Benchtop FID Gas Chromatograph

Parent Product

Benchtop FID Gas Chromatograph - QualiGC™-9802

Benchtop Gas Chromatograph with FID for Residual Solvent Testing in Packaging

The QualiGC™-9802 benchtop FID gas chromatograph measures residual solvents and odor-causing volatiles in printed and laminated packaging materials. Converters, printers, and brand owners use it to confirm that ethyl acetate, isopropanol, toluene, and other ink and adhesive solvents have dropped below their release limits. It ships ready for headspace work, with a flame ionization detector, column, vials, crimper, and data workstation in the standard package. A lab can start testing film samples without sourcing a separate detector or software.

Packaging labs face a simple question on every roll: has enough solvent left the film before it touches food or medicine? The QualiGC™-9802 answers it with a quantitative result for each solvent rather than a sniff test. The same instrument also checks incoming solvent lots for purity and composition, so the press room and the QC lab share one data source. Results from both tasks run through the included workstation software for traceable reporting.

Qualitest designed the QualiGC™-9802 to grow with the lab. TCD, ECD, FPD, and NPD detectors are available as add-ons, and the oven runs two detectors at once. Temperature programming reaches 400°C across three ramps, and a four-zone microcomputer controller keeps the column, injector, and detector on target. The oven accepts packed or capillary columns, so one unit switches between residue and purity methods.

Applications

The QualiGC™-9802 fits any operation that prints, laminates, or packs products in flexible or rigid plastic. Common uses include:

Flexible Packaging Converters: release testing of printed films and laminates for residual ink and adhesive solvents before shipment
Food Packaging Compliance: verifying that solvent levels in food-contact pouches, lidding films, and wrappers stay below customer and regulatory limits
Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging: checking blister films, sachets, and labels for solvent residues that could migrate into the product
Odor Complaint Investigation: identifying the specific volatile compound behind an off-odor in finished packaging
Printing Ink and Adhesive Suppliers: confirming solvent composition of ink and adhesive batches and checking drying performance on test prints
Solvent Purity Control: measuring the purity of ethyl acetate, alcohols, ketones, and other process solvents on receipt
Process Optimization: comparing dryer temperature, line speed, and airflow settings against measured solvent retention
Packaging Research and Development: evaluating new substrates, coatings, and low-solvent ink systems during qualification

Key Features

The QualiGC™-9802 pairs a complete headspace starter kit with the thermal control and safeguards a busy QC lab needs.

Headspace-Ready Standard Package: FID, column, sample injector, headspace vials, crimper, fittings, and workstation software arrive together, so testing can start right after installation
Flame Ionization Detector as Standard: responds to virtually every organic solvent used in inks and adhesives with a wide linear range for low and high residues
Expandable Detector Options: add TCD, ECD, FPD, or NPD later, and run any two detectors at the same time
Four-Way Microcomputer Temperature Controller: digital readout and independent control of each heated zone keep runs consistent from sample to sample
Oven Control Near Room Temperature: holds the column at room temperature plus 10°C to separate the most volatile solvents cleanly
Three-Ramp Temperature Programming: shortens run times and sharpens late-eluting peaks without sacrificing resolution of early ones
Spacious Oven with Automatic Rear Door: accommodates packed or capillary columns and vents heat automatically to speed cool-down
Optional Injector Configurations: packed-column, capillary-column, and gas sample injectors let the lab change methods without changing instruments
Fault Self-Diagnosis: reports fault location and type on screen as soon as a problem appears
Automatic Over-Temperature Shutoff: stops heating if any of the four zones passes its setpoint, protecting the column and detector

Theory and Method

Residual solvent testing relies on headspace sampling and gas chromatography. The operator cuts a defined area of film, seals it in a headspace vial with the supplied crimper, and heats the vial. Heat drives the trapped solvents out of the polymer and inks into the gas above the sample until the vapor reaches equilibrium. A gas-tight syringe then draws a fixed volume of that headspace and injects it into the vaporizing chamber, where nitrogen carrier gas sweeps it onto the column.

Each solvent partitions between the moving nitrogen and the stationary phase coating the column wall. Solvents with a stronger affinity for the stationary phase move more slowly, so ethanol, ethyl acetate, and toluene leave the column at distinct retention times. The temperature program speeds up the later, heavier compounds and keeps each peak sharp. The workstation compares each retention time with a calibration standard to name the solvent.

The FID then measures how much of each solvent is present. Column effluent mixes with hydrogen and air and burns at a jet, where carbon-containing molecules break into ions. A polarizing voltage collects those ions as a small current proportional to the carbon mass entering the flame. The detector ignores nitrogen, water, and air, so the baseline stays quiet and solvent peaks stand out at trace levels. Peak area, scaled against standards and sample area, gives a result in milligrams per square meter.

Technical Specifications

General Specifications

Parameter	Specification
Model	QualiGC™-9802
Standard Detector	Flame ionization detector (FID)
Optional Detectors	TCD, ECD, FPD, NPD (two detectors operable simultaneously)
Carrier Gas	Nitrogen
Temperature Control	4-way microcomputer controller with digital display
Oven Temperature Range	Room temperature +10°C to 400°C
Temperature Control Accuracy	±0.5%
Temperature Resolution	0.1°C
Temperature Program Ramps	3
Ramp Rate	0 to 39°C/min
Temperature Program Repeatability	≤1%
Column Oven Dimensions	250 × 250 × 180 mm
Instrument Dimensions	500 × 540 × 480 mm
Instrument Weight	35 kg
Power	1500 W

Detector Specifications

Parameter	TCD (Optional)	FID (Standard)	ECD (Optional)	FPD (Optional)
Sensitivity / Detection Limit	≥3000 mV·mL/mg (benzene)	≤1 × 10⁻¹¹ g/s (n-hexadecane)	1 × 10⁻¹³ g/mL (γ-HCH, lindane)	5 × 10⁻¹² g/s (P); 5 × 10⁻¹¹ g/s (S)
Baseline Noise	≤10 μV	≤1 × 10⁻¹³ A	≤40 μV	≤40 μV
Baseline Drift	≤60 μV/30 min	≤6 × 10⁻¹³ A/30 min	≤100 μV/30 min	≤100 μV/30 min
Linear Range	10⁵	10⁷	10⁴	10⁴
Stabilization Time	≤2 h	≤1 h	≤2 h	≤1 h

Standard Configuration

Item	Description
Main Unit	Gas chromatograph with column oven and four-zone temperature control
Flame Ionization Detector (FID)	Standard detector for organic solvent analysis
Chromatographic Column	Separation column for solvent analysis
Data Workstation and Software	Acquires chromatograms and calculates qualitative and quantitative results
Sample Injector	Introduces headspace or liquid samples into the vaporizing chamber
Headspace Vials	Sealed vials for film sample conditioning
Vial Crimper	Seals headspace vials before heating
Installation Fittings	Gas line and column connection hardware

Optional Items

Item	Description
Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD)	Universal detector for fixed gases and inorganic compounds
Electron Capture Detector (ECD)	Trace detection of halogenated compounds
Flame Photometric Detector (FPD)	Selective detection of sulfur and phosphorus compounds
Nitrogen-Phosphorus Detector (NPD)	Selective detection of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds
Additional Chromatographic Columns	Columns for alternative methods and sample types
Packed, Capillary, and Gas Sample Injectors	Alternative inlet configurations