Caps, Inserts & Accessories

Shown below are the commonly used AquaFlux™ caps and inserts. Note that instrument sensitivity and measurement speed are affected by their geometry. Sensitivity change can be corrected for in the software by entering a Biox-supplied Cap Calibration Factor. The effect on measurement speed can be accommodated in the TEWL settings of the software.

Note that Caps can be screwed directly onto the measurement head of the probe, whereas Inserts are held in place by a blue Clamp Cap (see below) that must be ordered separately.

AF005-01:- Standard Measurement Cap

The standard measurement cap has an orifice diameter of 7mm and is used for routine TEWL & SSWL measurement. The truncated cone design leaves a contact mark on the skin to help with re-positioning in repeat measurements. Two standard caps are included with each instrument.

AF005-03:- Reduced Orifice Cap

This cap has a 3mm orifice diameter, with which flux densities as high as 250 g/(sq.m h) can be measured. Use it for measurements in small areas such as lips, or for high flux measurements, as in perspiration research, for example. Note the domed shape of the contact surface, which eliminates the contact mark left on the skin by the standard truncated cone cap.

AF005-04:- Slotted Cap

The slotted cap is used for scalp measurements without shaving, by aligning the slot with a hair parting. The slot dimensions are 7 x 3mm.

AF005-05:- Tube Cap

The tube cap facilitates measurements in places that are difficult to reach with conventional caps, such as the nasolabial area, for example. The tube length is 5mm and its bore diameter is 7mm.

AF005-06:- Enlarged Orifice Cap

This cap has a 16mm orifice diameter. Use it to measure in highly heterogeneous skin areas such as the face, to improve repeatability by averaging TEWL over an extended area.

AF005-10:- Sweat Cap

This cap has an orifice diameter of 2mm to enable the high flux density from profuse sweating to be measured. It also has a small protrusion around the orifice, to ensure a good seal with the skin, and to aid probe repositioning.

AF005-07:- In-vivo Nail Insert

This is a stainless steel insert of 2.6mm orifice diameter, fitted with a thick rubber O-ring that deforms to seal against hard, uneven surfaces such as fingernails.

AF005-Dx-Ly:- Stainless Steel Tube Inserts

These are stainless steel tube inserts, available in three bore diameters (Dx = 3, 5 & 7mm) and three lengths (Ly = 6, 12, & 18mm). Tube wall thickness is 0.5mm. Different parameters to order.
Use such inserts in-vivo, to measure in inaccessible places such as the mouth.

 

Clamp Cap for Inserts

AF005-08:- Standard Clamp Cap

You need a Clamp Cap to fix the inserts shown on this page to the AquaFlux™ measurement head. This cap has a 9mm orifice diameter, recessed on the inside, to accommodate the 11mm diameter flange of the inserts.
Clamp caps are manufactured from a blue plastic in order to distinguish them from similar-looking measurement caps. Do not use clamp caps without inserts for measurement.