AKI makes intricate new particle analyser that leaves customer Malvern Instruments beaming

Technical plastics moulder A K Industries (AKI) of Hereford manufactures thousands a month of a new and improved Zetasizer™ particle analyser for Malvern Instruments and tests 100% of them. The unit, a disposable capillary cell, will measure particles as small as six nanometres.

The measurement cell in clear polycarbonate, 55mm overall length, is supplied to the customer Malvern Instruments as a finished product complete with gold-plated electrodes moulded into the component. A highly sophisticated insert carrier loads these terminals into the mould tool with extreme precision.

After the gold-plated terminals have been inserted, one each side, the two halves of the casing are ultrasonically welded together. The polycarbonate material partially encapsulates the terminals.

The three most important technical requirements are optical clarity for the laser beam, to eliminate laser scatter, the accuracy of the capillary and the watertight sealing design. Tight sealing between the two ultrasonically welded halves safely retains the liquid at all times for the particle analysis process.

The special manufacturing cell at AKI dedicated to this product comprises moulding, insertion, ultrasonic welding, in-line inspection, testing and packing. Each unit is pressure-tested for leakage and then checked on a shadowgraph for optical clarity: a new raft of test equipment is currently under development.

Further details from: Allen Green, Tel: +44 (0)1432 375 100, email: [email protected], Web: www.aki.co.uk