The Spectris portfolio of analytical instrumentation for evaluating magnetic materials is growing dramatically by acquisition as several recent deals involving Micromeritics, SciAps and Malvern Panalytical come together. The combined companies in the Spectris Group, which also include HBK, Particle Measuring Systems and Servomex, now cover a greater range of capabilities in particle characterization, materials analysis and testing involving magnetic materials and effects. Additionally, some of its products employ permanent magnets and electromagnetic functionality, adding to its knowledgebase. There are now five companies and 7,600 employees in the group which, overall, serves many markets for precision measurement.
The latest deal came in mid-July when the London-based company announced that it has agreed to acquire Micromeritics Instrument Corporation for about $685 million. Together with Malvern Panalytical, the combination will create a leading particle characterization business for advanced materials analysis. Micromeritics’ technologies alongside Malvern Panalytical’s capabilities encompass particle distribution, particle count and zeta potential. They enable the comprehensive characterization of particles by detailing their size, count, surface properties and behavior, thus supporting the entire laboratory workflow from R&D to QC/QA applications.
In addition to the recently announced acquisition of SciAps, the acquisition of Micromeritics further broadens Malvern Panalytical’s offerings and expands Spectris Scientific’s product portfolio. In the Scientific division, Malvern Panalytical sits alongside Particle Measuring Systems and Servomex, bringing together a number of precision instruments businesses.
“Together, Micromeritics and Malvern Panalytical provide a unique opportunity to create a leading and highly differentiated position and a fully integrated offering in particle characterization,” said Derek Harding, recently appointed to be president of Spectris Scientific from his previous position as CFO of Spectris plc.
Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, Micromeritics has manufacturing sites in the U.S. and Europe, and direct sales operations throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Malvern has some 2,300 employees worldwide.
Also in July, Spectris agreed to acquire SciAps for about $260 million. Based in Boston, SciAps makes handheld instruments leveraging X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) techniques for materials analysis with an attractive pipeline of new products. It recently introduced the X-555, an innovative XRF analyzer for rare earth elements. It uses a 55 kV X-ray tube which the company says is the most powerful X-ray tube ever developed for handheld XRF analysis. With the higher voltage, the X-555 effectively analyzes all of the light REEs including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium and samarium, plus some heavy REEs.
Why a 55 kV X-ray tube? The X-ray energy needed to effectively excite emissions from the light REEs resides in the 40-48 keV range. Typical X-ray tubes in handheld units only operate up to 50 kV, and therefore only a tiny fraction of the X-ray energy is useful for excitation of the REEs.
By operating the X-ray tube up to 55 kV, about 10x more X-ray energy is available to produce emissions from the light REEs and the first two heavy REEs, gadolinium and europium. While it’s not possible to operate a handheld XRF at high enough voltages to usefully measure all heavy REEs, the X-555 provides highly sensitive yttrium analysis, which is a common pathfinder for the heavy REEs.
“Value enhancing M&A is central to our compounding growth strategy. SciAps is an excellent business and a great addition to Spectris Scientific, bringing complementary technology and strengthening our offering, including our innovative digital solutions,” noted Andrew Heath, CEO of Spectris.
A sampling of magnetic technologies in the portfolio
Servomex is a pioneer developer of paramagnetic sensing technology which is a cornerstone of its oxygen analysis products. Used by many of our industrial, portable and multi-gas analyzers, it delivers fast and reliable measurements of percentage O2 concentrations. The paramagnetic cell consists of two nitrogen-filled glass spheres, mounted within a magnetic field, on a rotating suspension, with a centrally-placed mirror. Light shines on the mirror and is reflected onto a pair of photocells.
Since oxygen is naturally paramagnetic, it is attracted to the magnetic field, displacing the glass spheres and causing suspension rotation, which is detected by the photocells. Current is applied through a feedback coil present in the magnetic field to provide sufficient torque to return the suspension to its original position. The magnitude of this current is directly proportional to the O2 present in the sample gas mixture.
HBK is a leader in powertrain testing through its HBM torque transducers and other products, and also makes a number of products that employ magnets and electromagnetics for their functionality. Torque measurement is a key criterion for measurements in the power train. Nearly all automobile manufacturers, testing houses and test stand developers worldwide rely on sensors and testing systems from HBK when analyzing their powertrains. The non-contacting torque transducers provide the precision needed in today’s electric vehicle drive systems. The company’s HBM eDrive Testing Solution consists of hardware, advanced software and highly precise sensors designed for ultimate interoperability, capable of handling electrical, mechanical, control and NVH signals simultaneously.
For more info and to link to the individual companies, see www.spectris.com.
