Melbourne-based Autoscan Systems is the world's leading manufacturer of high-end automated microscope stages, used primarily for the geological technique of fission track dating, and has customers in 28 countries.

 

Their previous slide holder design utilised metal springs to secure the glass slides for scanning, but the flexibility of the springs affected the vertical positioning of the slides, causing critical focussing issues under the microscope lens.

 

A collaborative re-design was carried out to incorporate ergonomic sliding buttons in a one-piece aluminium holder which held the slides using the force of embedded rare earth magnets. The single-axis sliding buttons eliminated the vertical deflection of the slides, offering effortless and positive locking and release of the slides. The single-piece holder also minimised production and assembly costs.