Fall 2025 brings a set of new analytical instruments that refine how labs approach high-mass analysis, quantitative LC–MS, and large-scale electron microscopy. The releases span single-particle mass spectrometry, application-focused Orbitrap platforms, and new generations of multibeam and plasma FIB–SEM systems. What follows is a brief look at the instruments that define this season’s developments and the specific problems they aim to solve.
Mass Spectrometry: From Single-Particle Measurement to Domain-Focused HRMS
Waters has introduced the Xevo CDMS, bringing charge-detection mass spectrometry into routine laboratory use. By measuring both m/z and charge for individual ions, the system provides direct mass determination for particles in the megadalton range, including viral vectors, VLPs, large protein complexes, and RNA constructs. For applications where heterogeneity and very high mass have long limited conventional MS, CDMS offers a practical way to obtain unambiguous molecular weights.
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s TSQ Certis expands the triple-quadrupole lineup with a model aimed squarely at routine analytical labs. Its priorities are stable quantitative performance, predictable day-to-day operation, and simplified serviceability - features that matter more to clinical, environmental, and QC workflows than incremental gains in peak sensitivity.
The company also released the Exploris EFOX, a system designed for a narrow set of demanding applications such as PFAS and other persistent environmental contaminants. The extended-field Orbitrap mode improves dynamic range and stability in chemically complex matrices, making EFOX a focused tool for cases where selectivity and regulatory rigor outweigh multipurpose flexibility.
Karsa Oy’s Orbion is a high-resolution multi-pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometer designed for complex air-chemistry measurements. With resolving power up to 240,000 and sub-ppm mass accuracy, it separates closely spaced isobaric species and tracks reactive compounds in real time.
Electron Microscopy: Higher Throughput, Better Resolution, and More Automation
ZEISS has released the MultiSEM 706, following the MultiSEM 506 and retaining the distinctive 91-beam parallel architecture. The new model brings improved spatial resolution and a minimum pixel size, has higher scan rates and an extended landing-energy range.
Hitachi High-Tech’s SU9600 advances cold field-emission SEM with an in-lens low-aberration objective and ExB detection, maintaining signal quality at low landing energies. The instrument supports sub-nanometer surface imaging and is well suited to semiconductor structures, nanoscale materials, and other samples where high contrast and stability are essential.
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Helios MX1 extends plasma FIB–SEM into wafer-level metrology. Its multi-species Xe⁺/Ar⁺ plasma ion source, 300 mm continuous-rotation stage, and integrated calibration standards support diagonal milling, cross-sectioning, and 3DSEM reconstruction within automated process-control workflows.
Summary
The instruments released this fall highlight a shift toward more specialized analytical solutions: the Xevo CDMS for high-mass single-particle measurement; the TSQ Certis for dependable quantitation; application-specific high-resolution MS with Orbitrap EFOX and Orbion; and improved throughput and automation in multibeam and dual-beam microscopy. Together, they illustrate how analytical technology continues to move toward domain-specific, data-efficient workflows across research and manufacturing.