21 Feb 2007 New camera and software upgrades boost performance of CRi-manufactured Abrio birefringence imaging systems sold by Hinds Instruments. Woburn, Massachusetts - February 12, 2007
Hinds Instruments and CRi introduced upgraded Abrio™ IM Macro and Micro instruments, quantitative birefringence imaging platforms for industrial metrology applications.
CRi has upgraded the systems with a second-generation Abrio digital camera and electronics. The camera's resolution is more than doubled to 1392 x 1024 pixels compared to the earlier sensor. This feature enables users to work with a sub-region of the image (or sample) by digital zooming without having to change lenses. The standard system has a 30mm x 40mm measurement area with digital zoom.
The Windows®-compatible software has also been upgraded with increased intuitive operation and greater ease of data analysis and transfer.
"These improvements make Abrio systems among the easiest to use and highest performance systems of their kind on the market," said Andy Kaplan, Sales Manager of Hinds Instruments. "We are planning to demonstrate the new systems in Germany in February and Japan in April."
"CRi is the leader in quantitative birefringence imaging," said Cathy Boutin, Sales Manager and Product Manager for Polarized Light Imaging Systems at CRi. "These improvements add real value to our systems that we believe our partner Hinds can successfully sell into the competitive Metrology marketplace."
CRi's Abrio imaging systems offer a fast and accurate way to determine birefringence in glass, optical materials, fibers, polymers and coated metals. The system is used to map retardance (in nanometers) and slow-axis orientation as grayscale images. Data per pixel are automatically calculated and saved with each image for easy analysis and post processing. A unique and innovative solid-state liquid crystal tunable imaging element manufactured by CRi allows fast, accurate, and high-resolution imaging.
Cambridge Research & Instrumentation, Inc. (CRi) is the leading provider of liquid crystal based imaging and optical processing solutions to the life science, industrial metrology, and communications markets. The company also develops and manufactures high-performance imaging solutions that employ unique optical design and proprietary algorithms for applications in the life sciences, pharmaceutical drug discovery, and for certain pre-clinical and clinical uses. CRi is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts, and operates a modern facility with a state-of-the-art, cleanroom-based optics foundry. CRi is able to rapidly design and manufacture component or system-level solutions for a variety of growing market applications. CRi services a global network of distributors and partners through direct sales of systems and through strategic alliances as an OEM supplier.
Hinds Instruments, Inc. develops and manufactures photoelastic modulator-based systems and components that exploit the high sensitivity of PEM polarization analysis technology. This capability has become integral to a wide variety of applications involving measurement of such parameters as birefringence, Stokes polarimetry, dichroism, optical rotation and others in research, metrology and on-line environments. Founded in 1971 and located in Hillsboro, Oregon, Hinds has grown to become the world's leading supplier of photoelastic modulators (PEMs) and systems. Hinds strives to provide advanced polarization modulation analysis technology, delivering solutions to customers that meet or exceed their real-world requirements. |
