How the PYRO XL works

Hardware

The PYRO XL is constructed using solid stainless steel and built specifically for the laboratory environment.
The chassis door, also constructed of stainless steel, has a ceramic fiber lining and is fitted with four micro-switches to automatically shut off microwave energy should the chassis door be opened. An industrial grade magnetron can deliver up to 1200 watt of power but is precisely regulated to apply only enough energy to follow the method specified by the operator.
Located in front of the magnetron, a rotating stirrer ensures equal energy distribution inside of the cavity to maintain temperatures to ± 5 °C.

Inside the muffle furnace

The temperature of a high-absorber material plate, located in the upper part of the cavity. Sample crucibles are placed on a large clean quartz plate and an airflow is generated by a built-in exhaust system.
Porous ceramic honeycomb frits built into the wall and the ceiling of the muffle furnace allow a constant stream of air to pass over the sample crucibles.
A large quartz tube located above the muffle conveys gases and vapors generated by the ashing process to the exhaust pipe, while the outer airflow maintains relatively cold the external temperature of the muffle.
Temperature is controlled via a high-precision sensor located in close proximity to the bottom of the ashing crucibles.
The sensor signal is used as a feedback control mechanism to regulate microwave power output and to maintain the user selected temperature.

User interface

The PYRO XL is operated using a stand-alone, color, touchscreen controller.
Running Milestone’s EasyCONTROL software, it provides the operator with a simple yet effective interface and has real-time monitoring and feedback of all microwave processes.
It also allows the operator to store a number of microwave methods which can easily be recalled for future ashing process.
This ensure uniformity of process regardless of who the operator is. All process parameters can be saved and exported using a Flash Card or USB stick.
Using Milestone’s EasyDOC software, all process data can be converted into standard database of spreadsheets formats like Excel.