Waters Corp.: ACQUITY UPLC H-Class System; HPLC Simplicity with UPLC Performance

Waters Corp. recently introduced the new Waters ACQUITY UPLCH-Class System incorporating the performance of ACQUITY UltraPerformance LC (UPLC) with the operational familiarity of traditional high performance liquid chromatography. This combination of performance, simplicity and flexibility is designed to help more laboratories realize the scientific and business benefits of sub-2-µm (micron) particle column technology by making it more accessible to a broader range of industries, applications and operators.
With systems currently installed in Waters’ demonstration laboratories worldwide, the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class is ready for customer shipping today.

“Working closely with our customers, it became obvious that the immediate next step for UPLC was to more closely link UPLC and HPLC to improve data quality, increase sample throughput, and reduce cost per analysis across a broader range of markets and entire enterprises,” said Art Caputo, president of the Waters Division. “Based on conversations with some of our key accounts, the introduction of the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class is the right system at the right time.”

Beyond improving chromatographic performance when running UPLC columns as well as fully supporting HPLC columns, the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class system closely emulates HPLC workflows making method transfer from HPLC to UPLC easier or more seamless. Furthermore, the introduction of ACQUITY UPLC H-Class allows organizations to standardize their approach to LC with a common technology platform that makes the future transition from HPLC to UPLC-based methods straightforward and practical - from product discovery through to product release testing.

“Having proven itself in the market under the most rigorous situations for the most demanding applications, UPLC technology has experienced a prolific adoption rate,” continued Mr. Caputo. “So much so that today’s HPLC users, many of whom are currently unable to or prefer not to change their approach to LC, are looking for the benefits from UPLC technology, but on their terms.”

The answer to achieving UPLC performance and benefits without fundamentally modifying HPLC workflows came in the form of the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class’ new quaternary solvent manager (QSM) and sample manager (SM-FTN), with flow-through needle design, thereby mimicking traditional HPLC system workflow. The featured QSM and SM-FTN on the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class combine to enable the chromatographer to achieve high separation efficiency using sub-2-µm (micron) particle separations at high pressures. The result is seamless upgrade of chromatographic capabilities.

Backed by a range of ACQUITY UPLC columns that include three particle substrates in 11 chemistries, all of which are scaleable between HPLC and UPLC particle sizes, the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class introduction is complemented by new ACQUITY UPLC Method Transfer kits. These new kits contain both UPLC and HPLC columns, with specified chemistry, and an ACQUITY UPLC Columns Calculator, all designed to take the guess work out of method transfer. In addition, Method Development and Method Validation kits are available to ensure efficient method development and robustness.

ACQUITY UPLC family
Six years ago, Waters pioneered a new category of chromatographic performance with the commercialization of sub-2-µm (micron) particle columns engineered in tandem with advanced instrumentation and fluidics modules to deliver superior performance at higher pressures through the introduction of ACQUITY UPLC. The result has been significant improvements in analytical resolution and sensitivity while increasing analytical speed.

To date, Waters has installed thousands of UPLC systems, replacing the workload of tens of thousands of HPLC systems, supported more than 500 peer-reviewed papers, demonstrated reduced solvent consumption up to 95 percent for greener laboratories, and has served the needs of regulatory agencies around the globe.

Today, the UPLC platform no longer describes a single system. In addition to the ACQUITY UPLC system, the original system, and the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class, the growing family of UPLC systems also includes the nanoACQUITY UPLC system and PATROL UPLC process analyzer.

The nanoACQUITY UPLC is designed for nano-scale, capillary, and narrow-bore separations to attain the highest chromatographic resolution, sensitivity, and reproducibility, especially for sample-limited analysis. The PATROL UPLC process analyzer moves UPLC analysis from off-line quality control laboratories directly to the manufacturing process, resulting in significant improvements in production efficiency.

The UPLC platform is focused on accelerating industry adoption of UPLC technology through a diverse range of systems based on a common, proven platform. Benefits of this approach reach well beyond targeted or individual laboratories. They are at the heart of today’s business, academic and regulatory needs, ensuring that scientific, operational, sustainability, and profitability goals are met.
For more information on the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class, please visit www.waters.com/hclass.