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CAMAG® HPTLC PRO – Fully automated sample analysis and evaluation system

With the launch of CAMAG® HPTLC PRO – the world’s first fully automated HPTLC sample analysis and evaluation system for me a dream has become true. Or are you still happy to transport the plates manually? With an overwhelming response, the first two Modules APPLICATION and DEVELOPMENT were officially presented at the ILMAC in September 2019. The other Modules DERIVATIZATION, DETECTION, MS-INTERFACE and PLATE STORAGE will be launched sequentially over the next two years. This groundbreaking invention allows for high-throughput routine analysis, and I do hope you are as excited as we are.

Markus Wyss, Ph.D.
CEO, Head Sales & Marketing

The TLC Visualizer 2 Service Manual has been updated.

Go to the TLC Visualizer 2 support page to download the document.

A new Service Information “SI19-056 Sudden crashes of visionCATS without error message” has been published. Go to the visionCATS support page to download the document.

The dates for the 2020 distributor training courses are as follows:

Service Training: 14–18 September 2020
IQ/OQ Training: 21–23 September 2020
Sales Training: 24–25 September 2020

Today, the CBS 123 has been released. This edition focuses on the all new CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM. Other topics of this issue are:

• PAHs in road surfaces
• Lovastatin and citrinin in red yeast rice products
• Analysis of purity of ginkgo products
• Pharmacokinetics of berberine
• Production and analysis of innovative plant extracts
• Chemotaxonomic discrimination of Clerodendrum species

Muttenz, Switzerland – 20 September 2019 – CAMAG, the leading supplier of High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) equipment, today announced the introduction of CAMAG® HPTLC PRO, a fully automated HPTLC sample analysis and evaluation system for all the applications you expect, including routine quality control.

HPTLC is the method of choice whenever complex and variable samples have to be analyzed. Using patented technology, the groundbreaking HPTLC PRO System allows users to exploit the full potential of the matrix-tolerant, flexible and state-of-the-art HPTLC separation technique. HPTLC PRO stands for speed, reliability, and cost efficiency with full automation. The system is capable of running analysis sequences involving up to five HPTLC glass plates (20 x 10 cm) autonomously. A built-in conveyor transports the plates from one Module to the next through the entire HPTLC process.

The HPTLC PRO Module APPLICATION autonomously applies up to 75 samples in one sequence. Accuracy and precision of each application is unsurpassed. The Module also features an optimized cleaning routine for sampling integrity.

Thanks to its new chamber geometry, the HPTLC PRO Module DEVELOPMENT enables full control of the gas phase prior to and during chromatography. This allows development with unprecedented reproducibility and significantly reduced time for equilibration. In addition, the circulation of the gas phase through the chamber during development is used to further optimize the separation of the target analytes. The choice between three different developing solvents permits flexibility to run several methods without interference of the operator within an autonomous sequence of analyses.

The HPTLC PRO Module DERIVATIZATION (expected 2020) combines patented, micro-droplet spraying of up to two different derivatization reagents with precise heating of the plate for highly reproducible derivatization. The fully autonomous Module features an automated nozzle cleaning operation after each spraying step. The HPTLC PRO Module DETECTION (expected 2021) generates hyperspectral data covering the UV and visible ranges by using polychromatic light or specific LEDs for excitation together with an imaging spectrometer. This technique revolutionizes the characterization and quantification of all analytes using HPTLC.

The HPTLC PRO Module MS-INTERFACE (expected 2020) will allow direct elution of zones from the plate using its integrated elution pump for subsequent mass detection. Any position on the plate can be selected via the visionCATS Software.

The HPTLC PRO Module PLATE STORAGE (expected 2020) hosts up to five plates prior and subsequent to the analyses in the HPTLC PRO SYSTEM.

visionCATS organizes the workflow of the entire HPTLC PRO analysis, controls the HPTLC PRO System as well as each individual Module, and manages all data evaluation and documentation.

The software option 21 CFR Part 11 enables customers to work in a controlled environment and to establish regulatory-compliant processes. Electronic signature processes and a set of log files are available to fully meet 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.

The CAMAG® HPTLC PRO System will be launched sequentially over the next two years.

About CAMAG

CAMAG invents high-end instruments for High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and supports its clients with analytical methods, training, technical services and analytical consultancy. Wherever complex substance mixtures are analyzed, HPTLC often is an excellent alternative to GC and HPLC or provides complementary information. Moreover, HPTLC has proven its value as a reliable quantitative analysis technique for the quality assurance of herbal medicines and dietary supplements, food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other industrial products. Since 1958, CAMAG is dedicated to the development and manufacturing of instruments, software and consumables for all steps of TLC and HPTLC. CAMAG products are truly Swiss Made and have an excellent reputation throughout the world.

Contact Details:

CAMAG
Sonnenmattstrasse 11
4132 Muttenz
Switzerland

www.camag.com/hptlc-pro

info@camag.com

Release Number: 2.5.18262.1
Release Date: 2018-09-19

Customer Support: For more information or support, please email us at support@camag.com

Introduction

This document contains the release notes for visionCATS version 2.5. The following sections describe the release in detail and provide late-breaking or other information that supplements the main documentation.

Installation and Upgrade Notes

Installation

See the installation instructions for full details.

IMPORTANT: You must completely uninstall any previous “developer release” or “early access” version of this product before installing this release.

IMPORTANT: When upgrading from visionCATS 2.3 (with or without SP1), the installer will end with a message “Please (re)install .Net Framework 4.6.1 or greater.” on machines having the .NET Framework 4.7 (either manually installed, via Windows Update or by default on Windows 10 Creators Update). This error can be safely ignored.

Manifest

This release consists of the following items:

Release notes
Drivers
Instrument Firmware
visionCATS installer
Example Files and Template Files (you may import them after installation)

System Requirements

Recommended:
3rd gen (Ivy Bridge) Intel Core i5 (i5-3xxx) or equivalent
Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 or AMD Radeon R9 270
8 GB RAM
Windows 10 Pro (or Enterprise) 64-bit
True color 32bits, Full HD (or higher) monitor resolution with a Windows Aero theme enabled
1 TB Hard Drive (frequent user)
Mouse with a scroll wheel and 3 buttons

Minimum:
3rd gen (Ivy Bridge) Intel Core i3 (i3-3xxx) or equivalent
Nvidia GeForce GT 750M or Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580
4 GB RAM
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
True color 32bits, 1280 x 1024 monitor resolution with a Windows Aero theme enabled
500 GB Hard Drive (occasional user)
Mouse or touchpad with 2 buttons

This version has been tested and released on Win7 64bit and Win10 64bit (see “Known issues” for detailed information).

For “server only” installation: This version has been tested and released on Windows Server 2012 R2 (domain controller excluded).

What’s new in visionCATS 2.5?

• Improved search in Explorer
• New concentration unit type choices in evaluation
• Analysis and Comparison Profile Wavelength view
• Peak detection in Comparison Profile
• HPTLC log in report
• Open as
• Notifications on analysis progress
• Profile viewer with docking or multi windows
• visionCATS Diagnostics

Known Problems and Workarounds

Issue: After re-installing with different server and instrument service ports, no instrument service are available.
WORKAROUND: Restart the service visionCATS Server.

Issue: The camera is not recognized anymore after the PC was in sleep or hibernate mode.
WORKAROUND: Some USB3 controllers have some issues with the camera, like the Intel® USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller. Restart the machine to resolve the problem, and disable sleep mode to prevent the problem from occurring again.

Issue: Blue screen when capture image with TLC Visualizer on a Windows 10
WORKAROUND: Go to Power Options/Choose what the power button does/Change settings that are currently available/Shutdown settings and disable the option “Turn on fast startup”

Issue: A click on the OK button of the message box appearing when an error occurs during a step execution, while the instrument is already executing a step of another analysis, causes an error to occur in the step currently in progress.
WORKAROUND: When the error message appears, click on the OK button before starting the execution of the other step.

Issue: The import of winCATS methods won’t import steps of instruments not supported in visionCATS, and some winCATS specific parameters will be ignored.
REASON: winCATS and visionCATS don’t exactly support the same set of instruments, and for each instrument, the exact same set of parameters
WORKAROUND: After having imported some winCATS methods, visionCATS will inform the user when some steps are ignored. In all cases, please review the imported methods.

Issue: After changing of the Visualizer, a Visualizer cannot be executed in an analysis already having images
REASON: Only one Visualizer can be used in an analysis
WORKAROUND: Redo the analysis

Issue: After changing of the camera for a Visualizer, an already opened analysis with a Visualizer step waiting for execution, or Visualizer Manual control or OQ may behave strangely (using the old camera, bad image corrections…)
WORKAROUND: Before changing of a camera, close all analyses with the next step as Visualizer and Visualizer views

Issue: After changing of the camera for a Visualizer, the Visualizer icon in the toolbox isn’t marked as having a bad Diagnostic
WORKAROUND: Restart the client

Issue: While using two Visualizers on a single PC, one or both cameras aren’t detected, or the camera of one Visualizer seems to be connected to the other.
WORKAROUND: We strongly suggest to use only one Visualizer per Instrument Service (PC)

Issue: No image appears in Data or in Comparison after the initial installation of visionCATS on the PC
WORKAROUND: Restart Windows

Issue: Sequence table doesn’t allow to drag and drop a multi-selection
WORKAROUND: Before clicking for drag and during the drag, hold SHIFT key for dragging a multi-selection

Issue: Application crashes after clicking on an image or opening a comparison
WORKAROUND: Update your graphic driver to the latest version

Issue: After installation, no visionCATS is installed. Also, the SQL Server service may not want to start.
WORKAROUND: Change the name of the user which installs the application, so that the username is different from PC and domain name

Issue: Instruments aren’t responding correctly
WORKAROUND: Check if you have an Intel(R) Active Management Technology – SOL COM port on your machine, and disable the corresponding COM port in visionCATS/General Settings

Issue: When using offline help, the display of some pages is very slow
REASON: the page requests an online resource that is not accessible, causing the slow down
WORKAROUND: use the online help when possible. If not possible, try using Chrome or Firefox (instead of Internet Explorer), where the slow down occurs less often.

Issue: visionCATS fails in Scanner/Scanner 3 Diagnostics if the Positioning-Test is started in the same session.
REASON: Scanner data of the new test cannot be stored for later processing. This does not invalidate the test results of the previous run.
WORKAROUND: Close the current Scanner Instrument Tab and reopen it. Attention: just switching between the Tabs inside the Instrument Tab will not prevent the failure. You need to close the Instrument Tab.

Issue: When installing visionCATS‘ client on machines with Windows of different language (different code page), or restoring a backup on a machine with Windows of another language (code page), all passwords are corrupted.
REASON: Passwords are encrypted using the code page of the local machine (client).
WORKAROUND: All visionCATS machines of a system (clients and server) should have the same Windows code page.

The International Association for the Advancement of HPTLC

The HPTLC Association was founded in 2012 as a private, non-commercial and non-profit organization according to Swiss Law. The Association’s goal is to promote the use of HPTLC in plant analysis and other analytical fields.

In May 2018 the Association elected a new Board of Directors:

• President: Eike Reich, Ph.D. (CH)
• Chair Method Review Committee: Maged H.M. Sharaf, Ph.D. (US)
• Chair Advisory Board: Prof. Salvador Cañigueral, Ph.D. (ES)
• Chair HPTLC-Symposium: Mr. Pierre Bernard-Savary (FR)
• Australian Chapter: Mr. Tom Sostaric (AU)
• Treasurer: Mr. Marcel Hug (CH)
• Honorary President: Prof. Beat Meier, Ph.D. (CH)

To read the complete CAMAGflash, please download the PDF below.

The Cumulative CAMAG Bibliography Service (CCBS)

The most comprehensive compilation of literature in the field of Planar Chromatography (TLC/HPTLC) is the Cumulative CAMAG Bibliography Service (CCBS). It covers more than 11’000 abstracts of TLC/HPTLC publications between 1982 and today. Providing reports was established by Dr. Dieter Jänchen in 1965. In the beginning, it only existed in printed form and since 2004 as an electronic database. The literature abstracts are collected by a qualified group of international referees and reviewed by Valeria Maire-Widmer (CAMAG) and our CBS-Editor Prof. Dr. Gerda Morlock. The database is updated twice a year and can be used free-of-charge. Just create your CAMAG account and test it!

To read the complete CAMAGflash, please download the PDF below.

CAMAG TLC Scanner 4 – the most advanced workstation for densitometric evaluation of TLC/HPTLC chromatograms

40 years ago, CAMAG brought out its first scanner specifically designed for the densitometric evaluation of TLC/HPTLC chromatograms. The scanner was featuring conventional electronics. Evaluation of data was effected via link to an integrator, mostly Spectra Physics. Around that time, the group of Prof. Siegfried Ebel had already fitted the Zeiss PMQ2 spectrometer with computer control and evaluation. He also computerized the CAMAG Scanner. Computer controlled analytical systems then where rather avant-garde and captured the market only slowly, particularly since several customers had various special requests, and Ebel’s group tried to meet such requests whenever possible. In 1986, CAMAG introduced its own software (Software 86, later CATS) and from that point on CAMAG Scanners were no longer available without computer control. Described on this page is the most advanced system for densitometry, the CAMAG TLC Scanner 4, operated with visionCATS.

To read the complete CAMAGflash, please download the PDF below.