Applied Separations
Applied Separations, founded in 1987 in Allentown, PA, manufactures supercritical fluid extraction systems and solid phase extraction consumables for pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical, environmental, clinical diagnostics, and industrial laboratories, supplemented by contract R&D, OEM builds, tolling, and DNA-free cleanroom filling services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersAllentown, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Applied Separations does
Applied Separations is a privately held separation science company founded in 1987 and headquartered at 930 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company operates two core product franchises: supercritical fluid (SCF) systems using primarily carbon dioxide at mild conditions (approximately 1073 PSI and 90°F / 31°C and 74 bar) for extractions, reactions, and impregnations across laboratory, pilot, and production scales; and solid phase extraction (SPE) consumables including filled and empty cartridges, bulk sorbents, 96-well microtiter plates, QuEChERS products, and accessories. Its product portfolio includes the modular Helix process development systems, the Spe-ed SFE analytical/lab systems (SFE-2, SFE-4, SFE Basic, SFE Zoran, Mini/Max, Sirocco), high-pressure vessels, the Burst protein precipitation device, and certified DNA-free cleanroom contract filling services operating to Six Sigma standards.
The business serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, nutraceutical, materials science, environmental testing, clinical diagnostics, and specialty manufacturing customers, including named reference customers such as NASA, ThermoFisher Scientific (Supplier of the Year), and textile companies evaluating waterless dyeing. Revenue is generated through five streams: hardware sales of SCF systems and SPE consumables, contract R&D services, OEM instrumentation manufacturing under other company labels, tolling services using production-scale SCF equipment, and DNA-free cleanroom processing services. Pricing on consumables is disclosed and spans $25 to $1,643 per unit; SCF hardware and contract service pricing is consultative.
The company reaches the market through direct enterprise sales from its Allentown headquarters, an international dealer network, an e-commerce storefront at solidphaseextraction.appliedseparations.com, and OEM partnerships. Marketing relies on technical content (over 100 SPE application notes and an SCF innovations blog), Mailchimp email campaigns, and social media presence on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Applied Separations has built thousands of SCF systems over its 35+ year history and is referenced in thousands of scientific publications, operating with a workforce in the 11-50 employee range as a privately held, non-funded independent business.
Applied Separations firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Applied Separations
- Legal name
- Applied Separations
- Website
- https://appliedseparations.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Applied Separations, founded in 1987 in Allentown, PA, manufactures supercritical fluid extraction systems and solid phase extraction consumables for pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical, environmental, clinical diagnostics, and industrial laboratories, supplemented by contract R&D, OEM builds, tolling, and DNA-free cleanroom filling services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Applied Separations industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Laboratory Separation and Extraction Equipment
- NAICS
- Pump and Compressor Manufacturing (33391), Measuring, Dispensing, and Other Pumping Equipment Manufacturing (333914)
- SIC
- Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industrial Gas & Air Separation Equipment (ASU, PSA, Cryogenic Systems) (IMAHAEAI)
Keywords
Where Applied Separations is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Allentown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Applied Separations business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Supercritical Fluid Systems Sales: Manufacture and sale of supercritical fluid systems ranging from laboratory scale (Spe-ed SFE, Helix) to pilot plants and large-scale production facilities. Includes high-pressure vessels and accessories.
- SPE Consumables: Sale of solid phase extraction consumables including empty and filled cartridges, bulk sorbents, accessories, frits, stopcocks, caps, and QuEChERS products.
- Contract R&D Services: Custom research and development services for testing concepts, investigating ideas, or finalizing protocols using supercritical fluid applications.
- OEM Instrumentation Manufacturing: Manufacturing instruments under other company labels in addition to Applied Separations branded products.
- Supercritical Tolling Services: Contract processing services for raw materials using SCF equipment, providing end-product for customers waiting for their own equipment or for long-term ongoing production.
- DNA/RNA-Free Processing Services: Contract filling services in certified DNA-free cleanroom facilities for filters, packings, sorbents in various configurations. Volume ranges from 100 pieces to millions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard SPE Cartridges |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | SPE Accessories and Consumables |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Specialty SPE Products |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Applied Separations product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Applied Separations manufactures and sells supercritical fluid (SCF) extraction systems ranging from bench-top laboratory units to pilot plants and large-scale production facilities, along with solid phase extraction (SPE) consumables such as cartridges, sorbents, 96-well plates, QuEChERS, and accessories. The company also provides contract R&D, OEM instrumentation manufacturing, supercritical tolling services, and certified DNA-free cleanroom contract filling services for filters, packings, and sorbents.
Product overview
Applied Separations offers a portfolio of three core product lines: Supercritical Fluid (SCF) systems for extraction, reaction, and impregnation applications across laboratory, pilot, and production scales; Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) consumables including filled/unfilled cartridges, bulk sorbents, 96-well plates, QuEChERS and accessories; and DNA-free processing contract services. The SCF division manufactures the Helix modular process development system, Spe-ed SFE analytical/lab systems (SFE-2, SFE-4, SFE Basic, SFE Zoran, Mini/Max, Sirocco), and high-pressure vessels with custom/OEM/tolling services. The SPE division provides standard and specialty SPE cartridges with diverse sorbent chemistries, the Burst protein precipitation device, and certified cleanroom filling services. These products serve pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, environmental, and research laboratories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Spe-ed: Product line for solid phase extraction cartridges including standard, mini, and specialty configurations for various laboratory applications.
- Burst
- Helix
Products and services
- Supercritical Fluid Systems Supercritical Fluid (SCF) systems for extractions, reactions, and impregnations across laboratory, pilot, and large-scale production configurations, built in various scales from bench-top to production facilities for industrial and laboratory customers.
- Solid Phase Extraction Consumables Wide variety of SPE consumables including empty and filled cartridges, bulk sorbents, accessories, QuEChERS, and 96-well microtiter plates for analytical sample preparation in laboratories.
- DNA-Free Processing Services Custom filling services in certified DNA-free cleanroom facilities for filters, packings, and sorbents in spin baskets, polypropylene cartridges, and 96-well microtiter plates for clinical, diagnostic, and research customers.
- Helix Process Development Systems Modular supercritical fluid extraction systems for process development with configurable CO2 separators and extractors, including Basic, 1-3 CO2 Separator, and Super/Subcritical Dual configurations for R&D and pilot-scale customers.
- Spe-ed SFE-2 Supercritical System Bench-top scale supercritical fluid extraction system designed for laboratory research applications.
- Spe-ed SFE-4 Supercritical System Laboratory scale supercritical fluid extraction system for analytical and research use in laboratory environments.
- Spe-ed SFE Basic Entry-level supercritical fluid extraction system designed for educational use in college classrooms and teaching laboratories.
- Spe-ed SFE Zoran Analytical supercritical fluid extraction system for specialized laboratory applications.
- Spe-ed Mini/Max Compact supercritical fluid extraction system designed for limited-space laboratory environments.
- Spe-ed SFE Sirocco Aerogel Drying System Specialized supercritical fluid system for aerogel drying applications in research and industrial settings.
- High-Pressure Vessels Process scale and lab scale high-pressure vessels for supercritical fluid applications, including accessories and emergency pressure relief devices.
- Custom Supercritical Instruments Custom-built supercritical fluid systems designed to meet specific protocol requirements for specialized industrial and research applications.
- Contract R&D Services Research and development services for testing concepts, investigating ideas, or finalizing protocols using supercritical fluid technology for industrial and pharmaceutical customers.
- OEM Instrumentation Manufacturing Instrument manufacturing services producing supercritical fluid systems under other company labels in addition to Applied Separations' own brand.
- Supercritical Tolling Service Contract processing services using production-scale supercritical fluid equipment for interim, startup, or long-term ongoing production needs of industrial customers.
- Standard Filled SPE Cartridges Pre-filled solid phase extraction cartridges with various sorbents including C18, C8, Silica Gel, and ion exchange phases for laboratory sample preparation customers.
- Large Reservoir Cartridges (LRCs) SPE cartridges with wide openings accommodating 15mL sample volumes and flared shape design for large-volume sample processing.
- MiniSpe-ed Cartridges Compact 1.0mL SPE cartridges similar to Sep-Pak format, stackable for manual syringe operations or vacuum manifold use.
- 96-Well Microtiter Plates High-throughput 96-well SPE microtiter plates for automated sample processing and analysis in laboratory customers.
- SPE Sorbents and Packings Extensive range of SPE sorbent chemistries including C18 variants (14%, 18%, 22%), C8, Phenyl, Cyclohexyl, Silica Gel, Florisil, Alumina, Diol, ion exchange phases (SCX, NH2, PSA, DEA, N+), and specialty phases for laboratory customers.
- SPE QuEChERS Products Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe sample preparation products for pesticide residue analysis in food and environmental samples for laboratory customers.
- Burst System Protein precipitation device for clinical and diagnostic applications that eliminates pipetting steps, reducing contamination and sample loss with faster, simpler, more accurate results than traditional methods.
Quantifiable outcome
- Process conditions as mild as 1073 PSI and 90°F (31°C) for supercritical CO2 - less than body temperature
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Applied Separations
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Applied Separations technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Applied Separations partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ThermoFisher ScientificcoreApplied Separations is a recognized supplier of solid phase extraction products to ThermoFisher Scientific. The company was honored as Supplier of the Year, indicating a strong ongoing distribution relationship for laboratory consumables.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Applied Separations competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Applied Separations social profiles
Digital presenceApplied Separations financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Applied Separations leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Applied Separations funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Applied Separations M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Applied Separations
What does Applied Separations do?
Applied Separations manufactures and sells supercritical fluid (SCF) extraction systems ranging from bench-top laboratory units to pilot plants and large-scale production facilities, along with solid phase extraction (SPE) consumables such as cartridges, sorbents, 96-well plates, QuEChERS, and accessories. The company also provides contract R&D, OEM instrumentation manufacturing, supercritical tolling services, and certified DNA-free cleanroom contract filling services for filters, packings, and sorbents.
Is Applied Separations a public or private company?
Applied Separations is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Applied Separations founded?
Applied Separations was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Applied Separations based?
Applied Separations is headquartered in Allentown, United States, in the North America region.
How does Applied Separations make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Supercritical Fluid Systems Sales are the primary driver. The others are SPE Consumables, contract R&D Services, OEM Instrumentation Manufacturing, supercritical Tolling Services and DNA/RNA-Free Processing Services.
Does Applied Separations have an API?
No public API is recorded for Applied Separations.
What industry is Applied Separations in?
Applied Separations's product category is Laboratory Separation and Extraction Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAA, Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems, with a secondary code of IMAHAEAI, Industrial Gas & Air Separation Equipment (ASU, PSA, Cryogenic Systems). Its NAICS code is 33391 and its SIC code is 3561.