Switching on the future - labs go wireless

More and more people are choosing to go wireless – is it time laboratories followed suit? Kate Whelan thinks so, and says that the humble pump is showing us the way

WIRELESS-BASED technologies are becoming an increasingly common sight in offices and homes, allowing immediate communication between devices such as mobile phones, computers and their peripherals. The technology’s clear benefits are reflected in the rapid prevalence of wireless-based devices across Europe. The wireless connection between phones, PDAs and laptops brings new levels of portability to people on the move, allowing rapid synchronisation and co-ordination of devices, as well as enabling remote transmission of new information and data. The lack of cabling in the office also has a number of practical benefits, providing greater flexibility in designing the office layout, as well as de-cluttering the environment and removing hazardous wires from desks and floors.

Despite the rapid uptake of radio frequency-based technologies in offices and homes, adaptation of wireless for laboratory instrumentation has been relatively slow to develop, even though the use of wireless scientific equipment could vastly improve a laboratory’s efficiency and operating environment. Many laboratory instruments are computer-controlled, either using buttons and displays attached to the instrument, or through a nearby PC. By switching to wireless communication devices to control the instruments, one panel could be developed to operate numerous functions for one or more instruments, and the equipment could be operated by the user at a distance from the instrument. This would provide great flexibility in choosing where to put instruments within the laboratory. Users would no longer need constant access to the instrument or its on-board controls, connected PCs could be situated away from a laboratory bench, data could be more easily transferred between multiple instruments and computers for analysis, and the clutter of cables could be largely removed.

However, such changes require more than simply developing a remote controller and inserting a radio frequency transmitter and receiver (transceiver) chip into the linked devices. Firstly, the instrument must be capable of relatively automated functioning with long walkaway times – there is no point in developing wireless control for applications or devices that require large amounts of user intervention. Secondly, all the technology controlling the device’s functions needs to be incorporated into a single panel that provides complete control of the instrument from a distance. Finally, the wireless-based devices must be combined with state-of-the-art, embedded electronics to ensure the maximum advantages of the technology, along with an easy-to-use intuitive control interface.

In April this year, KNF Lab, the laboratory division of KNF Neuberger, launched its first wireless laboratory vacuum pump. Vacuum pump systems are essential to many chemistry, pharmaceutical and research laboratories, and key features of modern vacuum pump systems are their high efficiency with regard to solvent recovery, as well as fast process times and extreme accuracy. However, the overall setup, comprising vacuum pump, condenser, separator and vacuum controller, takes up a considerable amount of space in the laboratory.

The new SC 920 from KNF Lab is a compact vacuum pump system with a wireless touch screen detachable handset for remote control of the pump’s four different operating modes, meaning the pump does not need to be located in the immediate vicinity of the processing equipment. The pump can be operated remotely, allowing flexibility within the laboratory and efficient use of space. The pump can even operate within a fume hood, for example, or in a cupboard, above or below the bench. The handset becomes the only part of the system on the bench, saving valuable working space.

The company say the pump is straightforward to control - all process parameters and units of measurement can be entered and adjusted with the wireless handset, using the simple touch screen and user-friendly control knob. The pump can also be controlled by a USB-connected PC using Windows-based software, and data can be transferred and exported to spreadsheets for displaying information.

The intelligent control system is a key feature of the SC 920 vacuum pump system - a pressure sensor measures the actual pressure in the system several times per second and a microprocessor monitors any pressure drop over time; the pump speed is then adapted accordingly. The vacuum pump system achieves an ultimate vacuum of 2 mbar absolute and delivers up to 20l of gas per minute. The pump’s diaphragm stabilisation system ensures high suction speeds, even at low pressures, and the SC 920 is suitable for most models of rotary evaporators, providing evaporation under vacuum to separate solvents.

The SC 920 pump was beta-tested by Dr Frank Hampel and his colleagues, who are involved in both teaching and research in organometallic chemistry and organic catalysis at the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy in the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany. After testing the pump for about six months in his teaching laboratory, Dr Hampel said: “The complete package of the pump and the remote control is really impressive, with its intuitive controls, quality of manufacturing, quiet operation and the ease of handling. The remote control allows you to save time and effort while maintaining safety, and represents a big new step for vacuum pump systems. The advantages will be even greater in industrial laboratories where legislation is even stricter concerning safety in the laboratory, especially where working desks need to be at a distance from the bench.”

With this early step into wireless systems for laboratories, KNF Lab has shown what key advantages can be had from applying remote control technology to even the most common laboratory equipment. There is much to experience and, as wireless becomes more common in all walks of life, the expectation of that same flexibility and remote control in the laboratory will inevitably grow. Perhaps, in the not too distant future, researchers and technicians will be able to control and run experiments from their desks and laboratories will become truly wireless