60 years of Infrared Spectrophotometers

September 29, 2016

Shimadzu 60th IR Anniversary - Technological Driver and market leader

Shimadzu’s history in IR spans many technological eras /

From a single product to a complete portfolio of solutions /

Shimadzu, one of the world leaders in analytical instrumentation, celebrates the 60th anniversary of its IR-portfolio. Since the middle of the 20th century, spectroscopy has been at the core of Shimadzu’s analytical business unit and a main driving force in the company’s growth and reputation. Know-how, technological skills and innovative power have brought Shimadzu to a leading position in spectroscopy. Promotion of the 60th  anniversary was kicked off in September at the JASIS conference in Tokyo, Japan.

Shimadzu grew significantly under the leadership of Genzo Shimadzu Jr. in the first half of the 20th century. Genzo Jr. showed rare talent as a remarkable inventor, and under his guidance Shimadzu progressed hand-in-hand with science, building itself into a leader in technology. In this spirit, Shimadzu developed its first double beam self-recording infrared spectrophotometer: the AR-275. The instrument became commercially available in 1956 and was robust enough even for export overseas.

A brief overview of technological milestones

The AR-275 marked the start of an outstanding line of infrared products spanning 6 decades of innovation. Some of the most important Shimadzu milestones of the past 60 years include:

  • 1965: IR-27G
    First dispersive table top instrument
     
  • 1981: IR-435
    First instrument with data processor
     
  • 1984: FTIR-4000
    First Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer
     
  • 1990: FTIR-8100
    First FTIR with dynamic alignment standard
     
  • 2002: IRPrestige-21
    First FTIR with mid-near-far infrared measurement range
     
  • 2008: IRAffinity-1
    New benchmark for entry level instruments
     
  • 2013: IRTracer-100
    First FTIR with rapid scan function and LabSolution SW platform

Finally, in this 2016 IR celebration year, Shimadzu has launched the AIM-9000 FTIR microscope and failure analysis system. The AIM-9000 is intended as an instrument for all users. All important steps for micro-sample analysis; observation, measurement and analysis are highly automated, making this system also suitable for inexperienced operators. Combined with the IRTracer-100, the AIM-9000 offers a staggering S/N ratio of 30.000/1 and has a wide range of accessories for many different application types.

Software and hardware solutions

Shimadzu’s history in IR spans many technological eras. Today, the Shimadzu spectroscopy portfolio includes software and hardware solutions such as UV-Vis spectrophotometers, FTIR spectrophotometers & microscope systems, fluorescence spectrophotometers, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, Atomic Absorption Systems (AAS) and ICP-OES as well as ICP-MS instruments.

Web summary

Shimadzu celebrates the 60th anniversary of its IR-portfolio. Since the middle of the 20th century, Shimadzu has been a technological driver in spectroscopy. Know-how, technological skills and innovative power have brought Shimadzu to a leading market position. Shimadzu’s history in IR spans many technological eras, from analog to digital in the 80s of last century to the FTIR technique. Today, Shimadzu provides a wide and diverse portfolio of spectroscopy software and hardware solutions.

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