In 1991, few would have imagined that a small team of engineers working from rented offices in Brno would help shape the future of scientific imaging.
There was no factory. No global sales network. No major investor. Only expertise, determination, and a belief that better tools could help researchers see more, understand more, and discover more.
Thirty-five years later, Tescan supports scientists and innovators in more than 80 countries with advanced solutions spanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam technology, micro-CT, ultra-fast laser technologies and analytical instrumentation. Across materials science, semiconductors, life sciences, geoscience, battery research, and many other fields, Tescan technologies help reveal what was previously invisible.
The scale has changed dramatically. The purpose has not.
Keeping a Tradition Alive
Tescan's story started amid a time of significant change. As political and economic systems across Central Europe evolved in the early 1990s, the future of electron microscopy in Brno seemed uncertain. The city had long been known as a key hub for electron optics and microscope innovation. While the expertise persisted, the supporting structures were gradually vanishing.
Rather than let that tradition fade, a group of engineers from Tesla Brno chose to continue building.
In July 1991, they founded TESCAN.
Their ambition was straightforward: preserve a unique legacy of innovation, continue advancing electron microscopy, and create opportunities for the next generation of engineers and scientists.
Learning Before Building
In Tescan's early years, the company focused on servicing, repairing, and upgrading existing microscopes rather than manufacturing complete units. By collaborating with laboratories across Europe, they gained crucial insights into both the technology and the daily challenges faced by researchers. This experience led to their first major breakthrough: the Tescan Image Processor (TIP), which transformed analog signals into digital images, enabling quicker data acquisition, storage, and analysis. Today, digital imaging is a standard feature, and back in the early 1990s, it marked a significant advancement. More broadly, it established a core principle that still guides Tescan: innovation isn't just about developing new technology; it's about helping researchers find answers faster and more confidently.
The Moment Everything Changed
In 1999, eight years after its founding, Tescan introduced VEGA™, its first electron microscope entirely developed under the Tescan brand. This moment was a significant milestone, demonstrating that the expertise cultivated in Brno could be translated into a comprehensive microscopy platform designed around the evolving needs of researchers. The timing was perfect as laboratories worldwide embraced digital workflows and looked for instruments that offered a balance of performance, ease of use, and reliability. The response from researchers was positive. As installation numbers increased, Tescan's confidence and international footprint expanded. Over twenty years later, VEGA™ remains a key part of the company's offerings and stands as a testament to its evolution from a local engineering firm to a global technology leader.
Expanding What Is Possible
As research challenges grew more complex, Tescan expanded its capabilities alongside them.
Scientists needed more than just images; they needed integrated workflows that linked sample preparation, imaging, analysis, automation, and data interpretation. Building on the success of VEGA™, Tescan continued to advance electron microscopy with its first FEG-SEM platform and later generations of systems, including today’s MIRA™, MAGNA™, and CLARA™ platforms. In 2011, FERA3, the world’s first commercial Plasma FIB-SEM system, marked another important milestone in Tescan’s technology development.
Tescan also broadened its portfolio across focused ion beam technologies, automated mineralogy, micro-CT, advanced software, 3D workflows, machine learning, AI, and analytical workflows. Key milestones accelerated this development, including the 2013 partnership with ORSAY PHYSICS, the additions of XRE, AppFive, 3DIM, and DML, and the 2022 launch of TENSOR™, a 4D-STEM platform designed to deliver a new level of analytical performance and user experience.
In 2022, Carlyle acquired a majority stake in Tescan, bringing strategic backing and international expertise to support the company’s continued growth. More recently, the acquisition of EXpressLO LLC expanded Tescan’s expertise in specimen preparation and handling, while Tescan FemtoChisel™ brought femtosecond laser technology to semiconductor sample preparation. The introduction of a new brand identity also reflected Tescan’s ambitions as a global innovator in scientific instrumentation. The company also grew globally through new subsidiaries, application centers, and research facilities, strengthening support for the semiconductor, materials science, and life science sectors. What started as a local engineering firm has now become a worldwide scientific instrumentation partner.
The Same Purpose at a Different Scale
Much has changed over thirty-five years.
Tescan has grown from a handful of founders to nearly a thousand employees worldwide. Its technologies have become more sophisticated, its portfolio broader, and its reach truly global.
The main mission stays fundamentally the same: assisting researchers in solving complex questions. Whether focusing on battery materials, developing advanced semiconductor devices, studying biological structures, analyzing geological samples, or venturing into new scientific fields, the aim is always to bridge the gap between inquiry and discovery more quickly. This approach shapes Tescan's technology development, collaborations, and support for the scientific community.
The Next Chapter Begins
Anniversaries are an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved.
They are also an opportunity to look ahead.
Throughout its history, Tescan has grown by bringing together complementary expertise, new ideas, and a shared commitment to advancing scientific understanding. Every stage of that journey has expanded what researchers can achieve.
The integration with Shimadzu represents the next step in that evolution.
Together, the two organizations share a commitment to precision, innovation, and scientific progress. By combining strengths across analytical instrumentation and advanced imaging technologies, they have the opportunity to help researchers address increasingly complex challenges and unlock new possibilities for discovery.
It is a future built on the same principles that shaped Tescan from the beginning: Curiosity. Collaboration. Innovation. And a belief that better tools help people make better discoveries.
Thirty-five years ago, a small team in Brno set out to preserve a tradition of electron microscopy.
Today, Tescan supports researchers around the world, helping them explore what was once invisible and transform questions into knowledge.
The journey continues.
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