Alicat Scientific has expanded its Gas Select firmware to include a library of up to 130 preloaded gases, referenced to NIST Prop 9, and an industry-first utility for defining mixed gas compositions. New to Gas Select 5.0, the COMPOSER utility gives users the ability to quickly program and store up to 20 personalized gas compositions directly on Alicat mass flow meters and mass flow controllers. With COMPOSER’s capabilities, Alicat devices adapt to a range of laser manufacturing applications and users’ changing needs.
The Gas Select firmware comes standard on all Alicat mass flow meters and controllers. Version 5.0’s expanded library now includes up to 130 preloaded full gas calibrations, depending on the Alicat instrument series. In addition to many pure gases, Gas Select 5.0 includes six gas mixes common for carbon dioxide and helium-neon lasers. The library has also been updated to include complete NIST Ref Prop 9 gas properties data for the preloaded gases and gas mixes.
For precise control of virtually any type of laser gas, the COMPOSER module brings a new level of customization and flexibility to accurate mixed gas measurement. Using the device’s integrated digital display, users can define gas compositions to 0.01% for each of up to five constituent gases. Up to 20 laser gas mixes can be created and stored simultaneously on each device. Users who operate Alicat instruments via computer can generate gas lists for multiple devices in seconds with single line RS-232 commands. As personalized gas compositions can be added or deleted quickly, Alicat instruments easily adapt to different flow needs in the future.