Company Announcements

Nanosurf AG appointed RL Artal as its official agent for Hungary and Anamet SRO as its distributor for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Nikon Instruments signed a value-added reseller agreement to sell the ChromoDynamics’ HSi-300 Hyperspectral Imaging System with its Eclipse 90i and Ti series of microscopes. The System addresses the removal of auto-fluorescence, and distinguishes and separates probes with similar emission characteristics.

Kleindiek Nanotechnik GmbH named Angstrom Scientific as its US sales and service representative for its micro- and nano-manipulation systems for electron microscopy and focused ion beam applications.

Under an OEM agreement, NT-MDT will sell, install and support Renishaw’s inVia Raman systems for integration with its NTEGRA atomic force microscopes (AFMs).

Leica Microsystems signed a corporate partnership agreement with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

Millbrook Scientific’s revenues for the six months ended September 30, 2008, rose 29.7% to £1.3 million ($2.5 million) (see IBO 12/31/08). Operating profit from continuing operations was £28,162 ($55,220), compared to a loss of £113,021 ($221,610). The company sold its Aquila Instruments business to management in June 2008.

Sales for Carl Zeiss’s Microscopy Group grew 5%, 10% when adjusted for currency, to €339 million ($506 million) for the year ended September 30, 2008, to account for 12% of total revenues.

Hamilton Thorne gained OEM and distribution rights to Thorlabs’ confocal imaging system currently under development, as well as exclusive rights for the regenerative medical research market.

Under a global supplier agreement, Ultra Clean will provide hosted manufacturing services in FEI’s Hillsboro, Oregon, facility. Also, Ultra Clean’s Asian operations will be utilized to produce some FEI subassemblies

Product Introductions

FEI released the updated Xplore3D software for its Tecnai and Titan Krios transmission electron microscopes, featuring data acquisition and reconstruction for dual-axis electron tomography for 3D biological ultrastructure.

In December 2008, Leica Microsystems and MDS Analytical Technologies launched the Leica MM AF imaging system, which combines their respective microscopy technology and MetaMorph software.

Nanosurf AG introduced the easyScan 2 FlexAFM scan head, featuring new liquid and lateral force measuring mode capabilities.

Veeco Instruments introduced the Dimension Icon AFM in January, calling it the first large-sample AFM specifically designed to address the needs of both the research lab and industrial applications.