B/R Instrument
B/R Instrument is a privately held Maryland-based manufacturer of spinning band laboratory distillation and solvent recycling equipment, founded in 1966 on DuPont-licensed technology, serving petroleum, cannabis, pharmaceutical, and histology laboratories in 50+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersEaston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What B/R Instrument does
B/R Instrument Corporation is a privately held manufacturer of laboratory distillation and solvent recycling equipment founded in 1966 and headquartered in Easton, Maryland. The company builds spinning band distillation systems based on technology originally licensed from DuPont in 1968, producing equipment that achieves 10+ theoretical plates of separation with throughputs ranging from 0.5 L/hr (5L boiler) to 3.6 L/hr (50L boiler) for cannabis, pharmaceutical, petroleum, histology, and essential oil applications. Its product portfolio spans micro-scale (7 ml) to pilot-scale distillation, ASTM D2892/D5236/D1160/D4929-compliant crude oil analyzers, the 9200 Cannabis Oil Distillation System achieving 90–95% THC/CBD purity in a single pass, and a ProCycler family of solvent recyclers (xylene, alcohol, formalin, HPLC, GPC) with documented 99.9% recycled purity and 80–95% recovery rates. All systems carry NRTL certification to UL 61010-1, with CE marking on the ProCycler for European sale.\n\nThe company sells directly to enterprise, government, and academic customers through quote-based engagement, with no public pricing and no apparent distributor network. Sales are supported by PC-based automation software (heating, vacuum, reflux ratio, fraction temperature, remote monitoring), 24/7 technical support, and an aftermarket parts stream (spinning bands, o-rings, gaskets, vacuum pump oil, glassware) for an installed base of 500+ systems across 50+ countries. The customer base spans Fortune 500 petroleum companies, research universities, government laboratories, and cannabis production facilities, with primary verticals being petroleum testing (ASTM compliance) and cannabis/hemp processing (single-pass high-purity distillation).\n\nB/R Instrument is a family-influenced business; the Roark family has held long-term leadership, and the company is currently transitioning from Richard Roark, Sr. to Matt Baer as President effective June 1, 2026. The company has no disclosed institutional investment, venture capital, or private equity backing, and generates revenue primarily through one-time capital equipment sales complemented by aftermarket parts and custom engineering services. There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, no public API, and limited digital product surface beyond the content marketing blog.
B/R Instrument firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- B/R Instrument
- Legal name
- B/R Instrument Corporation
- Website
- https://brinstrument.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- B/R Instrument is a privately held Maryland-based manufacturer of spinning band laboratory distillation and solvent recycling equipment, founded in 1966 on DuPont-licensed technology, serving petroleum, cannabis, pharmaceutical, and histology laboratories in 50+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
B/R Instrument industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Laboratory Distillation Equipment
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Distillation & Fractionation (Crude, Condensate & NGL Splitters) (EUALAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- General Lab Equipment (Centrifuges, Incubators, Shakers, Ovens) (HLAGAIAC), Refinery Blending & Product Quality Control (Gasoline/Diesel/Jet Blending, Additives) (EUALAGAJ), Chemical Processing Equipment (Reactors, Mixers, Agitators) (IMAHAEAA)
Keywords
Where B/R Instrument is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Easton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
B/R Instrument business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Laboratory Distillation Equipment Sales: Sale of laboratory distillation equipment including fractional distillation systems, crude oil distillation apparatus, cannabis oil purification systems, solvent recyclers, and ASTM-compliant testing equipment. Equipment ranges from small-scale laboratory units to production-scale systems with varying automation levels.
- Custom Solutions and Engineering: Custom-designed distillation equipment tailored to specific customer laboratory requirements. The company offers bespoke engineering solutions for specialized applications across petroleum, pharmaceutical, cannabis, and chemical processing industries.
- Aftermarket Parts and Consumables: Replacement parts, accessories, and consumables for installed base of 500+ systems worldwide. Includes components such as spinning bands, o-rings, gaskets, vacuum pump oil, and specialized glassware.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Request for Quote pricing model |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
B/R Instrument product offering
Product offeringCore offering
B/R Instrument manufactures and sells laboratory-scale spinning band distillation systems and related equipment. The product portfolio includes fractional distillation systems, ASTM-compliant crude oil/petroleum analysis apparatus (D2892, D5236, D1160), cannabis/THC/CBD oil purification systems, essential oil purification systems, and solvent recycling systems for histology, pharmaceutical, and chemical laboratories. Equipment is sold with varying levels of automation (manual, semi-automatic, fully automatic) and supported by aftermarket parts and custom engineering services.
Product overview
B/R Instrument offers a comprehensive portfolio of laboratory distillation and solvent recycling equipment founded in 1966. The product line centers on spinning band distillation technology (offered under brands like the 9200 Cannabis Oil Distillation System) for high-purity separation in single passes. Core product categories include: (1) Fractional Distillation Systems using spinning band technology for precision separation; (2) Crude Oil Distillation equipment conforming to ASTM D2892, D5236, and D1160 standards for petroleum analysis; (3) ASTM D1160 Vacuum Distillation Apparatus available in fully automatic, semi-automatic, and manually operated configurations; (4) Solvent Recycling Systems including the ProCycler series (20L, 10L, Advantage variants) for histology labs recycling xylene, alcohol, and formalin; (5) Essential Oil Purification systems for botanical extracts; (6) Cannabis Oil Purification centered on the 9200 CODS spinning band system producing 90-95% THC/CBD purity in single pass with 0.5-3.6 L/hr throughput; and (7) Various scale configurations from micro (7ml) to pilot scale. Additional offerings include short path distillation, decarboxylation systems, crystallization reactors, and a full range of accessories including fraction collectors, cold traps, and column packing materials (Pro-Pak, Heli-Pak, wire mesh). The systems feature PC-based automation with remote monitoring capabilities and NRTL safety certification.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fractional Distillation Systems Precision separation systems for complex liquid mixtures using spinning band distillation columns, achieving high-purity separation with multiple theoretical plates in a single pass. Targeted at pharmaceutical, chemical processing, and research laboratories.
- Crude Oil Distillation Systems
- ASTM D1160 Vacuum Distillation Apparatus
- Solvent Recycling Systems
- ProCycler Solvent Recycler
- MiniProCycler
- ProCycler Advantage Fully automatic 20-liter solvent recycler that recycles xylene, alcohol, and formalin in a single system.
- MiniProCycler Advantage 10-liter fully automatic compact solvent recycler that also recycles formalin.
- 9200 Cannabis Oil Distillation System (CODS) Spinning band distillation system for THC/CBD purification achieving 90-95% total active cannabinoids in a single pass with throughput of 0.5-3.6 L/hr. Features inline decarboxylation, vacuum jacketed silvered columns, and automated PC control. Configurable with 5, 12, 22, or 50 liter boilers.
- Essential Oil Purification Systems Specialized distillation systems for botanical extracts that preserve delicate aromatic compounds. Targeted at aromatherapy, cosmetics, and essential oil producers.
- Micro Crude Oil Distillation System Distillation system for very small crude oil samples (7-100 ml) using spinning band technology with up to 15 theoretical plates.
- Mini-Crude Oil Distillation System Distillation system for small crude oil samples (100-1000 ml) with ultra-low hold up and zero back pressure.
- Vacuum Pot Still (D5236) Distills crude oil residue from 370°C to 565°C for heavy hydrocarbon analysis per ASTM D5236 standard.
- Cannabis Decarboxylation System Equipment for decarboxylating cannabis oil, converting THCA to THC. The 9200 system performs automatic inline decarboxylation under vacuum during the initial heating phase.
- Cannabis Crystallization Reactor Jacketed vessel with stirring for CBD/CBG isolation and crystallization processes in cannabis processing workflows.
- Formalin Recycler Dedicated recycler for formalin used in tissue fixation in histology and pathology laboratories.
- Custom Distillation Engineering Solutions Bespoke engineering solutions for specialized distillation applications across petroleum, pharmaceutical, cannabis, and chemical processing industries. Equipment is tailored to specific customer laboratory requirements.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90-95% THC/CBD purity in single pass (vs 80% with short path requiring 2-3 passes)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use B/R Instrument
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
B/R Instrument technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
B/R Instrument partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
B/R Instrument competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pope Scientific: Pope Scientific manufactures wiped film and short path molecular distillation equipment used in cannabis, pharmaceutical, and chemical processing. It is the most direct competitor to B/R's spinning band distillation systems in cannabis oil purification and high-purity separation applications.
- Root Sciences: Root Sciences supplies turnkey cannabis and hemp distillation systems including wiped film and short path equipment. It directly competes with B/R's 9200 CODS in the cannabis oil purification segment, often winning on price and bundled extraction workflows.
- VTA Vereinigte Apparate-Technik: VTA is a German manufacturer of wiped film and short path distillation systems for pharmaceutical, chemical, and cannabis processing. It is a direct peer in fractional distillation technology serving similar downstream applications as B/R.
- BÜCHI Labortechnik: BÜCHI is a Swiss manufacturer of laboratory equipment including rotary evaporators and industrial-scale distillation systems. It overlaps with B/R in laboratory and pilot-scale distillation for pharma, chemical, and academic research customers.
- Welch Materials: Welch Materials manufactures short path and wiped film molecular distillation equipment primarily for cannabis, essential oil, and CBD applications. It is a direct competitor in the same cannabis purification niche where B/R's 9200 CODS operates.
- Heidolph Instruments: Heidolph is a German manufacturer of laboratory rotary evaporators, stirred hotplates, and related process equipment. It serves overlapping academic, pharmaceutical, and chemical laboratory customers with complementary (rather than identical) distillation workflows.
- InCon Process Systems: InCon is a North American engineering firm specializing in pilot- and production-scale distillation systems for pharmaceutical, essential oil, and chemical industries. Comparable to B/R's chemical processing and pilot scale distillation offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Agilent Technologies: Agilent is a global analytical instruments incumbent with GC, LC, and spectroscopy product lines used by the same pharmaceutical, petroleum, and research customers B/R serves. It does not directly compete in spinning band distillation but operates in the broader lab instrument wallet at shared accounts.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is a diversified life sciences and analytical instruments incumbent. While not a spinning band manufacturer, it competes for capital budgets in the same pharmaceutical, chemical, and research laboratory customers B/R targets.
- Shimadzu Scientific Instruments: Shimadzu manufactures analytical and measuring instruments including chromatography and spectroscopy systems sold to petroleum, pharmaceutical, and academic laboratories that overlap with B/R's petroleum and research customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
B/R Instrument social profiles
Digital presenceB/R Instrument compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
B/R Instrument financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
B/R Instrument leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
B/R Instrument funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
B/R Instrument 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 B/R Instrument
What does B/R Instrument do?
B/R Instrument manufactures and sells laboratory-scale spinning band distillation systems and related equipment. The product portfolio includes fractional distillation systems, ASTM-compliant crude oil/petroleum analysis apparatus (D2892, D5236, D1160), cannabis/THC/CBD oil purification systems, essential oil purification systems, and solvent recycling systems for histology, pharmaceutical, and chemical laboratories. Equipment is sold with varying levels of automation (manual, semi-automatic, fully automatic) and supported by aftermarket parts and custom engineering services.
Is B/R Instrument a public or private company?
B/R Instrument is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was B/R Instrument founded?
B/R Instrument was founded in 1966. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is B/R Instrument based?
B/R Instrument is headquartered in Easton, United States, in the North America region.
How does B/R Instrument make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Laboratory Distillation Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Solutions and Engineering and aftermarket Parts and Consumables.
Who are B/R Instrument's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pope Scientific, Root Sciences, VTA Vereinigte Apparate-Technik, BÜCHI Labortechnik, Welch Materials, Heidolph Instruments and InCon Process Systems. Broad incumbents are Agilent Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Shimadzu Scientific Instruments.
Does B/R Instrument have an API?
No public API is recorded for B/R Instrument.
What industry is B/R Instrument in?
B/R Instrument's product category is Laboratory Distillation Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUALAGAD, Distillation & Fractionation (Crude, Condensate & NGL Splitters), with a secondary code of HLAGAIAC, General Lab Equipment (Centrifuges, Incubators, Shakers, Ovens). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.