FDC-1

• Rapid freezing of small samples using thermoelectric heat pump - no moving parts
• Temperature range -60 °C to +60 °C
• Fully automatic implementation of temperature profile
• Real time video recording with time and temperature overlay option
• Mounts on most upright microscopes
• Continuously adjustable temperature profile settings

Pharmaceutical biotechnology has drawn increasing attention to freeze-drying as a critical step in the development and manufacture of new therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Physitemp's FDC-1 microscope stage allows observation of the controlled freeze drying process for characterization purposes. The stage uses thermoelectric (Peltier) heat pumps to achieve product sample temperature as low as -60°C. Accuracy of temperature control is 0.1 °C.

The chamber is a cylinder 11/16" high and 4 1/8" O.D.. The bottom of the chamber is approximately 3/8" thick, and is cross drilled to allow circulation of liquid coolant which acts as a heat sink for the thermoelectric heat pumps. The top lip of the chamber is grooved (I/ 16") to accommodate an "O" ring vacuum seal for the stainless steel cover plate. A tapped hole in the wall of the chamber accommodates a compression fitting for attachment to a vacuum pump. A 1/4" diameter hole through the center of the chamber permits the use of transmitted light when viewing samples under test inside the chamber.

A second thermocouple is used to monitor the actual sample temperature and is imbedded directly into the sample. This thermocouple may then be connected to your PC for continuous monitoring of temperature via an optional temperature data acquistion card available from Physitemp. This card, called THERMES, will turn any IBM compatible PC into a precision temperature measurement device. The system is self-calibrating and will maintain 0.1 °C stability and clinical accuracy or better when used with Physitemp's highly accurate Type T thermocouples. The basic THERMES unit is supplied with a pre-calibrated cold-junction reference and single thermocouple input socket in a 25 pin DIN connector housing for connection the the THERMES board.