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Phoenix 5000 Top Window NIR Forage Analyzer
Phoenix 5000  Side Loader NIR Forage Analyzer

Phoenix 5000 NIR Forage Analyzer

The Phoenix 5000 NIR forage analyzer delivers lab-grade results on alfalfa, corn silage, hay, haylage, and more in about 30 seconds per sample. A single scan returns dry matter, protein, ADF, NDF, fiber digestibility, and more — with no reagents and no destruction of the sample. Designed, built, and supported from our headquarters in Maryland, USA.

Two Configurations, One Platform

The Phoenix 5000 forage analyzer comes in two configurations built around how your lab works. Both deliver 30-second analysis with the same accuracy — the difference is throughput and sample handling.

For high-throughput labs

Phoenix Sideloader

Designed for labs running thousands of samples a year. Load the autosampler, walk away, and let it run unattended. 

 

  • Optional 30 or 50-cup autosampler

  • Unattended, continuous operation

  • Uses ISI ring cups (ground, homogeneous samples)

For sample flexibility

Phoenix Top Window

Designed for nutritionists, universities, and labs that analyze a range of sample types.

  • Multiple cup types in one instrument

  • Scans 99% of the sample area for lower sampling error

  • Integrated check standard with drift prevention

Sideloader and Top Window Features

Feature

Sideloader

Top Window

Autosampler

Yes (30 or 50 cup)

No

Sample Cups

Ring cups only

Large, ring, transflectance

Sample Types

Ground, homogeneous 

Ground, wet, unground

Operation

Unattended batches

Attended, one at a time

Best Fit

Highest throughput

Maximum flexibility

Flexible Calibration Options

An NIR analyzer is only as good as its calibration. The Phoenix gives you three ways to get there — including keeping the calibrations you've already built on another platform.

Use a calibration partner

Tap into forage databases built over decades of NIR and wet-chemistry work. Many labs already have a preferred provider — and there's a good chance it's one of our partners shown below.

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NIRSC Logo

Bring your legacy database 

Already invested years building calibrations on another NIR platform? Keep them. The Phoenix is custom-built for transferability — its configurable wavelength intervals can be matched to your existing instrument, and our transfer algorithms align spectra while compensating for instrument, math-treatment, and wavelength-scale differences. In many cases, no new samples required.

​Build your own

Develop and fully own your calibrations with the Alligator Calibrator chemometrics software. Traditional, trusted chemometric workflows, multi-constituent calibration, and complete control of your data — with no subscription, no hidden costs, and no internet connection required.

See the Phoenix in Action

Phoenix Autosampler

Phoenix Sideloader with Autosampler

Phoenix 5000 Top Window

Phoenix Top Window

Phoenix 5000: Designed for Ease of Use

Easy Operation

Fill the cup, set it on the instrument, and scan — results in about 30 seconds.

Flexible Data Handling

Export results to Excel, LIMS, or Modbus, and review history anytime in BlueScan.

Expert Support

Our technology managers average 10+ years of hands-on NIR experience.

High Performance NIR

A scanning monochromator— a trusted NIR technology for reliable, precise, consistent results.

Intuitive Software

A simple four-tab, color-coded interface that operators learn and use with ease.

Made in USA

Every Phoenix 5000 is built and shipped from our headquarters in Maryland, USA.

Trusted by Leading Forage Labs

Since employing the Phoenix, it has far outshined what initially drew us to it. It's become the central workhorse of our laboratory network — South America, Europe, and the U.S.

Don Meyer

President, Rock River Laboratory

It now takes one technician to run an instrument where it used to take two. Each instrument we add eliminates one FTE — a huge win for us.

Phillip Goldblatt

NIR Programs Manager, Dairyland Laboratories

Our staff and students enjoy the software for its ease of use. The Blue Sun team strives to make the experience easier than anyone else in the business.

David McIntosh

Coordinator III, UT Beef & Forage Center

CUSTOMER STORY

Real-time feeding decisions at Wolf Creek Dairy

"On-farm analysis allows us to know exactly what we are feeding the cows."​

— Rochelle Schroeder, DVM, Wolf Creek Dairy

When forage results came back from an outside lab three to four days later, Wolf Creek Dairy was fine-tuning rations on data that was already stale. By bringing a Phoenix 5000 in-house, their team now analyzes forages in real time — right before they go into the total mixed ration — keeping the herd's diet consistent as they work through each pile. 

 

Read more: Enhancing Dairy Operations with On-Site NIR Analysis at Wolf Creek Dairy

Want to Know More?

Please take a moment to tell us more about your application and a Blue Sun Scientific NIR specialist will promptly be in contact to discuss your application and answer all of your questions.

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