We’ve mentioned before that there are numerous viscometers on the market today, but not all viscometers are made alike. Not even all RheoSense viscometers are made alike!
All RheoSense rectangular slit method viscometers (USP chapter 914) are powered by our patented VROC® (Viscometer-Rheometer-on-a-Chip) technology, combining microfluidic and MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) technologies to measure dynamic viscosity over a wide dynamic range of operation. VROC® viscometers measure and deliver viscosity data with the highest accuracy and repeatability and offer several advantages compared to conventional viscometers and rheometers, including:
- Small sample size requirement (26µL – 100µL)
- Cost-effective
- Characterization of both Newtonian & non-Newtonian fluids
- Enable high shear rates without flow instabilities
- Prevent evaporation and contamination of samples
- Render high throughput due to a simple flow-through design
While all of our viscometers share many qualities and specifications, they also vastly differ in specifications and applications. We have previously shared a more detailed look at the software that powers each of our VROC viscometers, but now we are breaking down the capabilities and applications of the instruments themselves!
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microVISC is the ultimate solution for your routine viscosity measurements. This battery-operated, portable, small sample viscometer is intuitively designed so that users can start operating within one minute. Offering accurate and repeatable viscometry measurements using sample size as little as 100 microliters, this viscometer is ideal for quick, easy, and rapid viscometric measurements.
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m-VROC II is the leading small sample, high shear viscometer ideal for research and development It is used worldwide by Fortune Global 500 companies and leading research universities. Capable of the most demanding applications including small sample protein therapeutics, m-VROC II features the widest dynamic range (high shear rate viscosity measurements up to 1,400,000 s-1) with as little as 50 microliters of sample.
VROC® initium 1++
The VROC initium one plus measures viscosity with the highest accuracy (2% of reading) and repeatability (0.5% of reading). VROC initium one plus measures absolute viscosity as a function of shear rate across a wide temperature range (4 - 70°C), allowing for unique viscosity fingerprinting of your samples. Equipped with automatic sample loading, and sample cleaning, it can measure up to 4 samples per hour.
VROC initium one plus measures viscosity for sample volumes as small as 26 microliters with an intuitive software which allows automatic testing of samples on a 96 well plate or a 40 vial rack. The automated accurate intrinsic viscosity measurements you get with the VROC initium one plus provide the data you need to determine the molecular properties of your samples.
Each of our instruments has it's own specifications and capabilities. We know each application has it's own requirements and are making it easy to compare the capabilities and specifications of each of our VROC viscometers using the table below:
|
|
microVISC™ |
m-VROC® II |
VROC® initium 1++ |
|
Minimum Sample Volume |
100 µL |
10 - 15 µL |
19 µL |
|
Shear Rate Range s-1 |
1.7 – 5,800 1/s |
0.5 ~ 1,400,000 1/s |
40 - 140,000 1/s |
|
Viscosity Range mPa-s (cP) |
0.2 – 20,000cP |
0.2 ~ 100,000 cP |
0.3 - 1,000 cP (With Autosampler) 0.3 - 3,000 cP (Without Autosampler) |
|
Temperature Range** |
18 ~ 50 °C** |
4~70°C |
4~70°C |
|
Temperature Stability |
~+/- 0.07 °C |
~+/- 0.07 °C |
~+/- 0.07 °C |
|
Repeatability |
Up To 0.5% of Reading |
0.5% of Reading |
0.5% of Reading |
|
Accuracy |
Up To 0.5% of Reading |
2% of Reading |
2% of Reading |
|
Temperature Accuracy |
0.15 |
0.15 |
0.15 |
|
Temperature Sensor |
Built In |
Built In |
Built In |
|
non-Newtonians |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Software |
Optional - Capabilities export data into excel & PDF |
Included |
Included Optional - Clariti software |
|
Temperature Sweep |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Shear Rate Sweep |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Viscometer Dimensions |
5.7” x 8.5” x 2.8” |
10" x 15.5" x 7" |
28.2”x 14.7” x 7.6” (without autosampler) 28.2”x 14.7” x 28.5” (with autosampler) |
In mid-2020 RheoSense also began offering a supplemental piece to our viscometer product line – the Chip Cleaning Station. The Chip Cleaning Station is designed to simplify cleaning of your VROC chips between immiscible samples and is compatible with the m-VROC, microVISC, microVISC-m. You can use factory protocols, or customize your own cleaning protocols, to instruct the Chip Cleaning Station to thoroughly clean your chip in under 10 minutes* with just one click of a button!
Written By: Eden Reid, RheoSense Senior Marketing Associate
