Alphasense, the UK-based manufacturer of sensors for air quality monitoring and gas detection, has increased its production capacity, automated elements of calibration and upgraded software for its Optical Particle Counter (OPC) products to meet rising industry demand.
Alphasense invests in OPC production to meet demand. Image Credit: Alphasense
Since the launch of the latest iterations of its OPC-N3 and OPC-R2 products in 2021, Alphasense has seen demand grow significantly as air quality moves up the global agenda.
Extensive growth in the use of Alphasense OPCs in an increasing number of instruments, plus the success of a number of field trials leading to further adoption has led to Alphasense investing heavily in the supply chain, training and infrastructure required to meet capacity and satisfy future demand.
In parallel, the company has enhanced its bespoke software capabilities to enable a higher volume of concurrent calibrations. As a result of these improvements, customers will soon be experiencing significantly reduced lead times as OPC stock builds.
Additionally, Alphasense has refreshed its software offering, both improving the customer interface and giving users access to a range of features which were previously only available in-house. As the breadth of applications for particulate monitoring grows, this new feature will allow customers to configure devices to suit their specific applications more closely.
Unlike most low-cost particle sensors which measure particle count in a single size category and use that to estimate the volumes of others, Alphasense OPCs measure the full range from PM1 to PM10, giving end users reliable and repeatable data, not simply extrapolated values.
Will Parrett, Sales & Marketing Director EMEA at Alphasense, said: “Alphasense’s range of OPCs has been developed hand in hand with aerosol scientists and engineered to deliver the accuracy expected from industrial-grade monitors in more workable size formats, and at a fraction of the price. Going forward, customers can expect the same high-quality standard of product but delivered much faster.”
Both the wide-ranging OPC-N3 and the smaller footprint OPC-R2 provide digital outputs of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 (and optionally PM4.25) along with a histogram of particle count for each of up to 24 user-configured size categories. Alphasense’s proprietary flow correction technology ensures stable readings, even in high-dust environments; this is a key factor in several universities and research organisations independently verifying Alphasense OPCs as providing best-in-class performance.
For more information about Alphasense OPCs, visit https://www.alphasense.com/opc.