10 years of Arc technology

10 years ago, Hamilton Bonaduz AG revolutionized the best way to continuously monitor and control bioprocesses. At the time, the development of Arc technology resulted in a significant, positive change for customers as it facilitates digital communication – a real revolution in regard to the established measurement with analog sensors.
Monitoring was completely redesigned, and the PAT framework was brought closer to reality. Today, it is impossible to imagine the industry without Arc sensors. They not only send an interference-free, digital, and compensated measurement value directly to the process control system, but also offer a wide range of GMP-compliant diagnostic functions that are recorded automatically. All relevant data and critical parameters can be collected and documented quickly and accurately. Regardless of measurement parameter (pH, ORP, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, cell density, or newly available CO2), the values are available in real time. This enables processes to be optimally controlled, improving the quality of the results while minimizing lost batches and time. Smart sensors allow calibration in the measurement lab or other controlled environments to ensure high reliability. “This technology also makes it possible to transmit all sensor data to the process control system (PCS),” says Global Sales Director Frank Wolpers, explaining how easy it is to use in practice. So users can view all information about each sensor remotely. Discrepancies or issues can be detected immediately for more immediate correction. The smart sensors can send alarms, troubleshooting information, quality indicators, and diagnostics to both the PCS and mobile devices. The history of each sensor is stored in the automatic GMP-compliant documentation so that the operator can see when it was used and whether calibration errors or warnings, interface errors or even hardware errors occur.
 “We have introduced an innovative CO2 sensor onto the market – CO2NTROL – the newest member of the Arc family. It will revolutionize CO2 measurement in bioprocesses thanks to a completely new development in optical measurement technology. This means not only is the handling improved compared to previous measurement methods, but it also significantly reduces the operating costs for customers,” Frank Wolpers sums it up and once again highlights the continuous research and development performance of Hamilton Bonaduz AG.