Infometrix Ai-Metrix Spectroscopy Calibration | Process Chemometrics Software

In industrial process analytical technology (PAT), online spectrometers require robust, up-to-date mathematical calibrations to accurately translate complex optical data into real-time physical or chemical property values. The Infometrix Ai-Metrix® platform resolves a major operational bottleneck in heavy industry: the manual, time-consuming maintenance of chemometric calibration models.

Functioning as a centralized database and automated modeling engine, Ai-Metrix automates the collection, matching, and ongoing evaluation of fragmented spectroscopic scans and laboratory reference values. The platform completes complex data processing tasks in under an hour, allowing process engineering teams and laboratory managers to maximize the utility of online process analyzers without relying on continuous manual intervention by specialized chemometricians.

Chemometric Engine & Analytical Approach

Unlike proprietary software suites locked to specific analyzer brands, Infometrix Ai-Metrix is fundamentally instrument-agnostic. It is engineered to process multi-wavelength data from any modern or legacy spectroscopic technique, including:

• FTIR / FT-NIR (Fourier-transform infrared / Near-infrared)

• Raman Spectroscopy

• UV-Vis (Ultraviolet-Visible)

When a calibration update or a new model is requested via the automated system, the software executes a hands-free, multi-stage calculation chain:

1. Automated Outlier Detection: A robust, three-step outlier identification mechanism automatically isolates and excludes corrupted spectra or flawed laboratory reference data points that would otherwise skew the calibration model.

2. PLS Factor Tuning: A specialized, two-step Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression process evaluates data sets against more than 70 distinct mathematical diagnostics to determine the exact optimum number of latent variables (factors), preventing the common risks of under-fitting or over-fitting.

3. Multi-Format Export: The software automatically packages the finalized calibration into a native Pirouette® file structure, complete with exclusion sets. Depending on configuration, it can also output alternative non-Infometrix model formats to match the runtime requirements of your specific process spectrometer software.

Operational Value & Lifecycle Benefits

Maintaining calibration continuity over the multi-year lifecycle of an industrial process analyzer is a persistent challenge, often disrupted by plant personnel changes or shifts in raw material baselines. Ai-Metrix establishes a standardized, objective framework for calibration quality across an entire corporate network or multiple production lines.

By replacing subjective human decisions with clear, algorithmic data assembly, the platform ensures that all models conform to identical quality baselines. Plant engineers can track prediction quality over extended operational periods via integrated, web-browser-accessible dashboards (such as customized Tableau interfaces). This continuous oversight allows maintenance teams to identify baseline drift, recognize hardware degradation, or flag changes in process feedstocks before those factors result in off-spec production.

Benelux Industrial Implementation

For industrial operations within the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) cluster and broader Benelux region, automated chemometrics provides substantial process optimization benefits across several key sectors:

• Refineries & Petrochemicals: Rapidly handles changing crude qualities by streamlining online NIR or Raman models used to predict octane ratings, distillation curves, and blending targets.

• Chemical Industry: Enhances reactor control by keeping online spectroscopic models aligned with varying precursor purity levels.

• Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Supports strict Quality by Design (QbD) parameters in Belgian and Dutch pharmaceutical production hubs by providing automated, verifiable calibration tracking for inline raw material verification and blend uniformity testing.

System Integration & Architecture

Integrating Ai-Metrix into existing plant automation infrastructures does not require extensive modifications to underlying hardware. The platform allows users to submit data requests via simple file directory drops or pre-populated, customer-specific Excel workbooks that structure desired chemical properties, category definitions, and target date ranges.

The background automation engine processes the request instantly and returns completed, operational calibration files directly to the designated network directory. Its web-browser interface enables seamless remote data visualization for plant managers, EHS personnel, and laboratory staff across different physical locations.

Regulatory Compliance and Process Optimization

While chemometric software is not an emissions monitoring device itself, its capacity to optimize process efficiency links directly to environmental compliance. In facilities regulated by the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), local Best Available Techniques (BAT) reference conclusions, and regional frameworks like VLAREM in Flanders, precise process control is critical. By keeping online analytical instruments accurately calibrated, operators can optimize chemical conversions and fuel efficiency. This precise control directly limits raw material waste, decreases energy demand, and minimizes fugitive volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions across processing units.

Why AAVOS

AAVOS supports industrial operators across Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg with analyser selection, integration support and environmental or process monitoring expertise.

Contact Us:

• Discuss analyser integration workflows for your plant's data infrastructure.

• Contact AAVOS specialists to evaluate your existing process spectroscopy array.

• Request technical documentation regarding Infometrix software configurations.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can Infometrix Ai-Metrix manage calibrations for multiple spectrometer brands at the same time? Yes. The platform is entirely instrument-independent. It can centralize, match, and build calibration models for any combination of modern or legacy spectrometers across your facility, regardless of the original hardware manufacturer.

2. How does the software handle outliers without human intervention? Ai-Metrix features a built-in, 3-step robust outlier identification mechanism. It evaluates raw spectra against reference laboratory values, automatically removing anomalous data points or analytical errors before executing the Partial Least Squares (PLS) modeling process.

3. What user interface options are available for monitoring model performance? Model diagnostics and tracking statistics are handled automatically by the database. Performance trends, validation errors, and historical comparisons are displayed through an interactive, browser-based visualization dashboard (such as Tableau), customized to the specific instrument architecture of the plant.

DATA

• Brand: Infometrix

• Measured Components: Multi-wavelength spectroscopic data (NIR, FTIR, UV-Vis, Raman spectra) correlated to physical and chemical property reference laboratory values.

• Applications: Automated spectrometer calibration, automated chemometric model maintenance, multi-instrument calibration networking, process analyzer lifecycle tracking.

• Measurement Principle: Automated multivariate chemometric analysis utilizing Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression and a 3-step robust outlier identification mechanism.

• Certifications: Not applicable (software architecture). Model dependent or configuration dependent; contact AAVOS for specific integration compliance details.

• Industrial Sectors: Refining, Petrochemical, Chemical Industry, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Environmental Process Monitoring.

• Integration Possibilities: Fully vendor-agnostic; compatible with all legacy spectrometer software, automated file directory interfaces, Excel-based request workbooks, and web-browser dashboards.

• Maintenance Considerations: Continuous automated auditing of prediction quality, generation of over 70 distinct model diagnostic indicators, and hands-free calibration updates.

• Regulatory Relevance: Enhances overall process efficiency, supporting compliance with the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), BAT (Best Available Techniques) benchmarks, and regional environmental regulations (e.g., VLAREM) through minimized process waste and optimal energy usage.