Agilent
Technologies Inc. today announced that it has acquired the Nano Instruments
business unit of MTS Systems Corp. The acquisition will strengthen Agilent's
portfolio of instrumentation for imaging, characterizing and quantifying nanomechanical
material properties. Financial details were not disclosed.
Based in Oak Ridge, Tenn., Nano Instruments is a leading supplier of nanoindentation
systems and related equipment as well as supporting software. The G200 and G300
nanoindentation systems and the Nano UTM (Universal Testing Machine) system
are used in applications such as verifying the structural integrity of semiconductor
devices, coatings and thin films. Nano Instruments’ customers are typically
academic and industrial researchers involved in materials sciences, semiconductor
and life sciences.
Nanoindentation is an adjacent market to atomic force microscopy; Agilent currently
sells atomic force microscopes (AFMs). Both nanoindentation systems and AFMs
are used to measure and characterize materials for hardness, elasticity and
viscosity at the nanometer scale; research laboratories that use AFMs typically
have a nanoindentation system in close proximity.
“Nano Instruments has great depth of experience and a well-deserved reputation
for excellence in nanoindentation,” said Bob Burns, vice president of
Agilent’s Nanotechnology Measurements Division. “With Agilent’s
robust sales channel and global infrastructure, we anticipate growing the Nano
Instruments business and offering a more complete nanomeasurement product portfolio
to our customers worldwide.”
The Nano Instruments business is joining Agilent’s Materials Science
Solutions Unit, within Agilent’s Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis business.
The unit was formed in 2007 under the leadership of Mike Gasparian, vice president
and general manager. MSSU’s focus is to provide microscopy, particle analysis
and optical spectroscopy solutions for the materials testing, life sciences
and chemical analysis markets, as well as to advance nanotechnology. Other recent
acquisitions in this business unit include TILL Photonics (microscopy) and Colloidal
Dynamics (particle analysis).
“I’m looking forward to working with the other groups within Agilent
to share our technology and enhance the nanoindentation product roadmap,”
said Warren Oliver, general manager and co-founder of Nano Instruments, who
has joined Agilent. “From a technology, product, people and culture perspective,
our two companies are a great fit.”
Oliver and John Pethica co-founded Nano Instruments in 1983. The business was
then acquired by MTS Systems Corp. in 1998. The Nano Instruments business has
about 45 employees, who have joined Agilent.