The Lab Manager’s Guide to Navigating Instrument Discontinuation
Maintaining your laboratory’s fleet of LC-MS instruments is crucial to the accuracy and reliability of analytical results, ensuring timely test outputs and steady revenue generation for the lab.
Coupled with design changes in new instrumentation by major manufacturers severely restricting the freedom of end users to troubleshoot everyday instrument issues like optic cleanings themselves, it is more important than ever to know your options when it comes to the longevity of your vital instruments.
We have compiled a list of actionable steps that your lab can take to mitigate these issues and extend the life of your mass spec instruments.
Know Your Options When Your Instrumentation is Slated to Be Discontinued
When you learn that your existing instruments are being discontinued, you may think that your only option is to stockpile manufacturer-produced parts immediately or retire the instruments entirely and invest in new models.
Just because a model is discontinued, doesn’t mean you have to stop using it.
Elite's discontinuation multi-year contract commitments support your instruments well past the slated date. We work with you to give your instrument the service extension you need for your lab services. Via this commitment, we tailor this service to you. By pre-purchasing critical parts that will otherwise be unobtainable by the discontinuation date. Elite gives you the control, the service, and the options for your instruments in stark contrast to arbitrary OEM timelines.
Replacement of LC-MS instruments is inevitable, but you do not have to navigate that transition alone. Partnerships with a company like Elite LC-MS offer you flexibility when taking the proactive approach to ensuring maximum up-time. A multi-year service contract affords you flexibility on timeline and approach as your instruments age. Navigate sourcing refurbished instruments or parts with a partner able to handle everything from end to end.
Here are benefits to partnering with a fully capable service company to handle the preventative maintenance and periodic replacements needed to keep your lab running at peak performance:
Consider Partnering Proactively in Preparation for Instrument Updates
Partnering with engineers who are able to help you determine your all-in budget and locate the appropriate replacement part will ensure that you can be back up and running promptly.
At the start of our contracts, we work with our customers to purchase instruments and replacement parts for any future repair needs. This could allow labs to keep using discontinued instruments for an additional five to ten years before investing in replacements.
Following a deep clean, each unit will then go through a thorough round of testing. The units will first be tested for leaks and pressure stability. The autosampler functions are also tested for accuracy.
Finally, when it has been confirmed that everything is in working order, the pumps will be reinstalled in a brand-new, custom-designed phenolic resin table. With a comprehensive refurbishment process like this, you can be certain to get the most life out of each instrument.
Installation and End-To-End Performance Validation
While they may still be functional, there will likely be a degree of internal build-up that can skew results. Flow Rate Accuracy is tested to ensure that it meets manufacturer specifications.
It is standard practice to likewise thoroughly test, inspect, clean and lubricate all critical components of the hardware. If needed, heavily worn components will be replaced.
REPLACE OR REPAIR
COMPONENTS
Every so often, it is beneficial to upgrade the exterior of your instruments. Over time the components will need to be replaced, repainted or powder-coated to give them a like-new appearance.
REPLACE OR RECONDITION
EXTERIOR
Future-proof your ARIA instruments for another 10-15 years
Working with ARIA systems provide labs with distinctly more options for your instrumentation. Depending on your current configuration, you could add additional channels, upgrade or remanufacture pumps and autosamplers, and give your instrument another 10 years of reliable throughput.
You have options to keep your ARIA Transcend systems running as is or with a pump and autosampler upgrade for 10-15 more years, even with the new barriers being put in place by original instrument manufacturers. Like any instrument, Aria Transcend systems, new and old, were built to last. The multi-channel throughput, flexibility, and user experience is still unmatched on the LC side of analytical chemistry. With no viable alternative currently available, allow Elite LCMS to preserve these instruments and their benefits for the future.
Elite uniquely specializes in the support, service, and deployment of legacy and new Aria Transcend systems. We maintain a support base of over 100 of these instruments including Agilent- and Shimadzu- based configurations. We’ve developed future proofing options for our customers to aid them in retaining the high throughput they provide while also navigating OEM obstacles for the platform.
What’s more, you can have the power to manage your analytical instruments the way you need to without relying on any one manufacturer. Both legacy and new iterations of the Aria software offer varying degrees of options for longevity and modernization.
Contamination can significantly impact both the performance and lifespan of LC-MS instruments. To reduce contamination:
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Use a Divert Valve: Install a divert valve between the HPLC and MS systems to introduce only the peaks of interest into the MS, preventing unnecessary contaminants from entering the system.
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Sample Preparation: Implement adequate sample preparation techniques. For relatively clean samples, simple filtration may be sufficient. For more complex samples, robust methods such as solid-phase extraction (SPE) can effectively remove dissolved contaminants.
This approach helps minimize signal suppression and reduces the frequency of maintenance required due to contamination build-up.
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Maintaining the appropriate pH in the mobile phase is critical for LC-MS operation:
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Volatile Additives: Use volatile acids or bases to control pH without introducing non-volatile residues that can contaminate the ion source.
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High Purity Additives: Ensure all additives are of the highest possible purity and use them sparingly. For example, formic acid can be a good alternative to trifluoroacetic acid to avoid signal suppression while maintaining sensitivity.
By keeping the mobile phase clean and volatile, you can significantly reduce contamination risks.
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Properly optimizing LC and MS parameters during method development is crucial:
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Infusion Method Development: Conduct infusion experiments to optimize parameters such as mobile-phase pH, ionization mode and source settings.
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Individual Tune Files: Keep specific tune files for different groups of compounds to ensure optimal performance.
This practice helps maintain robust methods and enhances the reliability of your analyses.
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Conduct Regular Preventative Procedures to Decrease Down Time on Instruments
When used regularly, these powerful analytical tools require that users adhere to a strict cleaning and maintenance schedule in order to ensure reliable and accurate results.
Following best practices within your lab can maximize the uptime of this instrumentation. Below are three key areas for focusing your preventative maintenance to extend the lifetime of your instruments.
Contact Us Now
Extend the life of your LC-MS instruments and replace on your own timeline.
Get in touch with us today to find out more.
Work With a Trusted LC-MS Service Company
Every LC-MS instrument requires regular cleaning and maintenance that needs to be conducted by lab users. However, it is also imperative that you partner with a team of experienced technicians who you can call when you are experiencing issues with any one of your instruments.
Working with providers who have multi-vendor expertise means they can walk you through advanced troubleshooting and can take on both sourcing and replacing difficult-to-find parts (including those that have been discontinued).
With decades of multi-vendor experience, Elite LCMS Services can partner with you to optimize your existing fleet of LC-MS instruments. With options for annual service contracts, instrument sourcing, and relocation, you can depend on our team to deliver the professional key account like service you deserve in every interaction. We are here to make sure you can focus on day-to-day operations and not the instruments.