Optical methods like UV/Vis-, NIR-, IR- or Raman spectroscopy are applied in many areas in chemical, pharmaceutical and food industry for a long time, mainly in off-line applications.
The biggest hurdle to use optical methods online is the problem of “window fouling”. The observation window is covered with material (bulk solids, sticky, pulpy type products etc.) and needs to be cleaned from time to time.
After assisting multiple tests with various customers and suppliers of optical measurement techniques in its labs, GEA Pharma Systems has recognized this and developed the Lighthouse Probe™ in cooperation with J&M Analytik AG. The combination of GPS’s expertise in containment, automation and pharmaceutical processing and J&M’s expertise in optics has resulted in a robust and reliable probe with in-line calibration and cleaning capabilities.
The Lighthouse platform ranges from manual to fully automated design, suitable for (and upgradable from) R&D up to (continuous) production. It stretches from a stand-alone on-line LOD sensor to a complete integrated solution capable of using online multivariate models.