SRC Technology

SRC Technology
The ultraWAVE is based on the SRC (Single Reaction Chamber technology), invented by Milestone several years ago (Patents pending). SRC technology achieves extraordinary performance capabilities combining microwave heating with a high-pressure reactor which acts simultaneously as microwave cavity and vessel. The ultraWAVE chamber is sealed, pressurized, heated, cooled, vented, and opened via a dedicated touch-screen control terminal. Loading a rack of samples into the chamber is the only manual operation in an otherwise fully automated process of microwave-assisted sample preparation. The outer surfaces of the vessel remain at room temperature throughout the entire microwave heating cycle. As a result, the ultraWAVE is dramatically less labor intensive and easier to use compared to conventional microwave digestion systems.
  • High performance. The highest temperatures & pressure capabilities and the fastest cooling time.
  • Increased throughput. Double throughput of traditional microwave acid digestion instruments.
  • No batching required. Simultaneous digestion of any sample type combination.
  • Ease of use. Cleaning of digestion vials is not necessary. No vessel assembly/disassembly.
  • Expertise and Support. 30-years experience at your lab with the Milestone Connect.
  • Compliance. USP 232/233 Chapters, ICH Q3D Guidelines and FDA regulation 21 CFR part 11.

Milestone e-Books


  • Elemental Analysis of Lithium-ion battery

    Learn how microwave-assisted digestion has become an essential ally for sample prep of battery materials before measurements by ICP-OES.
  • SRC Technology for Microwave Sample Preparation

    Compilation of multiple articles, industry reports and application reports for improving your microwave sample preparation.

Easy-to-use technology

for optimized workflow

Operating Sequence

Loading

1. Loading

At the core of the ultraWAVE is a TFM-lined reaction vessel. Samples are weighed into vials, and suitable reagents are added. Rack with vials is automatically lowered into the reaction chamber.
Closing and pressurizing

2. Closing and pressurizing

The chamber is sealed and pressurized with inert gas, which physically acts as a cap for the vials, avoiding boiling of the solutions and preventing cross contamination.
Heating and cooling

3. Heating and cooling

Microwave energy is applied, with all samples at the same temperature and pressure conditions. At the end of the microwave run, a cooling device rapidly lowers the temperature of the solutions.
Pressure release and opening

4. Pressure release and opening

The entire rack is automatically lifted up to facilitate the removal of the solution vials. As a visual aid for the user, the color of the backlit logo indicates the process status.

Digestion Vials

The ultraWAVE rack configurations include 4, 5, 8, 15, 19, 22 and 26 position and combinations thereof. Vials are available in TFM, quartz or disposable glass, and are fitted with loose TFM caps to ensure pressure equalization. Unlike conventional microwave digestion systems, no vessel assembly or disassembly is required. The use of disposable glass vials eliminates the cleaning step, further enhancing the lab’s workflow. The fast assembly of the vials, the automatic closing and opening cut the handling time, reducing the labour cost up to 50%.

Safety

Like all Milestone products, the ultraWAVE has been designed with operator safety of paramount importance: it has been developed for being used with any acid or combination thereof, and every single reactor is tested at a pressure up to 330 bar. A thick acrylic shield surrounds the working area, and runs cannot be started unless the chamber clamps are in correct position. Temperature and pressure are monitored 20 times/sec, automatically adjusting microwave power to control even highly exothermic reactions.

Any sample, any time

The benefits of SRC Technology

One Method for all Samples

Any combination of sample types (food, environmental, polymer, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, geological, chemical, and petrochemical) can be digested simultaneously; no need to batch samples into identical types. No method development is needed, as the same method can be used for nearly any sample. And for the first time, blanks and reference standards of any matrix can be digested alongside samples, enabling true in-run digestion quality control.
One method for all samples
R=Standard Reference. B=Analytical Blank.
The UltraWAVE is capable of processing in a single run different unknown samples along with certified reference materials and analytical blanks.

Superior Digestion Quality

Operating up to 199 bar pressure and 300°C temperature, the ultraWAVE enables the complete digestion of extremely difficult samples and of large amounts of organics, outperforming any other microwave digestion system. Unlike conventional microwave digestion systems, every sample is under direct temperature and pressure control, so there is no need to rely on a reference vessel or to an indirect control such as infrared temperature sensors.
The ultraWAVE reaches high temperatures faster, cools faster (10 minutes from 200°C to room temperature), and is capable of higher pressure and temperature than any other system. The ultraWAVE does not suffer of any cross contamination among samples. Blanks are significantly lower than with conventional microwaves, since less acid is used and vials have a much less surface in contact with the analytical solution.

Efficient and Cost-Effective

High Productivity

High Productivity
Typical sample turnaround time (number of samples in 8 hours).
Compared to any other conventional microwave digestion systems, the ultraWAVE is significantly easier to use, thus dramatically improving the laboratory work flow. Up to 26 samples are processed in 45 minutes start to finish. Ease to say that the ultraWAVE sample throughput is far better than any other microwave systems.
All samples are processed in a single run at the same temperature and pressure, eliminating the need to run multiple digestion cycles for different samples or matrices. The use of disposable glass vials eliminates the cleaning step, further enhancing the ultraWAVE productivity.

Low Operation Cost

The ultraWAVE accommodates inexpensive disposable vials.
Opening and closing the vessels, assembly and disassembly of the rotors are not required in the ultraWAVE anymore. The handling of the system is dramatically reduced, and tedious and time-consuming procedures are eliminated.
The technology used in all conventional microwave lead to create stressful conditions in the TFM vessels, substantially reducing their lifetime. The design of SRC technology in the ultraWAVE strongly contributes to the reduction of the running costs by using inexpensive and handy vials suitable for any metals and trace metals determination.

Smart software
designed around you

The ultraWAVE is controlled via a compact external terminal with an easy-to-read, bright, full-color, touchscreen display. Multiple USB and Ethernet ports are provided, for interfacing the instrument to external devices and to the local laboratory network. The terminal runs the Milestone easyWAVE, a completely new user-friendly, icon-driven, and multi-language software. Just recall a previously stored method or create a new one; press the Start icon and the system will automatically follow the user defined temperature profile using a sophisticated PID algorithm.
Hundreds of applications, including all US EPA methods, are preloaded, eliminating any need for method development.

Smart software
designed around you

The ultraWAVE is controlled via a compact external terminal with an easy-to-read, bright, full-color, touchscreen display. Multiple USB and Ethernet ports are provided, for interfacing the instrument to external devices and to the local laboratory network. The terminal runs the Milestone easyWAVE, a completely new user-friendly, icon-driven, and multi-language software. Just recall a previously stored method or create a new one; press the Start icon and the system will automatically follow the user defined temperature profile using a sophisticated PID algorithm.
Hundreds of applications, including all US EPA methods, are preloaded, eliminating any need for method development.

Milestone
Validation Package

The Milestone ultraWAVE allows for the complete digestion and the complete recovery of all elements of any pharmaceutical sample, as specified by USP 232/233, ICHQ3D and EP 5.20 methods. Different sample matrices (powders, tablets, liquids, etc.) are digested with a single microwave program. The instrument operating software is compliant with the requirements of 21 CFR Part 11. A comprehensive Milestone Validation Package is available, to assure the complete qualification of the instrumentation.

Real-life experiences and successes

  • Doubling your sample preparation capacity

    Eurofins lab profile
    Eurofins’ Trace Element Laboratory in Auckland, New Zealand offers different services including testing water, air, soil, waste and other products ...
  • Improving productivity and detection limits

    SYNLAB lab profile
    SYNLAB is one of the largest service laboratories in Europe. The lab needed units able to handle the growth in sample workload and improve its de...
  • Achieving optimum recovery of volatile elements

    Total lab profile
    Total Research and Technology Feluy (TRTF) is based in Feluy, Belgium and is the research and development center for Total’s refining and petrochem...
  • Reaching reach very low detection limits for trace metal analysis

    Unilever lab profile
    The Vlaardingen R&D facility in the Netherlands is the research centre for Unilever’s foods brands, and also the development centre for Spreads and...
  • Increases sample prep efficiency for pharmaceutical testing lab

    Exova lab profile
    Exova is a global provider of laboratory testing advising and assuring services to many of the world’s most innovative companies. Exova’s Santa Fe ...
  • Meeting intense customer demands and throughput

    Chemical Solutions lab profile
    Chemical Solutions Ltd. has developed an expertise in developing spectrochemical methods for the digestion and accurate recovery of extremely low-l...
  • Choosing the highest performing microwave digestion system

    Conserve alimentari SSICA lab profile
    Experimental Station for the Food Preserving Industry (SSICA) relied on hot block digestion systems that required long times to complete digestion ...
  • New research frontiers in analytical geochemistry

    University of Houston lab profile
    The ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) Research Laboratory in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at University of Houston specializes in ...
  • Ensuring rigorously-tested and verified medications for customers

    Valisure lab profile
    Valisure is the first and only pharmacy to independently batch-test the medications they receive to confirm the drugs are suitable for their custom...
  • Analyze different samples simultaneously without cross contamination

    Jordi Labs lab profile
    Jordi Labs is a leader in polymer analysis, serving a wide variety of industries including pharmaceutical, chemical and medical devices. For over ...
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