Alicat Gas Select 5.0 firmware for mass flow meters and controllers

Alicat Scientific has expanded its Gas Select firmware to include a library of up to 130 preloaded gases, referenced to NIST Prop 9 and a utility for defining mixed gas compositions. The Composer utility gives users the ability to quickly program and store up to 20 personalised gas compositions directly on Alicat mass flow meters and mass flow controllers. The utility allows the devices to adapt to a range of laser manufacturing applications and users’ changing needs.

The firmware comes on all Alicat mass flow meters and controllers. Version 5.0’s expanded library includes up to 130 preloaded full gas calibrations, depending on the instrument series. In addition to many pure gases, the firmware 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 customisation 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 their instruments via computer can generate gas lists for multiple devices in seconds with single line RS232 commands. As personalised gas compositions can be added or deleted quickly, the instruments easily adapt to different flow needs in the future.