Description
Smiths Detection IONSCAN™ 600 — Explosives and Narcotics Trace Detector
The IONSCAN 600 is a highly sensitive and intuitive trace detector in a lightweight, portable desktop configuration. Building on the proven IONSCAN family, this latest-generation unit accurately detects and identifies a broad range of military, commercial, and homemade explosives, alongside common illegal and controlled narcotics—including the highly potent fentanyls, opioids, and synthetic cannabinoids (spice) spreading rapidly worldwide.
Compact and easily portable, the IONSCAN 600 includes hot-swappable batteries for full operation even without mains power, and it can be relocated while fully operational with zero downtime—making it suitable for a much broader range of screening environments.
At its core is a proprietary non-radioactive ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) source. Because there’s no radioactive material, licensing from national nuclear regulatory agencies isn’t required—eliminating time-consuming radiation testing and administration, and enabling license-free transport from site to site.
The unit works with cost-effective, single-use swabs suitable for both manual and wand sampling. These proprietary swabs are engineered for efficient trace-particle pickup, reduce contamination risk, and offer the most hygienic method for sampling a person’s hands. An intuitive touch-screen interface requires minimal training, and low consumable costs keep the total cost of ownership down.
Delivering ease of use, flexibility, and cost advantages, the IONSCAN 600 provides the reliable, trustworthy performance expected of high-quality Smiths Detection solutions.
Feature list
- Detects and identifies both explosives and narcotics in a single unit
- Explosives: RDX, TNT, PETN, NG, AN, UN, HMTD, TATP, EGDN, Tetryl, HMX, and more (military, commercial, and homemade)
- Narcotics: fentanyls, opioids, spice, heroin, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, LSD, GHB, THC, and more
- Proprietary non-radioactive IMS source—no nuclear licensing, radiation testing, or special transport required
- Fast results: detection and identification from 6.5 seconds (up to 10 seconds max)
- Warm-up time under 10 minutes
- Small, lightweight, and portable—from 23.8 lbs (non-printer version)
- Hot-swappable batteries for up to 1 hour of full operation with no downtime when relocating
- Cost-effective single-use swabs for manual or wand sampling—hygienic and low-contamination
- Intuitive color touch screen (9″ or 10″ depending on variant); minimal operator training
- Automatic internal self-calibration
- Stores up to 250,000 samples
- Connectivity: Ethernet and 4× USB 2.0
- Optional integrated printer (order-time only) or external USB printer
- Tamper-proof casing with no hazardous parts
- Low cost of ownership
Regulatory approvals: TSA ACSTL Qualified++, ECAC/EU, CAAC, IPMO, and Transport Canada ACS.





