Packaging performance specialist RDM Test Equipment now offers the Neptune 803 gas chromatograph, manufactured by N.I.R.A., as part of its residual solvent testing range.
The move extends the company's existing heat sealing, barrier, and package integrity testing portfolio for the flexible packaging, food, pharmaceutical, and medical device sectors.
The Neptune 803 gives converters a faster route to residual solvent data than conventional laboratory gas chromatography, which typically takes 45 to 50 minutes per sample and depends on a controlled lab environment and specialist operators. Delivering results in as little as seven minutes, Neptune 803 is built for deployment directly on the production floor, including harsh, solvent-affected environments, removing the need to transport samples to and from a laboratory. A front-access measurement cell and minimal sample handling, with no vial sealing required, mean the system can be operated by trained production or QA personnel rather than dedicated laboratory staff. It complies with the EN 13628 and ASTM 1884 standards.
That speed, the company says, changes what residual solvent data can be used for. Rather than a retrospective pass/fail check, results returned within minutes enable production teams to identify drying or airflow problems and adjust process parameters before non-conforming material reaches slitting, pouching, or dispatch, reducing the risk of rejected reels, scrap, customer complaints, and rework.
Residual solvents - traces of volatile compounds left behind in printed or laminated packaging after drying - are commonly associated with solvent-based inks, coatings and adhesives. Left uncontrolled, they can affect aroma-sensitive products such as confectionery, chocolate, coffee, and tobacco, and can compromise seal integrity, shelf life and compliance in food, pharmaceutical, and medical packaging.
Phil Neal, Managing Director at RDM Test, explains: “Converters have always known when a drying line is drifting. The reels start blocking and the odour's not quite right. What's changed is the pressure they're under to prove it, not just sense it. Brand owners are tightening specifications, and packaging materials are now lighter and more sustainability oriented. These structures are behaving differently in the dryer than the materials they replace, and nobody wants to find out about a solvent problem from a customer complaint.
“Neptune 803 gives production and QA teams a way to check in minutes, on the line, rather than sending a sample away and hoping the answer comes back before the next shift starts. That's the core difference between reacting to a problem and catching it before it becomes one.”
For more information on the Neptune 803 or RDM Test's residual solvent testing capability, visit https://www.rdmtest.com.