16th July 2004. Cambridge, UK: Syncroscopy, the world leader in unique digital imaging solutions for microscopy applications, is pleased to introduce SyncroScan, its new high speed focus and stage control system. SyncroScan automates sample scanning with many leading optical microscopes to rapidly provide accurate image maps.

A SyncroScan system comes with a high-resolution camera, a motorised XY stage and a Z stepper, all of which will attach to virtually any optical microscope. This hardware is linked to a PC preloaded with SyncroScan software and a stage controller board, which automates the stage and stepper, as well as controls the microscope’s illumination, condenser, top lens and objectives.

With SyncroScan the stage moves continuously to scan at up to 25 fields per second. While scanning, the software simultaneously focuses, captures, shade corrects and stitches each image side-by-side to produce one large “real time” image map of image tiles. Both the map and tiles can be saved to ensure users have a secure record of each sample.

For microscopists who require the ultimate image stitching accuracy, SyncroScan can also be supplied with XY encoders to control the fine adjustment of image capture from the stage. These ensure perfect positioning of each image tile to provide an image map where each tile is accurately aligned. SyncroScan is also fully compatible with Syncroscopy’s powerful Auto-Montage 3-D imaging software and is ideal for users who want to automatically produce focused images of 3-D samples.

Martin Smith, Syncroscopy’s Divisional Manager stated: ” SyncroScan is the fastest stage and focus control system on the market today. This leading technology is ideal for all laboratories that routinely screen large numbers of slides because its speed and ease of use will help save time, as well as significantly improve the quality of results.”

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