Honeywell MDA Specifications

MDA Scientific Chemcassette

®

Frequently asked
questions about
Chemcassette

®

toxic gas detection

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a Chemcassette®?

“Chemcassette®” is the unique trademarked name for a
calibration free toxic gas detection method that uses an
optical scanning system to detect the presence of gas by a
color change on the specially chemically impregnated paper
tape. Chemcassette
extremely fast to the presence of parts per billion (ppb) levels
of many hazardous gases. Over 200,000 points of gas detection
are currently maintained by the Chemcassette

®

technology is highly specific and reacts

®

sensing
technology at any given time around the world in some of the
most critical safety applications possible.

Q. Where can I buy Chemcassette® product?

Only Honeywell Analytics’ authorized sales and
service representatives can supply the unique
Chemcassette
Analytics designs, manufactures, sells and supports
Chemcassette® products.

Q. What support do I get when I buy a unique

Chemcassette® product?

Each MDA Scientific Chemcassette
manufactured to traceable ISO 9000 manufacturing
standards by a world class team of highly trained
chemists and each batch is calibrated with ultra
pure gas that is traceable to nationally accepted
standards. This means that the end user does not
have to provide calibration facilities themselves
thereby saving cost and reducing risks to their own
staff. Efficient high volume manufacturing
techniques means that there is always available
Chemcassette® in stock that can be shipped
anywhere in the world so that our customers are
never left without adequate safety cover.
Application support with expert gas detection
chemists is available by phone and e-mail and is
supported with many years of technical application
notes and help to diagnose common support
issues. Should there be any concern regarding the
performance of an individual Chemcassette®, a free
of charge evaluation will be performed to trouble
shoot the observed scenario using the award
winning quality management system “Customer
Discrepancy Report” CDR. Every CDR completed

®

product line. Only Honeywell

®

is

by a customer is guaranteed a full response and
the outcome is reported directly back to the end
user to ensure a complete resolution process. Each
Chemcassette
we have over 20 years of experience regarding the
quality control of our proven sensing technology.

Q. What statistics prove the benefits of

Chemcassette

Honeywell Analytics has been manufacturing their
unique Chemcassette® sensor tapes for over
25 years and maintain traceable records on every
production batch, every calibration and every
instrument and calibration gas cylinder used to
perform the calibration. Experienced scientists
maintain a constant measurement environment
when performing the calibrations and they are
skilled at handling the very toxic gases used for
testing and have double checks in place to confirm
that the test gas is still within acceptable
specification. Looking at just the data on just a
single tape sample is not adequate proof that the
detection principle is reliable and reproducible; it is
essential that the sensing technology can be
backed by many years of data that takes into
account batch to batch variations and confirms
that every single Chemcassette® will detect toxic
gas as specified, every time!

®

is backed with a full warranty and

®

technology?

Chemcassette

®

Q. What makes Chemcassette®

technology unique?

In general all the chemical methods are specially
formulated and proven to work in the real end
user environment with demanding applications
associated with changes in the environmental
conditions and potential cross interference
sources. We are not satisfied with making
controlled laboratory environment only tests; all
our Chemcassette

®

tapes must be proven to
work in real industrial applications and be
scalable for high volume production chemistry
runs to satisfy our global customer base. Our
Chemcassette® formulations are coated on a
unique paper medium that is exclusively available
to Honeywell Analytics. The software algorithms
that process the gas detection methods on the
MDA Scientific range of toxic gas analyzers are
the product of many years of chemistry and
software development and are only guaranteed
to work when using Chemcassette® products. In
summary the Chemcassette® medium and the
instrumentation and software that control the
detection principle are uniquely integrated; any
unauthorized change in one of these factors
would represent an unsafe gas sampling scenario
as it would be both untested and unsupported by
Honeywell Analytics.

Q. Is my original warranty still valid if I

use other paper tape or consumable
products on MDA Scientific Analyzers?

Honeywell Analytics can only support the
warranty performance of both the MDA Scientific
instrument and the Chemcassette® tapes so long
as Honeywell Analytics approved parts and
Chemcassette® tapes have been used and
approved service interactions have been
undertaken. Use of an unauthorized source of
paper tape immediately voids the existing
warranty on the MDA Scientific analyzer and
Honeywell Analytics is not responsible or liable for
any costs or damages caused by the use of
inappropriate parts. Our customers’ safety is
imperative to Honeywell Analytics and we
therefore recommend routine maintenance by
approved service personnel to maintain
the performance and warranty of their gas
detection systems.

Q. What if an incident prevented the supply

of Chemcassette

®

from the factory?

Honeywell Analytics supports numerous industries
that demand continuous supply of replacement
Chemcassette® product; our customers could not
maintain their own production processes without
our guarantee of available supplies. To overcome
any worst case scenario such as our factory being
unable to manufacture new tapes (due to an
accident affecting the building for example) we
have a duplicate factory manufacturing
Chemcassette® in Europe as well as the original
manufacturing site in Illinois, USA. Both factories
can supply in excess of our typical annual demand
and operate to the same exacting standards,
materials and ISO 9000 audited processes.

Interesting facts about Chemcassette® History

Accuracy & Reproducibility

®

Honeywell Analytics has manufactured Chemcassette
This equates to a length of Chemcassette

History of Chemcassette

A brief chronology of our developments with Chemcassette® demonstrates our long term commitment to supporting our customers and their life safety systems:

1972: Developed the TDI (7000) Chemcassette®

instrument

1977: Launch of Phosgene Chemcassette

1981: Launch of Hydrides Chemcassette

1983: 7100 and the LP extended lifetime

Chemcassette

1987: System 16 multi point sequential analyzer

launched

®

®

®

tape for the detection of Phosgene gas with a greater than 98% reproducibility for over 25 years.

that could stretch to the Moon and back 16 times or wrap around the Earth’s equator over 300 times!

®

®

tape

tape

1988: MDA Scientific acquired by Zellweger

Analytics

1992: Sulfur Analyzers developed for process

analysis (9600L 9600P)

1992: Millionth tape produced and 1000

System 16 instru ments shipped

1993: ISO 9000 approvals gained

1994: CM4 four channel continuous monitor

launched

2000: Vertex 72 point continuous monitor

launched

2004: Extended 3 month lifetime

Chemcassette

2005: Honeywell acquires Zellweger Analytics to

form a leading sensor supply company

®

tapes launched

Find out more

Contact Honeywell Analytics:

www.honeywellanalytics.com

www.honeywell.com

Americas

Honeywell Analytics Inc.
405 Barclay Blvd.
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
USA
Tel: [phone]
Toll free: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

Europe, Middle East, Africa

Life Safety Distribution AG
Wilstrasse 11-U31
CH-8610 Uster
Switzerland
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

Asia Pacific

Honeywell Analytics Asia Pacific
#508, Kolon Science Valley (I)
187-10 Guro-Dong, Guro-Gu
Seoul, 152-050
Korea
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

Please Note:

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for errors or omissions.
Data may change, as well as legislation, and you are strongly advised to obtain copies of the most recently issued regulations,
standards, and guidelines. This publication is not intended to form the basis of a contract.

Technical Services

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Honeywell Analytics Lines of Business

Commercial

Vulcain-brand gas detection from stand­alone units to fully engineered, multi­point systems, all offering cost-effective
regulatory compliance

» Applications: parking structures,

chillers, mechanical rooms, office
towers, commercial buildings,
shopping centers, swimming pools,
golf courses, schools and universities,

Industrial

Renowned Sieger and Manning gas
detection systems with advanced
electrochemical, infrared and open path
sensing technologies

» Applications: oil and gas, cold storage,

water/wastewater treatment,
chemicals, engine rooms, plastics
and fibers, agriculture, printing and
light industrial

laboratories

High Tech/Government

A complete portfolio of gas and chemical
detection instrumentation including
infrared spectroscopy (MST) with no cross
interference, to Chemcassette paper-

H_CHEMCASSETTE_Rev 4 2/08
© 2008 Honeywell Analytics

based solutions (MDA Scientific) offering
detection down to parts per billion

» Applications: semiconductor

manufacturing and nanotechnology,
aerospace propulsion and safety,
specialty chemicals industry, research

laboratories, emergency response

Portables

Single or multi-gas Lumidor and other
premium detectors with compact,
lightweight designs ranging from
simple alarm only units to advanced,
fully configurable and serviceable
instruments

» Applications: underground utility

and electricity ducts, boiler rooms,
post-fire sites, sewers, industrial
plants, industrial hygiene, first
responder teams, remote fleets

Technical Services

24/7 global network includes
post-sales service and Systems
Integration teams

» Emergency call out, service

contracts, on/off-site repair, training
and commissioning

» Complete range of spares,

consumables and accessories

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