Pittcon 2018

Off-topic conversations and chit-chat.

12 posts Page 1 of 1
Anyone going to Pittcon this year?

Looks like I will be going for a few days this time, just wondering if anyone else here might be attending.
The past is there to guide us into the future, not to dwell in.
I will be there. I'm actually flying out tomorrow and taking a short course over the weekend. Taking a couple other half day short courses throughout the week. This will be my first Pittcon that I will be attending so I'm looking forward to the experience.
Zoraku wrote:
I will be there. I'm actually flying out tomorrow and taking a short course over the weekend. Taking a couple other half day short courses throughout the week. This will be my first Pittcon that I will be attending so I'm looking forward to the experience.


It isn't quite as big as it used to be, but I am sure you will enjoy the experience. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes :)

I am flying down Sunday afternoon and back on Thursday morning, taking a couple first timers with me. If you happen to see my name tag as you walk around feel free to say hello :)
The past is there to guide us into the future, not to dwell in.
James_Ball wrote:
Zoraku wrote:
I will be there. I'm actually flying out tomorrow and taking a short course over the weekend. Taking a couple other half day short courses throughout the week. This will be my first Pittcon that I will be attending so I'm looking forward to the experience.


It isn't quite as big as it used to be, but I am sure you will enjoy the experience. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes :)

I am flying down Sunday afternoon and back on Thursday morning, taking a couple first timers with me. If you happen to see my name tag as you walk around feel free to say hello :)


Certainly, I am taking a course over the weekend and two other classes during the week but it will definitely be interesting to meet some people and do some networking. A trip to Orlando on the company dime, always worth it right? :)
Zoraku wrote:
James_Ball wrote:
Zoraku wrote:
I will be there. I'm actually flying out tomorrow and taking a short course over the weekend. Taking a couple other half day short courses throughout the week. This will be my first Pittcon that I will be attending so I'm looking forward to the experience.


It isn't quite as big as it used to be, but I am sure you will enjoy the experience. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes :)

I am flying down Sunday afternoon and back on Thursday morning, taking a couple first timers with me. If you happen to see my name tag as you walk around feel free to say hello :)


Certainly, I am taking a course over the weekend and two other classes during the week but it will definitely be interesting to meet some people and do some networking. A trip to Orlando on the company dime, always worth it right? :)


Looks like we didn't run into each other but it was a good trip :)

The only bad thing about the trip for me was having to drive 45 minutes to the neighboring airport for a flight back home that left at 8am. Had to be up at 3am(4am local time but hour) just to make it to the airport. Definitely want to make my own travel plans next time!
The past is there to guide us into the future, not to dwell in.
James_Ball wrote:
Zoraku wrote:
James_Ball wrote:

It isn't quite as big as it used to be, but I am sure you will enjoy the experience. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes :)

I am flying down Sunday afternoon and back on Thursday morning, taking a couple first timers with me. If you happen to see my name tag as you walk around feel free to say hello :)


Certainly, I am taking a course over the weekend and two other classes during the week but it will definitely be interesting to meet some people and do some networking. A trip to Orlando on the company dime, always worth it right? :)


Looks like we didn't run into each other but it was a good trip :)

The only bad thing about the trip for me was having to drive 45 minutes to the neighboring airport for a flight back home that left at 8am. Had to be up at 3am(4am local time but hour) just to make it to the airport. Definitely want to make my own travel plans next time!


I looked around for your name but didn't see it. I saw a few James, but no James Ball. I enjoyed it for my first trip. The classes were beneficial. While a lot of the talks were interesting, I had trouble being able to translate them directly to industry as many of them were very specific to academic type projects but very useful information nonetheless.

I think it's something I'd definitely attend in the future, but probably shorten the trip. Being there for the entire duration was a bit redundant. Especially when I only had classes on Monday and Wednesday. I spent Tuesday at the expo and Thursday just felt like a waste of being there to be honest.
It is definitely not as large of a show as it used to be. It used to take three days just to walk through all of the vendors on the expo floor. I remember when Fisher Scientific had a "booth" near the center of the expo that was larger than my house with 50 sales reps roaming around it. Shimadzu has one of the larger booths along with VICI, but there used to be 10-15 vendors with booths like that.

If the VR guy near the first row can make his idea work, then there won't be much need for trade shows, they had a good demo of using VR to show clients your equipment without even needing to bring it on site.

I did make contact with someone from Wheaton to talk about vials to use for reduced volume extraction. It went along with a long running topic here a while back, switching to 100ml sepfunnel type extractions using conical bottom centrifuge tubes. We also talked about redesigning HPLC solvent containers so they didn't have the concave bottoms making it difficult to get the last bit of solvent out, which I am sure many of us have wanted. It would keep us from laying the bottles at a 45 degree angle to try and get that last drop of mobile phase out of them :)
The past is there to guide us into the future, not to dwell in.
Ah yes the old tilt the mobile phase container and hope it doesn't actually fall over throughout the night to be able to use up all the mobile phase.

I'm surprised something like that isn't more mainstream to be honest, it would be very handy to have that kind of large container to use for mobile phases.
Google "Kimble HPLC reservoir".
scottythree wrote:
Google "Kimble HPLC reservoir".


The guy from Wheaton also worked with Kimble and we were discussing that container and the fact it is so expensive since it is actually made from three separate pieces of glass that are bonded(welded) together. The idea we came up with was simply a normal GL45 threaded 1L-2L bottle with a bottom that was thicker on one side than the other that would give the bottom a slope instead of a convex interior. Simple but effective.
The past is there to guide us into the future, not to dwell in.
James_Ball wrote:
scottythree wrote:
Google "Kimble HPLC reservoir".


The guy from Wheaton also worked with Kimble and we were discussing that container and the fact it is so expensive since it is actually made from three separate pieces of glass that are bonded(welded) together. The idea we came up with was simply a normal GL45 threaded 1L-2L bottle with a bottom that was thicker on one side than the other that would give the bottom a slope instead of a convex interior. Simple but effective.



Considering budget issues, I agree. I'm not getting approved to spend 2500$ on 8 HPLC mobile phase containers. A cheaper and effective substitute would be great.
I'm sure it would be very easy to produce a plastic-coated bent-wire (I mean properly: like is used for drying racks, Winchester carriers, and numerous other applications) stands, to hold Duran bottles in standard sizes at a slight tilt without a risk of falling over. They could have a secondary use as stands on the bench for people pipetting repeatedly for easy ergonomic access.

There are a lot of things in hplc that are shockingly expensive. I nearly had a crisis last time I had to source lids for solvent waste bottles.
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