow range—typically within ±0.5%—accurately reflecting the sample’s true particle size characteristics. In terms of resolution, the laser particle size analyser can clearly distinguish between particle populations of different sizes; even minute differences in particle size can be effectively identified. Its resolution reaches the 0.01-micrometre level, meeting measurement requirements across a wide range of particle sizes, from the nanometre to the millimetre scale.