Oxford Instruments

Oxford Instruments plc is a United Kingdom manufacturing and research company that designs and manufactures tools and systems for industry, research, education, space, energy, defence and healthcare.

It employs 1,300^[1] people worldwide and has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1983^[1].

The company is headquartered in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, with sites in the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, and Asia.

History

The company was founded by Sir Martin Wood in 1959 with help from his wife Audrey, to manufacture superconducting magnets for use in scientific research, starting in his garden shed in Northmoor Road, Oxford, England. It was one of the first spin-out companies from the University of Oxford and still one of the most successful.

It had a pioneering role in the development of magnetic research imaging, providing the first superconducting magnets for this application. Further innovations included the development of active shielding, whereby fringe fields hazardous to pacemaker wearers, causing difficulty and expense in siting, were virtually eliminated.

Oxford Instruments was not able to capitalise on these inventions itself, granting royalty-free license to Philips and General Electric whilst developing a joint venture with Siemens. This was dissolved in 2004 and Oxford realised approximately nine million pounds for its contribution.

Martin Wood was knighted in 1986, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1987, and has received honorary degrees in eight British universities. ^[2]

Activities

• NanoAnalysis - X-ray microanalysis systems for characterisation of materials and matter to the smallest scale.

• Industrial Analysis - elemental analysis using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES), XRF coating thickness measurement, X-ray tube manufacture and Space Technology.

• X-ray Technology - design, manufacture and support of low power X-ray tubes and components.

• Plasma Technology - tools and leading-edge processes for the engineering of micro- and nano-structures.

• NanoScience - creating sample environments for measurement at low temperature and high Magnetic field, for physical science applications down to the atomic scale.

• Magnets for NMR Spectroscopy - high field NMR magnets for research and development.

• Superconducting Technology - production of low temperature superconducting wires.

• Austin Scientific Instruments - for cryo compressors, consumables and refurbishment

• Molecular Biotools - benchtop NMR and DNP-NMR (Dynamic Nuclear Polarisation) for industrial and bioscience applications

• Proserve - service and support network, with offices and representatives world-wide. Includes a specialist MRI service division.

Further reading

• Audrey Wood — Magnetic Venture: The Story of Oxford Instruments (Oxford University Press, 2001). ISBN 0-19-924108-2.

References

External links

• Oxford Instruments plc
• Oxford Instruments EBSD (Electron Backscatter Diffraction) website
• Oxford Instruments X-ray microanalysis website
• Sir Martin Wood and Oxford Instruments
• Worldwide Analytical Systems AG Joined Oxford instruments in Summer 2007

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