Pack HPLC Columns Yourself

Nowadays, HPLC is one of the most effective methods for the purification of substances in chromatography. The quality of the HPLC column and its costs are often a decisive factor for the successful manufacturing and marketing of a product. This is why packing preparative HPLC columns yourself, in your own column packing station, is a cost-effective alternative to the pre-packed columns.

Packing Process

Every user, regardless of whether or not they have experience in packing HPLC columns, can pack their own preparative separation columns in the best quality in just a few minutes using our column packing stations.

For the production of HPLC columns of the highest quality, a packing technique must be used that compresses the column material in the stable column tube, made of stainless steel, so that a homogeneous column bed is created. Only then can the self-packed preparative column be used for separation processes under high pressure and deliver beautiful peaks after the HPLC detector.

For packing, the column material is first mixed with a suitable solvent in a container to form an emulsion called a slurry. A well mixed slurry is a prerequisite to generate a homogeneous column bed during the subsequent pressing in the column tube. The slurry is then immediately poured into the column tube so that it cannot settle in the mixing container.

Now the column piston is inserted into the column tube. When the slurry is then pressed, the excess solvent escapes through the column outlet. Shortly afterwards, the specified packing pressure is reached and the pressing process is terminated. The packing pressure must be clearly stronger than the later operating pressure in the HPLC application.

Thanks to the optimally designed distribution plate and a frit on the movable piston, the substance is evenly distributed over the entire cross-section of the column witch in consequence results in optimal peaks.

If the HPLC column is to be operated with dynamic axial compression (DAC), it remains in the column packing station and the column bed is automatically kept under pressure by means of column pistons so that no dead volume can form at the column inlet. This massively increases the life span of the preparative separation column and, at the same time, reduces operating costs.

If a column packing station with static axial compression (SAC) is used,  manual repressing after a longer period of use is necessary in order to obtain a homogeneous column bed again. The HPLC column can be removed from both the DAC and the SAC column packing station and e.g. used spatially separated from the station. This means that several columns can be produced with one packing station.

As already mentioned, different column bed lengths can be realized with the column packing station, which can help economize solvent costs. As an option, temperature control over the full bed length of the column is possible using a thermal jacket.

A slurry tank is used for HPLC columns with a diameter of > 10 cm or in hygiene zones because of the large amount of column material and solvent. The slurry is mixed in the slurry tank and pumped into the column tube which is located in the column packing station. This is a considerable facilitation for the user, especially with large column volumes, and can also be used in Ex-areas.

Our column packing stations are characterized by their easy usability, the ability to pack HPLC columns quickly and the good reproducibility of the column bed. In addition, despite the best quality, they are extremely inexpensive and therefore save your budget. The range of services is rounded off by the possibility of using the column packing stations for upscaling and thus completing all purifications from a few milligrams to the high kilogram range.