1st Detect

1st Detect makes trace detection systems that find explosives and narcotics. Its main product is the Tracer 1000, which uses mass spectrometry in a field-ready unit. The systems are used for air cargo, airports, borders, prisons and other secure sites.

The company builds on decades of mass spectrometry expertise and an aerospace background. Its aim is to give laboratory-grade results at the point where a screening takes place. It says this gives security teams a definite answer about what a sample contains.

The Tracer 1000 ETD is made for explosives detection. The company says it detects explosives in seconds and gives results with near zero false alarms. It has an adaptive threat library that can grow to cover new explosives, and adding to the library does not raise false alarms. The company also says it has the lowest total cost of ownership. A second version, the Tracer 1000 NTD, is made to detect narcotics, including synthetic opioids and their analogs.

1st Detect says the Tracer 1000 is ECAC approved and TSA cargo approved. It says it is the only explosive trace detector to reach these standards using mass spectrometry. The company argues that the future of air cargo screening is mass spectrometry, because false alarms can stop a pallet and delay payment.

In airports, the system supports passenger and baggage screening. In air cargo, it screens freight before it flies. Other uses are seaports and land border crossings, where it checks cargo and vehicles. It also protects government buildings, corporate offices and nuclear power plants, and screens people at concerts and sporting events.

For narcotics, police forces and drug enforcement agencies use it to find illegal drugs. Customs teams use it to screen goods and packages, and prisons use it to stop drugs from entering.

Services

• Explosives trace detection
• Narcotics trace detection
• Air cargo screening
• Airport passenger and baggage screening
• Border and customs screening
• Prison security screening
• Critical infrastructure screening