Agilent introduced the 6545 Q-TOF system designed to provide added sensitivity for routine analyses. It includes advances in hardware and software that make it more reliable and easier to use for trace-level analysis of small molecule compounds in applications such as food safety, environmental testing, forensic toxicology and pharmaceuticals. New hardware advances include ion shaping optics, high-voltage power supplies and longer-life parts to increase robustness. New autotune software uses particle swarm technology to optimise the instrument for small-molecule analyses.