FTS Systems

Founded in 1971, FTS Systems began as a manufacturer of low temperature baths, traps and immersion probes. Shortly after developing a line of thermal control equipment FTS Systems began manufacturing freeze dryers as well. Currently FTS Systems continues to manufacture both temperature control/management system and freeze dryers. The FTS Systems, BioPharm Division was formed for the further development of freeze dryers and controlled rate freezers. A full range of freeze dryers was initially designed and developed by FTS Systems and sold into the general freeze drying market place. In the 1990’s a collaboration with Purdue University and Eli Lilly, Dr. Steven Nail, Dr. Nathaniel Milton, Mr. Michael Roy and Dr. Michael Pikal began publishing papers on manometric temperature measurement (MTM). Under the direction of Dr. Michael Pikal at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Charlie Tang and Dr. Henning Gieseler, among other associates, continued the collaboration with FTS Systems that culminated in the development of the SMART freeze drying system. SMART has revolutionized the approach to optimizing the primary drying phase of the freeze drying cycle and provides research and development labs with crucial information about their products as well as increasing return on investment for those labs equipped with SMART. At SP Scientific both FTS Systems and VirTis continue to explore breakthrough technology to help meet the needs of lyophilization market place. The collaboration of these two brands has created a unique opportunity to pool equipment and application knowledge together in the most powerful way. The BioPharm Division also worked closely with Dr. Stanley Leibo and Dr. William Rall in the 1980’s on the development of a mechanically refrigerated alcohol bath. The first mouse embryo successfully frozen in the US, at the Oak Ridge National Labs by Dr. Peter Mazur et al, was frozen in an FTS Systems alcohol bath. This line of products became the controlled rate freezer of choice for the bovine embryo market and was subsequently adopted for use with other species. The Thermal Equipment Division of FTS Systems has been providing low temperature, mechanically refrigerated equipment for over 35 years. Serving many different industries, including aerospace, pharmaceutical, automotive test, analytical chemistry, mechanical testing, medical device manufacturers and the semiconductor test market the FTS Systems brand of SP Scientific has a wide range of application knowledge. Originally utilizing traditional cooling mediums such as alcohol and glycol/water mixtures the equipment designed was able to reach temperatures to -100C. As FTS Systems brand line of equipment became recognized as a specialty low temperature mechanically refrigerated devices customer request caused the expansion of the product offering to include recirculating chillers, low temperature probes utilized as stand alone or incorporated in original equipment manufacturer (OEM) applications, low temperature baths and traps and a full line of temperature controlled air-stream forcing devices as well as systems with a broader range of fluid compatibility. Utilizing air, direct contact or fluid SP Scientific can provide a cooling or heating solution to meet almost every low temperature scientific or test need.