The 3Tracer 2.0 HF is the first in a new series of compact high-field NMR magnets that connect to standard power sockets. No liquid helium required.
New Zealand magnet manufacturer HTS-110 and Italian NMR partner Stelar srl have launched the 3Tracer 2.0 HF Relaxometer, a compact nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrument built around a new type of energy-efficient superconducting magnet. The NMR magnet weighs only 56 kilograms, operates in a standard single-phase wall socket, and can be installed on a laboratory benchtop. This is a significant change from the first generation of HTS-110 magnets for this application, which required over 4 kilowatts of three-phase equipment power and a much larger footprint.
NMR is the physics behind medical MRI and is routinely used in chemical, pharmaceutical, materials, and food science research. The 3Tracer 2.0 HF is a variable magnetic field instrument whose magnet can be set to any strength up to 3 Tesla, directly corresponding to the magnetic field strength of a clinical MRI scanner. Research groups around the world are using this class of magnets to develop new tissue contrast agents for medical imaging. Version 2.0 is built using second-generation high-temperature superconducting wire, which significantly reduces cooling demands and makes the entire device consume less power than a household kettle.
positive feedback
Feedback from the NMR community at this month’s International Experimental NMR Conference in California pointed to location flexibility as a real benefit of the new design. The 3Tracer 2.0 HF can be installed on a regular laboratory bench, is suitable for mobile use in research vehicles, and can be switched off and on as required. All of these are impractical for large, high-power systems.
“Researchers told us, quite simply, they don’t want to walk across campus to the NMR lab. They want to have an NMR instrument in the lab,” said Donald Pook, chief executive of HTS-110.
“This is the first of a family of magnets we will bring to market over the next two years, capable of up to 400 MHz (9.4 T), all refrigerant-free and all single-phase. We are applying our 20 years of superconducting magnet experience to a new class of equipment.”
The instrument was presented at the 67th Experimental NMR Conference (April 12-16, 2026) in Asilomar, California. Available to order now through Stelar, with first customer deliveries scheduled for late 2026.
About HTS-110
HTS-110 is a New Zealand-based specialist in high temperature superconducting magnet systems. The company designs custom magnets, provides engineering consulting, and manufactures a variety of standard magnet products for research and industry. Founded in 2004 as a spin-out of Industrial Research Limited and now independent, HTS-110 is based in Lower Hutt, Wellington and supplies magnets to universities, national laboratories and industrial research groups around the world.
About Stellar
Stelar srl, based in Mede, Italy, has been a world leader in field cycling NMR instruments since 1984. Stelar supplies research institutions around the world across pharmaceutical, materials, food, and medical imaging applications.
Please note: This is a commercial profile
This article will also be published in the quarterly magazine issue 26.
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