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- Posts: 193
- Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 11:10 pm
- Location: California, USA
I am writing this post with the hope that Agilent can deliver a better product in the future.
1/From the outside, all the modules are blank. There is nothing to distinguish between a UVD or DAD or RID or heater. All modules look similar. One cannot know if one module is operating. If the pump is running, I may hear a big noise, but I cannot know the flow rate. All modules have only one on-off buttons. All modules have one large front covers, and the covers can fall off easily.
2/ Many names are used for different modules, and they may cause confusion, such as G1632A, G1613A, G1362B, etc.
3/ The degasser unit makes loud noise.
4/ The pump used multiple channels and combined them at low pressure. There is no simple way to purge to remove air bubbles. There is no back seal washing mechanism. There is no inline filter for the combined mobile phase.
5/ The autosampler is the worst in many ways. I recorded a small video, and found that total time for one injection is 4 minutes.
The vial griper must move out of its home position, then aligns above the chosen vial, then descents to the vial, then holds the vial, then moves up, then moves to align with the needle, then drops off the vial on the injection port, then moves out. Then, the needle descents and penetrates the vial, and withdraws sample. Then, the needle is moved up, and the vial griper moves in, to take out the vial. Then, the vial is returned to its initial position, and the needle moves down to load the injection.
The bad design cause the huge delay. Other vendors have better design, such as Shimadzu: < 30 seconds for one injection.
Overtime, the aged griper may not move to the programmed positions, such as those in the back row. Also, the needle port may be contaminated with dirt and particles, and they lead to high back pressure.
The design also may cause high carry over. There is no mechanism to wash the needle.
6/ The UVD/DAD has a flow cell rated at 120 bar. The flow cell will pop easily.
7/ The RID has W-lamp that cannot be changed easily. Rated at 40,000hrs, the lamp must be changed by the factory (Agilent), together with internal mirrors, at a high cost (approx. 70% of brand new RID).
8/ The oven/heater has a deep trap for liquid spill, and it is not easy to clean this part.
Also, each time, when there is a leak, all the modules stop functioning, and they turn "RED." All the modules must be turned off, and turned on again, and we waste time for the UV lamp to warm up and re-start the connections.
9/ All units are connected by outdated CAN (control area network), except the detectors (RID or DAD) have a LAN card to connect to computer. It will cost >$3,300 for a new LAN card. User must know the IP address of the instrument.
10/ The chromatographic software (Chemstation A/B/C/D) is not compliant with 21 CFR Part 11 requirements. There is no audit trail, and no data security.
The OpenLab CDS will cost $50,000. (I have not use this new one yet).
Thank you for your time reading!
Alfred