FEI acquired Visualization Sciences Group (VSG), a company that provides 3D visualization software products and tools to a range of markets, including the life sciences. The acquisition cost €44.8 million or approximately $55 million.

“VSG is an extension and acceleration of our strategy to provide complete imaging and visualization solutions to our customers,” said Don Kania, president and CEO of FEI. “Their products and development capabilities fit well with all of our target markets, especially in our higher-growth natural resources and life sciences businesses. Our customers are expressing an increasing demand for analysis of the data our imaging systems create. At the same time, FEI intends to continue to build upon VSG’s growing software business. We are impressed with VSG’s solutions, including state-of-the-art 3D rendering, an open application framework, object-oriented 3D libraries and very large 3D data-management capabilities.”

VSG’s Avizo® and amira® 3D software applications are multifaceted tools for visualizing, manipulating, and understanding scientific and industrial data. VSG also provides Open Inventor®, an object-oriented 3D development toolkit that allows software developers to integrate high-performance 3D visualization capabilities in their applications.

FEI, a provider of electron- and ion-beam microscopes and solutions for nanoscale applications, has been on a bit of a buying spree this year, having purchase the assets of AP Tech in July for $12 million and ASPEX in January for $30.5 million.

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