Markes manufactures one millionth thermal desorption tube

Markes International has manufactured its one millionth thermal desorption sorbent sampling tube at its production facilities, marking a major manufacturing milestone for the company and underscoring nearly three decades of supporting analytical scientists worldwide with dependable, application-specific sampling technology for thermal desorption–GC–MS.

Nearly 30 years of thermal desorption sampling innovation

Since 1997, Markes has developed sampling technology in parallel with its thermal desorption platform, helping laboratories generate high-quality analytical data across a broad range of applications. Markes sorbent tubes are used for ambient and industrial air monitoring, occupational hygiene, materials testing, flavor and fragrance profiling, PFAS research and breathomics.

By focusing on application-specific sampling solutions, Markes supports analytical scientists working in environmental monitoring, workplace exposure assessment, product safety, consumer goods testing and clinical research, where accurate, reproducible measurements of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds are critical.

Industry-standard sorbent tubes for multiple thermal desorption platforms

Manufactured in industry-standard dimensions, Markes sorbent tubes are compatible with Markes thermal desorption systems and with other thermal desorption platforms that use industry-standard-size tubes. The portfolio includes:

• Application-specific tubes packed with optimised sorbents and sorbent combinations
• More universal tubes for generic sampling across a broad volatility range

This flexibility helps analytical scientists efficiently collect target compounds with different volatility profiles, supporting both routine monitoring and advanced research workflows.

Controlled in-house manufacturing for consistent performance

Markes controls tube packing and preparation in-house to maintain consistent sorbent bed geometry and quality standards, delivering repeatable performance from tube to tube and batch to batch. Sorbent tubes are available conditioned or unconditioned to suit different laboratory workflows and quality control requirements.

Each tube is supplied with unique identification and barcode traceability to support sample tracking, data integrity and regulatory compliance. Formats include stainless steel, inert-coated stainless steel and glass, enabling laboratories to select the most appropriate option for their target analytes and matrices.

Evolving sampling portfolio and supporting technologies

The Markes sampling portfolio continues to evolve through innovations designed to protect sample integrity from tube preparation through to analytical results. Technologies such as SafeLok™, DiffLok™, TubeTAG™ and the recently introduced TC-30™ tube conditioner are engineered to help laboratories improve sample handling, minimise contamination risks and streamline tube conditioning.

These developments reflect Markes’ ongoing investment in both instrumentation and sampling technologies, recognising that dependable analytical data starts with dependable sample collection.

Confidence in analytical data

“Reaching one million manufactured tubes is an important milestone for Markes, but what we’re most proud of is the confidence those tubes have helped analytical scientists build in their data,” said Nigel Fry, Chief Executive Officer of Markes.

“For nearly 30 years, analytical scientists around the world have trusted Markes sampling technology to help generate dependable analytical data across an increasingly diverse range of applications.”

As thermal desorption has evolved into a widely adopted analytical technique, Markes continues to support laboratories by providing robust sampling solutions that underpin high-quality GC–MS measurements in environmental, industrial, materials, food, fragrance and biomedical analysis.

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