Block Engineering

!%Block Engineering%! of Marlborough, Mass., has partnered with New York-based Pfizer Inc. to develop a quantum cascade laser (QCL)-based infrared spectroscopy system for noncontact cleaning verification of vessels during pharmaceutical manufacturing. The technology leverages Block Engineering’s LaserScan analyzer to provide a handheld, battery-operated bar-code-scannerlike device that provides real-time, noncontact cleaning verification of vessels to avoid cross-contamination between products. The novel approach is expected to reduce labor, material and consumables in addition to plant downtime.