Copley Scientific has announced that its new pinning kits provide users of cascade impactors with a tool for maintaining the long-term performance of their systems.
Cascade impactors are a regulatory requirement for measuring the aerodynamic particle size of all inhaled pharmaceutical products.
Sample-laden air is drawn through a series of nozzles of decreasing size, causing particles to separate into a number of size fractions, on the basis of their inertia, depositing on collection surfaces beneath.
Nozzle diameter is critical for precise performance but erosion, corrosion and/or occlusion are common problems with continued use.
Copley Scientific's pinning kits allow the restoration of nozzle diameters that have decreased over time, by gently removing any occluding material, without damaging the instrument.
Instruments such as Next Generation (NGI) and Andersen Cascade Impactors (ACI) deliver the accurate aerodynamic particle size data necessary for assessing the in vitro deposition behaviour of an inhaled formulation.
The NGI and ACI pinning kits include a range of pins precisely engineered to slide into the nozzles of each stage of an impactor.
They allow users to restore nozzle diameter by gently removing any occluding material.
Regular use of the pins, if required, will ensure that performance is maintained between routine (typically annual) stage mensurations.
During stage mensuration, nozzle diameter is measured precisely to verify the performance of the impactor, and remedial action such as stage pinning is taken where necessary.
However, an out-of-specification result may possibly call into question the accuracy of all measurements made following the preceding mensuration.
Extending access to stage pinning allows for more effective regular maintenance, enhancing the routine user's ability to keep nozzle dimensions within the in-use margin.
