Mettler Toledo Quantos automated powder dosing system

Mettler Toledo has addressed the everyday challenge of manually weighing hazardous substances and presents Quantos, an automated powder dosing system complete with process-specific safety enclosure.

Quantos offers a solution to reduce overall exposure risk, combining accurate automated powder dosing and a process-specific containment system.

Automation instantly removes the need for repeated exposure to a hazardous substance. The Quantos dosing head is initially loaded with compound; substance ID, quantity and date information are stored on the RFID chip; and sample dispensing can begin. Once loaded, the dosing head is never re-opened throughout up to 250 powder doses or during storage, and after use it’s simply discarded, reducing cleaning efforts.

An added benefit of automation is the controlled and reproducible manner of processing. Quantos dispenses accurately and reproducibly down to 1 mg (10 mg USP) into vials with an opening as small as 6 mm diameter. Eliminating spillage immediately increases process safety and results in cost savings due to less waste.

An analyst manually weighing 100 mg inside a safety enclosure typically takes 2-3 minutes per weighing. Quantos speeds up the weighing process itself to increase overall throughput and, perhaps more importantly, the drug is handled quickly and efficiently to reduce the time for airborne contamination and exposure to occur. 1-250 mg is dosed in 30-60 s and the system can be operated from outside a glove box. Up to 30 automatic doses can be achieved without user intervention with an optional Autosampler, Quantos QS30.

Exposure risk can also be significantly reduced by the correct selection of containment system for the process being carried out. A1 Safetech, the leading supplier of containment technologies, has worked with Mettler Toledo to develop a purpose-built safety enclosure for the Quantos QB1 powder dosing system, suited to the process of weighing powders and designed for ergonomic operation that is suitable for relieving the inconvenience of manually working inside an enclosure, especially with restrictive personal protective equipment. Together, Quantos offers a solution to address safety risks with the added benefits of higher dosing throughput through accurate, smaller sample sizes and reduced substance spillage.