World’s Fastest Portable Passivation Tester for Stainless Steel

Pen-like probe delivers results in one second and stores readings for downloading

Published: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 11:31

(Koslow: Englewood, NJ) -- Declaring a major advancement in verifying the passivity of stainless-steel equipment used in processing and transporting pharmaceuticals, food, and other products, Koslow Scientific Co. has introduced the world’s fastest portable instrument for passivation testing and validation. Koslow’s Passi-Flash 3036, which resembles on oversized pen, works with all grades of stainless steel and is designed for convenient single-handed operation.

In less than one second, the Passi-Flash 3036 tests steel’s passivity, producing an immediate pass/fail signal and displaying the measurement in millivolts. The new instrument is also the world’s first passivation tester with built-in memory to store readings, which can later be downloaded to a spreadsheet, data file, or other digital document. Stored readings are automatically date- and time-stamped.

Koslow Scientific is unveiling the Passi-Flash 3036 on May 1, 2012, in New York at InterPhex 2012, a technical tradeshow for the pharmaceutical industry. The new instrument will be availablefor hands-on use and demonstration.

“The Passi-Flash 3036 is a huge leap forward in speed, convenience, and record keeping,” says Wolfgang Koslow, president of the 46-year-old firm. “With this new instrument, it takes about one-tenth the time to perform passivity testing, especially in facilities that record their test values.”

Passivation testing is performed regularly to verify that stainless-steel vessels, piping, and equipment are free of iron particles that can oxidize and cause contamination of products being manufactured, processed, or transported. Use of portable instruments such as the Passi-Flash 3036 allows manufacturers to test equipment themselves and on-site, rather than uninstalling equipment and taking it to an outside testing facility.

“Two of the major innovations of Passi-Flash 3036 are ergonomic,” says Koslow. “Our pen-probe design allows one-handed operation, which is great when testing hard-to-reach places. Also, our new ‘pop-on, pop-off’ testing nibs totally eliminate the manual application of test pads. This is a real time saver, and again, facilitates true single-handed operation of the probe.”

According to Koslow, engineers and technicians can use the instrument without special training. Tests can be applied on surfaces such as tank walls, pipe welds, pressure vessels, and valves. The Passi-Flash 3036 may also be used to ensure the passivity of medical devices and implants with stainless-steel components.

The Passi-Flash 3036 has a large, high-contrast LCD display and is also equipped with a mini-USB port, used for charging its lithium-ion battery and for downloading stored data. The product package includes a rugged, well-cushioned carrying case, a supply of 80 testing nibs with testing solution, and a CD-ROM with instruction manual and a spreadsheet template for downloading data. Every Passi-Flash 3036 is shipped with a certificate of calibration traceable to NIST and valid for one year.

The price of the Passi-Flash 3036, available online directly from Koslow Scientific Co., is $2900.

About The Author

Koslow Scientific Co.

Koslow Scientific Co. develops and produces electrochemical instruments and equipment for quality control and nondestructive testing in research, resource recovery, pharmaceutical manufacture, and the military. Its metal testers, passivation test kits for stainless steel, and analytical test probes provide repeatable testing results for the identification and verification of industrial and laboratory materials.