The invention relates to a device for analysis of beeswax, cosmetic waxes or waxes used in pharmaceutical formulations and articles like all kinds of candles or grave lanterns, designed to discern between the natural wax and waxes modified by substances which reduce its quality, which is easy to operate, portable, able to be commonly used in case of need.

In consideration of growing prices of the natural beeswax, one of the numerous problems of the modem bee-keeping is modifying such a wax with additives. A modified wax, used by beekeepers for a low-quality foundation, produces an effect of deteriorating conditions of bee families, as well as lowering the quality of other products made of it.

Among known and widely applied methods of assessing wax quality an organoleptic method is used, which, unfortunately, identifies its adulterations unsatisfactorily. Other methods which enable unequivocal detection of adulteration of wax, is e.g. gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GCMS), FTIR spectroscopy, scanning calorimetry (DSC) or X-ray diffraction, however, such analyses are carried out in laboratories on a specialized equipment, restricting their availability to foundation makers and beekeepers.

The object of the invention was to provide a portable device, easy to operate and able to be commonly used in case of need, serving to discern between the natural wax and a wax doped with substances which reduce its quality, by measuring physical properties discriminating them.

The device for analysis of waxes according to the invention is constructed of a base with a display fixed on its front panel and an internal chamber, where a power unit with a microcontroller to control operation of the device is provided, to record a measurement result and send it to the display. At the upper surface of the base a holder is provided with a support for a container with a tested wax sample having vertical incisions located symmetrically on opposite faces of the side surface to facilitate passage of an element penetrating the analyzed wax sample, under which incisions shields are arranged to protect the lower part of the holder against contamination with the wax, and above it vertically in the middle a mechanism is installed in a form of a tractive screw connected with a stepper motor, and terminated at the bottom with the sample-penetrating element with a heater with a temperature sensor arranged above it. Precise sliding movement of the element is controlled by the motor and stabilized by two arms of a guide moving along vertical rods attached to the base. At the bottom of the holder, on a gasket, a force sensing device is installed, which is connected to the microcontroller and records a measurement time-variable value of the pressure force of the penetrating element on the tested wax sample, the variability characteristics thereof permitting to conclude about presence of the additives in the natural wax. All pieces of the holder are shielded with a panel fixed to the base and provided with a temperature sensor also connected to the microcontroller. A post is also mounted on the base with two transoptors for determining the time of penetration of the element through the sample. The whole is enclosed in a casing with an opening window at the front panel, to provide access to the holder designed for inserting the sample.

It is preferred that the element penetrating the wax sample is in a shape of a horizontally fixed rod, tube, plane such as e.g. a knife or a vertical needle or a rod with a sharpened tip.

It is also preferred that the device casing is provided with open-work walls with a fan and a Peltier module with a heater, controlled by the microcontroller-for faster cooling-down the interior of the analyzer to a programmed temperature to start a subsequent measurement.

An electronic circuit in a form of the properly programmed microcontroller controls also the pressure force of the element penetrating the sample, and also the temperature of a coil heating the element penetrating the sample indicated by the sensor, within the wax softening temperature range, and stabilizes the temperature of the entire system after completion of the analysis indicated by the sensor provided in the holder area, and makes it return to the starting value before a subsequent measurement. In addition, the system records and analyzes the penetration time of the predetermined thickness of the sample and the pressure force of the penetrating element and the sample container on the force sensing device, which varies through the measurement period, depending on the kind and content of analyzed sample components.

Pure natural waxes are characterized by approximate physical features such as an elasticity or viscosity at the given temperature conditions, a melting point, and also a thermal conduction, consequently exhibiting approximate average penetration rates and a similar time profile of changes in the pressure recorded by the force sensing device. Different shorter times, even by several hundred %, and also different changes in time of the pressure force exerted by the sample penetrating element against the force sensing device are exhibited by the doped waxes.

Signals from the transoptors determine the moment when the sample penetrating element reaches the starting and final positions. Such time measurements transmitted to the microcontroller are differentiated and compared to the penetration time range adopted for the standard e.g. the natural wax. The pressure of the sample container against the force sensing device, which varies during the measurement, is recorded at even time intervals and converted into a final value, which comprises characteristics of the given wax enabling determination of a percent deviation of the result from a result expected for the standard wax. The result of the measurement is displayed on an LCD screen of the display as an average percent value representing relative deviation from the analogous time for the standard wax, as well as by one of three colors of the electroluminescent LED RGB diode. Each of the colors is assigned to a range of numeric values displayed on the screen, which means a wax close to the standard or illustrates presence of modifying substances.

The invention is disclosed in the following embodiment and on the drawing, wherein fig. 1 illustrates the device in a cross-sectional view.

The device for analysis of waxes according to the invention is constructed of a base, with a display fixed on its front panel as an LCD screen and a LED RGB diode and an internal chamber, where the power unit with the microcontroller is provided. To control the mechanical part of the device, the universal, properly programmed Arduino Mega 2560 microcontroller was used, and controlled, stabilized DC power units were used for supplying power to the heater and the stepper motor. At the surface of the base 1 a holder is provided with a support 2 for a container 3 with a tested wax sample having horizontal incisions 4 located symmetrically on opposite faces of the side surface, under which incisions shields 5 are arranged to protect the lower part of the holder against contamination with the wax. Above the holder, vertically in the middle, a mechanism is installed in a form of a tractive screw 6 connected with a stepper motor, and terminated at the bottom with the sample-penetrating element 7 in a form of a copper knife, with the heating coil 8 with a temperature sensor 9 being provided above it. Precise sliding movement of a knife penetrating the sample is controlled by the motor 10 and stabilized by two arms of a guide 11, with loosely set tips moving along vertical rods 12 attached to the base. At the bottom of the holder, on a gasket 13, a force sensing device 14 connected to the microcontroller is installed. All pieces of the holder are shielded with a panel 15 fixed to the base with a temperature sensor 16 also connected to the microcontroller. A post with two transoptors 17 is also mounted on the base, the whole being enclosed in a casing with an opening window at the front panel to provide access to the holder designed for inserting the sample. Optionally, the casing is provided with open-work walls with a fan 18 and a Peltier module with a heater 19 controlled by the microcontroller.

The invention includes the following aspects:

1. The device for analysis of waxes constructed of a base, with a display fixed on its front panel and an internal chamber, where a power unit with the microcontroller is provided to control operation of the device, in which at the upper surface of the base 1 a holder is provided with a support 2 for a container 3 with a tested wax sample, with vertical incisions 4 located symmetrically on opposite faces of the side surface, under which incisions shields 5 are arranged, and above it vertically in the middle, a mechanism is installed in a form of a tractive screw 6 connected with a stepper motor, and terminated at the bottom with the sample-penetrating element 7, with a heating coil 8 with a temperature sensor 9 being provided above it, which sliding movement is controlled by the motor 10 and stabilized by two arms of a guide 11, with tips moving along vertical rods 12 attached to the base, and at the bottom of the holder, on a gasket 13, a force sensing device 14 is installed which is connected to the microcontroller, and elements of the holder are shielded with a panel 15 fixed to the base, with a temperature sensor 16 also connected to the microcontroller, and in addition on the base a post is mounted with two transoptors 17, with the whole being enclosed in a casing with an opening window at the front panel to provide access to the holder designed for inserting the sample.

2. The device according to item 1 in which the element 7 penetrating the sample is in a form of a heated rod, tube or plane e.g. a knife, or a vertical needle or a rod with a sharpened tip and made of a material with good heat conduction.

3. The device according to item 1 in which the casing is provided with open-work walls with a fan 18 and a Peltier module with a heater 19, controlled by the microcontroller.