PYRO HIGH THROUGHPUT

Advanced Microwave Muffle Furnace

The new Milestone PYRO is an advanced microwave muffle furnace ashing system of new generation. PYRO perfectly suits several applications including ashing, sulfated ashing, loss on ignition (LOI), residue on ignition (ROI), fusion and generally all high-temperature reactions under controlled conditions.

Rugged and durable construction

STANDARD 1 YEAR WARRANTY!

While ashing is a relatively simple process, conventional muffle furnaces are often inefficient, leading to tedious and time-consuming procedures. The advent of microwave technology for dry ashing applications has represented a breakthrough in the process and quality control of samples like polymers, petroleum, food and feeds, pulp paper and pharmaceuticals.

Ultrafast Heating

Fast heating – 8 minutes only from room temperature to 1.000°C! This eliminates the necessity of running the system overnight, and avoids the lengthy heat up times associated with electrical resistance furnaces, dramatically lowering average power costs.

High Sample Throughput

High sample throughput – up to 24 samples simultaneously, thanks to the PYRO’s extremely large working cavity area

Three Different Setup

Three interchangeable configurations for several applications.

Application possibilities

LARGEST MICROWAVE CAVITY

Equipped with a full stainless steel door, the new Milestone PYRO microwave cavity has a volume in excess of 70 liters, thus allowing the use of a large muffle which in turn enhances the sample throughput. Additionally, a large cavity ensures that the outer temperature of the PYRO remains very low, even when the inner temperature of the furnace is in excess of 1.000°C.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

The new Milestone PYRO is equipped with the most advanced yet easy to use temperature sensors for complete control of the ashing conditions. These NIST-traceable sensors allow rapid verification and calibration of the furnace temperature for ISO and GLP procedures.

HIGHEST POWER

The PYRO is equipped with two 950 Watt magnetrons for a total of 1900 Watt making it the most powerful microwave muffle furnace system available in the market. The system additionally employs a rotating diffuser that evenly distributes the microwaves throughout the cavity, assuring a uniform temperature is achieved inside the furnace.

METHODS COMPLIANCE

The PYRO meets or exceeds the equipment requirements for electrically heated furnaces in the following methods: ASTM, USP ROI 281 and LOI 733, AOAC, FDA, ISO and DIN. It also meets or exceeds the requirements for applications listing a microwave heated furnace in the following methods: ASTM D5630-94 and ASTM D1506-94b.

A dedicated configuration for every need

The PYRO is available in 3 different and interchangeable configurations: ultrafast heating setup, high sample throughput setup and sulfated ashing setup; it is therefore the most flexible and adaptable microwave muffle furnace available in the market.

High Sample Throughput

The PYRO with High-Throughput Setup accommodates up to 24 Milestone quartz fiber crucibles. A unique, rugged, solid, microwave–transparent, ceramic muffle allows microwave radiation to pass through and rapidly raise the temperature of a silicon carbide plate. Sample crucibles are placed on a large clean quartz plate and an airflow is induced by a built-in exhaust system. A porous ceramic honeycomb frit built into the wall of the muffle furnace allows a constant stream of air to pass over the sample crucibles. The combination of microwave “superheating” and induced airflow results in a dramatic reduction of the ashing time. Furthermore, a large quartz tube located above the muffle conveys gases and vapors generated by the ashing process to the exhaust pipe. A very accurate and precise thermocouple monitors and controls the temperature inside the furnace. The sensor signal serves as a feedback control mechanism to regulate microwave power output and to maintain the desired temperature profile. Any type of crucible (metal, porcelain, quartz, etc.) can be used.

UltraFAST Heating

As the name implies, the PYRO with UltraFAST Setup has an extremely fast heating rate. A typical ashing temperature of 800°C can be reached in just 5 minutes, starting from room temperature! This eliminates the need of running the system overnight, and avoids the lengthy heat up time associated with electrical resistance furnaces, dramatically lowering the power consumption and cost. A circular heating element assures a perfect temperature uniformity throughout the cavity, largely exceeding requirements of ASTM, USP, SEMI and ISO standard methods. Temperature is monitored and controlled via a contact-less infrared sensor. Up to 5 crucibles are located on a ceramic tray, which can be easily removed from the muffle at the completion of the microwave run. The incredibly fast heating rate of this PYRO setup, combined with the properties of the Milestone UltraFAST crucibles, makes this configuration the best choice for all high-temperature applications requiring no heating/cooling inertia.

Sulphated Ashing

Ashing of pharmaceutical, polymers, and food samples often involves the use of sulfuric acid. Hot sulfuric acid vapors are hazardous to analysts and corrosive to equipment. Additionally, sulfate ashing methods are labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring manual fuming of the acid and 8-12 hours to be completed. To overcome these issues, Milestone has developed the Sulfated Ashing Setup. This PYRO configuration enables the analysts to add sulfuric acid to the samples and directly place crucibles into the microwave muffle furnace, without a preliminary charring step. Tedious handling of samples and operator exposure to acid fumes are totally eliminated. The system is designed for complete operator safety, and performs the complete sulfate ashing procedure in just 1 hour. Sulfuric acid fumes released from crucibles are continuously exhausted passing through a quartz tube and an air-cooled quartz collection vessel outside the unit. The fumes are finally contained and neutralized in a dedicated acid scrubber module.
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easyCONTROL

Operating Software

The PYRO is controlled via a compact terminal with an easy-to-read, bright, full-colour, touchscreen display. The terminal is provided with multiple USB and Ethernet ports for interfacing the instrument to external devices and to the local laboratory network. The terminal runs a completely new user-friendly, icon-driven, multi-language software to provide easy control of the microwave run. Simply recall a previously stored method or create a new one, press ‘START’ and the system will automatically follow the user defined temperature utilizing a sophisticated PID algorithm. Several applications, including all ASTM, USP, SEMI and ISO methods, are preloaded in the PYRO terminal. There is no need to input the number of crucibles or sample weights, as the software will automatically regulate the microwave power according to the temperature profile desired. This assures a consistent quality of the results and simplifies the use of the instrument.

Reduce your ashing time with the right choice of Crucibles

The type and the size of the sample crucibles have a great influence over the ashing process, both in terms of time and quality of results.

ultraFAST Crucibles

The UltraFAST crucibles allow the PYRO user to dramatically reduce the overall ashing time, from start to end. They are made of an innovative material that, although chemically and thermally resistant, allows the samples to be surrounded by a constant airflow which, in turn, accelerates the ashing process. Furthermore, the cooling time is so short that there is no need to use a dessicator prior samples weighing. Just 30 seconds are enough to go from 1000°C to room temperature. The UltraFAST crucibles are suitable for the ashing of any solid sample, such as polymers, pharmaceuticals, food and feed, cokes, coals etc.

Shorter ashing time
Fast heating and cooling
High chemical and thermal stability
Constant weight
Long lifetime

Self-closing Quartz Crucibles

The self-closing quartz crucibles and dedicated rack ensures fast Carbon Black Determination In Olefin Plastic and high reproducibility compared with the reference method ASTM D1603, thus avoiding the use of nitrogen. The vacuum generated during the release of combustion fumes ensures perfect sealing and an inert athmosphere the quartz crucibles, allowing for complete determination of the carbon black. The self-closing quartz crucibles and microwave heating allow for carbon black determination in only a few minutes, obtaining superior data reliability and reproducibility.

Over 90% Time Saving

SAMPLE	TEMPERATURE (°C)	TIME (MINUTES)
Pet Food	575	20
Milk Powder	550	20
Wheat Flour	900	50
Polypropylene	650	20
PVC	900	15
Coal	750	20
Heavy Oil	550	45
Rubber Tyre	550	45

Discover our Application Notes