SecurityGuard Universal Guard Cartridge System

SecurityGuard is a guard cartridge system designed to extend the lifetime of chromatography columns. During analysis, chemical contaminants and particulates from samples and mobile phases can accumulate at the column inlet, causing increased backpressure, reduced efficiency, and shortened column lifetime. SecurityGuard traps these contaminants before they reach the main column.

Instead of prematurely replacing an expensive analytical column, only the guard cartridge needs to be replaced, helping to reduce consumable costs, minimize instrument downtime, and maintain consistent chromatographic performance.

Key Advantages 

• Extended column lifetime — the guard cartridge traps chemical contaminants and particulates, preventing them from accumulating at the inlet of the analytical column.
• Reduced analysis costs — instead of replacing an expensive HPLC or UHPLC column when contamination occurs, only the lower-cost guard cartridge needs to be replaced.
• Minimal impact on chromatography — SecurityGuard is designed to have virtually no effect on efficiency, retention time, or system backpressure.
• Maintains high UHPLC efficiency — SecurityGuard ULTRA features an extremely low dead volume (<0.3 µL), minimizing peak dispersion and helping maintain the efficiency of high-performance separations.
• Universal compatibility — the specially designed holder provides a leak-free connection to columns from various manufacturers without the need for additional adapters or unions.
• Easy maintenance — once contaminants have accumulated, simply replace the cartridge to restore normal operating conditions and continue protecting the main column.
• Wide range of stationary phase chemistries — cartridges are available with C18, C8, PFP, Biphenyl, HILIC, Phenyl, ion-exchange, and other phases, allowing guard chemistry to be matched to the analytical column.
• Solutions for different LC scales — the SecurityGuard family provides column protection for UHPLC, conventional HPLC, and preparative chromatography.

Three SecurityGuard Protection Systems

SecurityGuard ULTRA — Protection for UHPLC and Core-Shell Columns
Designed for columns with <3 µm particles and/or core-shell particles. The system is pressure-rated up to 20,000 psi (1,378 bar) and is compatible with analytical columns with internal diameters from 2.1 to 4.6 mm. Its low-dead-volume design protects high-efficiency columns with virtually no loss in chromatographic performance.

SecurityGuard Standard — Universal Protection for HPLC Columns
Designed for fully porous HPLC columns with particle sizes ≥3 µm and operating pressures up to 3,500 psi (241 bar). The universal holder connects directly to virtually any analytical HPLC column, while the short 4 mm cartridge has virtually no effect on efficiency, retention time, or backpressure.

SecurityGuard PREP — Protection for Preparative Columns
Designed for preparative HPLC columns with internal diameters from 9 to 49 mm. The system protects the column from particulates, chemical contaminants, and sample components that may precipitate out of solution. According to the brochure, SecurityGuard PREP can extend preparative column lifetime by as much as 5 times, while helping reduce the overall cost per injection.