CAMAG HPTLC Workflow: From Manual TLC to Confident HPTLC

A Practical, Step-by-Step Workflow with CAMAG

If TLC forms part of your routine analysis, the challenge is familiar. The technique is well established, but outcomes can vary depending on the analyst, the application technique and the development conditions on the day. For laboratories operating under increasing quality and compliance expectations across Ireland’s pharmaceutical, biopharma, food and environmental sectors, that variability can quickly become a limitation.

CAMAG has developed a modular HPTLC workflow that allows laboratories to standardise the most critical stages of TLC analysis, from sample application through to detection and documentation, without forcing a move to full automation from day one.

Who This Workflow Is Designed For

This approach is particularly relevant if your laboratory needs to improve repeatability across analysts and shifts, increase throughput while maintaining traceability, support both qualitative and quantitative evaluation, or produce consistent documentation suitable for audits, method transfer and long-term data storage.

Crucially, the workflow is modular. Many laboratories start by addressing a single pressure point such as inconsistent sample application and expand only when the method or workload demands it.

The CAMAG HPTLC Workflow

Practical Considerations Before You Commit

From a Mason Technology perspective, there are several practical points worth considering early to ensure a successful implementation.

Laboratory space and layout should support a logical workflow, particularly if future expansion is planned. Plate format requirements are important, as systems such as the ADC 3 are specified for 20 × 10 cm HPTLC plates, which can influence method transfer. Derivatisation strategy should be driven by chemistry and method requirements rather than equipment preference. Laboratories operating under regulatory frameworks should also consider software, documentation and validation expectations at the outset rather than retrofitting them later.

Key Takeaways

Manual TLC introduces avoidable variability that becomes increasingly problematic as quality expectations rise. CAMAG’s HPTLC systems provide a modular route to standardisation, allowing laboratories to automate what matters most without overcommitting. The greatest gains typically come from controlled sample application, development and derivatisation, supported by appropriate detection and software-driven documentation. Mason Technology helps ensure these systems are implemented in a way that fits the reality of Irish laboratories, not just the specification sheet.

How Mason Technology Supports Irish Laboratories

Our role goes beyond supplying instrumentation. We work with laboratories to assess existing TLC workflows, identify where automation delivers the most value and build systems that are appropriate to current and future needs.

In many cases, this means starting with a single upgrade such as automated application or improved documentation, then scaling into controlled development or quantitative detection as requirements evolve. Installation, training and long-term service support are part of that conversation from day one.

Should you wish to discuss the HPTLC technique and available CAMAG Thin Layer Chromatography portfolio, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.