The Hamilton VisiFerm DO₂ Arc Sensor in detail.
The VisiFerm DO₂ is the dissolved oxygen optical working tool of the Hamilton Arc sensor family. The sensor head contains an oxygen-sensitive luminophore: blue light excites the molecule, which returns to its ground state and emits red light—and oxygen in the medium quenches part of this energy transfer. The DO measurement is the ratio between excitation (blue) and emission (red)—fast, clean, and free from the electrolyte chemistry that characterizes polarographic alternatives. Arc Intelligence brings the other half of the story: a microprocessor integrated directly into the sensor body replaces the external transmitter, so calibration data, run history, and configuration remain with the sensor at all times. The sensor reads via either 4–20 mA, Modbus RTU, or digital protocols—depending on the configuration.
Experience and quality in every detail.
The VisiFerm DO₂ is developed by Hamilton Process Analytics —the global reference provider of industrial process sensors for pharmaceuticals, food, brewing, and biotechnology, with decades of proven performance in regulated and unregulated environments. The reason VisiFerm appears throughout the Applikon catalog is its design-level integration: the Applikon controllers Livit Flex, ez2-Control, my-Control, in-Control, and SUB-Control One natively support full Hamilton Arc sensor connectivity. Activate the Arc driver in the controller software, connect the sensor, and configuration, calibration, and troubleshooting are all handled through the familiar Applikon interface—no second software stack, no separate transmitter cabinet, no integration project.
Easy operation with professional process control.
Optical dissolved oxygen measurement is not just a different technology — it’s a different operating profile. The VisiFerm DO₂ inherits seven specific advantages from the optical principle. It is insensitive to CO₂ fouling, a common failure mode of polarographic DO probes in high-cell-density mammalian cultures, and insensitive to poisons such as H₂S and ammonia, relevant for fermentation chemistry that historically required dedicated probes. Maintenance comes down to a single spare part — removing the cap and putting it back on, rather than rebuilding an electrochemical unit. There is no electrolyte that could contaminate the process, relevant for regulated and high-purity workflows, and measurement is flow-independent, so values remain precise whether stirring is high, low or paused. The probe is stable against pressure surges, surviving autoclaving and SIP cycles without calibration drift, and supports invertible installation, opening up vessel geometries that polarographic probes cannot serve.
For high-cell-density cell cultures, demanding fermentation broths, single-use bioreactors, autoclavable laboratory vessels and continuous perfusion processes, the VisiFerm DO₂ eliminates most of the recurring DO-probe problems that the polarographic generation has made operators accustomed to.
One sensor across the Applikon family
The VisiFerm DO₂ is sized and supported to read into every Applikon bioreactor and controller in the Resea Biotec range.
At lab scale.
- 1 MiniBio Bioreactor (250 mL – 1 L) for screening.
- 2 Applikon Autoclavable Glass Bioreactor (2 – 20 L) for process development.
- 3 AppliFlex ST (500 mL – 15 L) single-use stirred-tank.
At bench and pilot scale.
- 1 BioBench (20 – 30 L) for cGMP-grade development.
- 2 BioPilot (30 – 270 L) for clinical and small-commercial production.
The same VisiFerm DO₂ probe body reads into every Applikon controller in our range — Livit Flex, ez2-Control, my-Control and in-Control — over the Arc protocol. Process knowledge built at the bench transfers cleanly upward through the Applikon family without changing the sensor SKU, and the on-board calibration history travels with the probe between every vessel transfer.
| Cell Type | Cell Culture and Microbial Other Cell Culture Microbial |
| Technology Platform | Multi-Use |
| Insertion lengths in mm | 120 225 325 425 |
| Thread Type | PG 13.5 |
| Measured Parameter | Dissolved Oxygen |
| Connector Type | VP8 |
| Diameter | 12 mm |
| Measurement range | 0 – 300 %-sat |
| Measurement Accuracy (±) | ± 0.5 %-vol at 50 %-vol |
| Sensors Autoclavable | Yes |
| Sensors Max sterilization temperature | 140 °C |
| Measurement principle | Optical luminescence quenching |
| Reference System | ODO Cap |
| Communication type | ModBus ARC |
| Sensors Compatible bioreactors | Applikon Autoclavable Glass Bioreactor Applikon BioBench Stainless Steel Bioreactor Applikon BioPilot Stainless Steel Bioreactor AppliFlex ST single use-Bioreactors |
| Controller (compatible) | Applikon ez2-Control Bioreactor Controller Applikon in-Control Bioreactor Controller Applikon Livit Flex Bioprocess Controller Applikon my-Control Bioreactor Controller |
| PAT-enabled (sensors) | Yes |
Research & Process Development
The VisiFerm DO₂ delivers PAT-grade optical dissolved oxygen measurement during early-stage process development, media optimisation and cell-line characterisation. Insensitivity to CO₂ fouling, ammonia and H₂S broadens the working range across cell culture and fermentation chemistry that would compromise polarographic probes — particularly for high-cell-density mammalian cultures and complex media studies.
Screening & Optimization
Multiple insertion lengths (120 / 225 / 325 / 425 mm) and the interchangeable ODO Cap let the same sensor body move between MiniBio screening vessels, lab-scale Applikon Autoclavable Glass Bioreactor, single-use AppliFlex ST and stainless-steel pilot vessels without requiring separate sensor SKUs. Calibration history travels with the sensor across every transfer, so screening runs maintain measurement continuity even as the vessel format changes.
GMP Transition
Built for the transition from research workflows into regulated process development. The sensor’s on-board Arc Intelligence stores calibration history and configuration in the sensor itself, with ArcAir delivering audit-trail-ready diagnostics, predictive cap-replacement signals and fleet-wide reporting. Autoclavable to 140 °C, SIP and CIP tolerant, condition-based maintenance via the on-cap quality indicator.
GMP Manufacturing
Suitable for cGMP-compliant bioprocess production from pilot through full-scale manufacturing. Pressure-peak stable, multi-protocol connectivity (Modbus ARC, 4-20 mA, RS485), and native integration with the full Applikon controller range carry the sensor into clinical and commercial production environments with the documentation depth and operational consistency these environments require.
Compatible Bioreactors
- Applikon MiniBio Bioreactor The Applikon MiniBio is a small glass autoclavable stirred-tank bioreactor, smal…
- Applikon Autoclavable Glass Bioreactor The Applikon Autoclavable Glass Bioreactor is a stirred tank bioreactor designed…
- Applikon BioBench Stainless Steel Bioreactor The Applikon BioBench is a stainless steel bioreactor system designed for simple…
- Applikon BioPilot Stainless Steel Bioreactor The Applikon BioPilot is a stainless steel bioreactor system for simple and reli…
- AppliFlex ST Single-Use Bioreactor The Applikon AppliFlex ST is a fully customizable single-use stirred tank biorea…
Compatible Applikon controllers
- Applikon Livit Flex Bioprocess Controller The Applikon Livit Flex is the next generation of bioprocess control systems — c…
- Applikon ez2-Control Bioreactor Controller The Applikon ez2-Control is an advanced bioreactor controller designed to simpli…
- Applikon my-Control Bioreactor Controller The Applikon my-Control is the most advanced bioreactor controller for small-sca…
- Applikon in-Control Bioreactor Controller The Applikon in-Control is a process controller for laboratory scale bioreactors…
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How optical dissolved oxygen measurement actually works.
The sensor element inside the VisiFerm DO₂ is an oxygen-sensitive luminophore—a fluorescent dye that reacts to molecular oxygen. The measurement workflow occurs in three steps. First, an LED in the sensor body emits blue light , which excites the luminophore. Second, the excited molecule relaxes to its ground state, emitting red light . Third, oxygen in the medium absorbs some of the energy that would otherwise be emitted as red light—the more oxygen, the less red light reaches the detector. The DO measurement is the ratio between excitation light (blue) and emitted light (red). The luminophore requires no equilibration time before use, no maintenance of electrolyte chemistry, and no flow across the sensor surface to provide an accurate measurement. That’s the whole principle—and the reason why every operational advantage of optical DO measurement stems from it.
Arc Intelligence — the transmitter in the sensor
Traditional DO sensors require an external transmitter to translate the raw electrochemical or optical signal into a controller-readable output, calibrate the reaction curve, and store the configuration. Hamilton’s Arc technology integrates this transmitter into the sensor body as an onboard microprocessor. The implications extend to every part of the workflow: calibration data and run history travel with the sensor when it changes vessels; sensor diagnostics appear directly on the Applikon controller interface, without a second software stack; and the configuration is sensor-specific rather than transmitter-channel-specific. For a regulated laboratory that moves sensors between bioreactors, this is the difference between a fresh validation for each change and a consistent protocol for each sensor.
What is the VisiFerm DO₂ workflow?
The VisiFerm DO₂ workflow runs across three phases.
Install. Enable the Hamilton Arc driver in your Applikon controller — Livit Flex, ez2-Control, my-Control, in-Control or SUB-Control One — and connect the sensor: direct cable, Bluetooth (on the VisiFerm mA and VisiTrace mA variants), or RS485 with the optional Arc Wi adapter. The controller detects the sensor automatically and reads its full configuration through the Arc protocol; the same install path works whether the sensor is going into an Applikon Autoclavable Glass Bioreactor, a stainless-steel BioBench or BioPilot, or a single-use AppliFlex ST with the ODO sensor cap variant.
Calibrate. The sensor’s calibration history travels with it through every transfer between vessels, so calibration is required only when the cap quality indicator on the sensor signals it, or before a regulated run where the protocol mandates a fresh calibration cycle. Calibration data flows back into ArcAir — Hamilton’s sensor management software — for fleet-wide review and audit-trail logging.
Operate. Live DO values, calibration history and sensor health display on the controller’s standard interface. The optical measurement principle handles the operating conditions where polarographic DO probes fail: changing stirring rates, pressure peaks during autoclaving or SIP, CO₂ accumulation in high-density cultures, and process exposure to H₂S or ammonia. Replace the cap when the quality indicator calls for it — no electrolyte change, no probe rebuild, no calibration drift on the sensor body itself.
Why use the VisiFerm DO₂?
- Optical measurement principle — luminescence quenching with no electrolyte and no flow dependence, removing the recurring failure modes of polarographic DO probes.
- Arc Intelligence on board — integrated microprocessor replaces the external transmitter, with calibration history and configuration data stored in the sensor itself and migrating with it between vessels.
- Cap-based maintenance — a single spare part, condition-based replacement signalled by the on-cap quality indicator, no electrochemical rebuild required.
- Multi-protocol connectivity — 4-20 mA, Modbus RTU and digital outputs supported; Bluetooth on VisiFerm mA / VisiTrace mA, or RS485 via Arc Wi adapter for wireless diagnostics.
- ArcAir sensor management — fleet-wide calibration history, sensor health monitoring, predictive cap-replacement signals and audit-trail-ready diagnostics.
- Lab-to-production scale span — process development through to production across <100 mL to >100 L, on reusable autoclavable vessels and single-use bioreactors alike.
Spec your VisiFerm DO₂ with Resea Biotec
The Hamilton VisiFerm DO₂ Arc Sensor is the optical dissolved oxygen probe most labs move to once polarographic alternatives start to drag on the workflow. Built on a fully optical DO principle, enhanced with Arc Intelligence that integrates the transmitter into the sensor and stores calibration history on board. Natively supported across the full Applikon controller range — Livit Flex, ez2-Control, my-Control, in-Control and SUB-Control One — and pairs with both reusable Applikon vessels and the AppliFlex ST single-use range through the interchangeable ODO sensor cap.
A sensor is rarely a standalone purchase — it lands inside an existing controller fleet, an existing vessel stack and an existing calibration regime, and the integration work is what determines whether the upgrade actually delivers. Resea Biotec is Switzerland’s official Applikon distributor and certified service partner — based in Recherswil, supporting customers across Switzerland with local technical support and on-site service.
Talk to our team and we’ll spec the appropriate VisiFerm DO₂ variant — mA, RS485, or ODO Cap for single-use — plan the Arc driver activation across your existing controller fleet, coordinate ArcAir deployment and sensor-management workflow setup where required, and stay on hand for application advice, cap supply and maintenance support throughout the sensor’s life. Whether you’re moving an established workflow off polarographic, building a single-use line on AppliFlex ST that needs the ODO Cap variant, or extending sensor coverage across a pilot or production-scale fleet — we’ll help you get there.
Hamilton VisiFerm DO₂ documentation.
Product specifications, sensor-variant comparison and ArcAir integration details for the Hamilton VisiFerm DO₂ optical dissolved oxygen sensor.
Hamilton VisiFerm DO₂ — Optical DO sensor datasheet.
Complete technical specifications for the Hamilton VisiFerm DO₂ optical dissolved oxygen sensor — measurement principle (optical luminescence quenching), measurement range and accuracy, insertion-length variants (120 / 225 / 325 / 425 mm), thread and connector specifications, ODO Cap single-use options, ArcAir software integration and Arc-protocol controller compatibility.
