Bellingham + Stanley has been manufacturing refractometers for over a century and the latest refractometers build on that legacy. The instrument’s new case is ergonomically designed so that any spills are dealt with by the sloping shape of the case or by the PEEK spill barrier that surrounds the shallow, easy-clean stainless steel prism dish. The prism dish is shaped to hold sufficient sample for measurement whilst regaining a large enough surface area for rapid temperature stabilisation to occur. A Kalrez® gasket has been chosen as the prism seal due to its almost impermeable nature to most chemicals. The sample cover forms a seal to prevent evaporation, particularly important when working with volatile solutions such as aromatic oils, and is interchangeable so that a presser type can be fitted for more viscous samples.

Inherent to the new design is the new high definition, capacitive touchscreen display that not only facilitates operation in factory environments, even when operated whilst wearing gloves, but also serves as the centrepiece for the new software. Combined, the touchscreen and GUI help the operator quickly manoeuvre through the user and configuration menus. 

On-screen graphical prompts support simple operation such as method loading, calibration and routine maintenance.

RFID swipe technology comes as standard, providing clearance and a log of operator and configuration functions – especially useful when being used in FDA-regulated environments operating in accordance with 21 CFR Part 11, or where good practice is adopted, e.g. as part of HACCP. To find out more about the RFM900-T Series refractometers' ability to comply with 21 CFR Part 11 please take a look at our video below.

Measurements with the RFM900-T are made through a familiar measuring mode or by way of a simple Methods system with one-touch configuration of scale, temperature and data storage, with up to 4000 results being saved alongside pre-set limits that can be used as an audit tool. Methods may be user-defined or selected from the on-board library, such as the PHR-MEAN method that allows a number of individual readings from a single batch of pharmaceutical product to be measured with the resultant mean being displayed and recorded in accordance.

Methods for petrochemical applications include ASTM D 1218, D 1747 and D 5006. Additionally, a method is included for ASTM D 2140 that requests external data input of viscosity, density and relative density so that calculation of carbon-type composition of electrical insulating oil used to cool high-power transformers may easily be calculated without the need to visually interpret difficult correlation charts.

RFM900-T Series refractometers are supplied with free software for your PC so that when connected to a network via Ethernet connection, the instrument can be remotely handed by an external service or support centre for diagnostics or even be used for training or installation qualification.

USB ports are standard and facilitate connections to peripherals including an external keyboards, barcode readers or memory sticks. Memory sticks can be used to transfer secure files or as part of a “Back-up & Clone” process that allows rapid configuration interchange across a number of instruments at a customer site or for setting up hire equipment on loan for a short period of time.