Microbial Air Samplers

The ZR-2052 is a portable active air sampler. "Active" means a known volume of air is drawn through the instrument at a controlled flow rate, rather than relying on particles settling passively onto an open surface. The sampler is a single-stage, multi-aperture impactor: air is accelerated through apertures in the sampling head and strikes the agar medium in a petri dish at 10.8 m/s.

That impact speed is what captures airborne microbes larger than 1 μm in diameter onto the agar surface. The plate is then incubated and the resulting colonies counted, giving a quantitative measure of how many viable microorganisms were present in the sampled air volume.

Sampling flow is held stable at 100 L/min (±2.5%) by a high-precision electronic flowmeter with flow compensation. A known, stable flow is what makes a stated sampling volume meaningful – the ZR-2052 covers volumes from 1 to 9,999 litres, at a resolution of 0.1 L/min.

Sampling can be driven by either time (up to 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds) or volume, with freely adjustable delay, sampling time, interval and cycle. Preset locations and sampling plans, with free combination, make it straightforward to build recurring sampling schedules across several monitoring points.

The sampler automatically centres a Ø90–100 mm petri dish in the optimal position in the sampling head, giving consistent impaction regardless of which of the two dish sizes is used. An optional accessory extends the ZR-2052 to compressed-gas sampling in addition to ambient air. Data comes off the instrument via USB or Bluetooth, with an optional Bluetooth printer for on-the-spot output.

The ZR-2052 is built around ISO 14698, BS EN 17141:2020 and GMP – the core references for microbiological control in cleanrooms and other controlled environments. It's used in GMP environments across Grade A to D, pharmaceutical manufacturing, hospitals and operating theatres, and food production.

The CFU limits that apply to a given GMP grade are set out in separate regulatory frameworks and vary by operation and facility – the sampler itself doesn't state such limits, it delivers the CFU counts that are then assessed against whatever limits apply to your site.

As part of an ongoing environmental monitoring programme, the sampler is built for recurring, scheduled sampling rather than one-off measurements – the preset locations and sampling plans exist precisely for that.

The instrument alarms on flow blockage and low battery, so a sample that fell outside its flow tolerance is flagged immediately rather than discovered later when the result is reviewed. Exhaust air is filtered, which keeps the sampler itself from becoming a contamination source in the cleanroom or aseptic environment it's monitoring.

At roughly 1.9 kg with the sampling head, 125 × 127 × 217 mm and under 60 dB(A), the ZR-2052 is compact and quiet enough for use in occupied cleanrooms and aseptic areas without disrupting ongoing work; power consumption is under 10 W. Measurements are handled through a 4.3-inch touchscreen with three-level user management and an audit trail, and can be transferred via WiFi, Bluetooth or USB; the sampler stores up to 50,000 records for traceability over time.

The battery runs at least 8 hours on a 3.5-hour charge, making it practical to move between several sampling points in the same shift without staying tethered to an outlet. When mains power is preferred instead, the included AC adapter accepts 100–240 V at 50/60 Hz and outputs DC 24 V at 2 A, so the same unit runs on standard mains voltage in any of the regions this equipment is supplied to.