Products / Solutions / Custom Solutions
Custom Imaging Systems & Scientific Instrumentation
Indigo Scientific designs and builds custom imaging systems, bespoke microscopy platforms and scientific instrumentation for research, industry and academia. We integrate optics, mechanics, electronics, software and automation into complete, working systems.
Software development
Control, acquisition, stitching, reconstruction
Motion & automation
XY/Z stages, encoded motion, triggering
Electronics & control
Custom hardware, synchronisation, cabling
System integration
Hardware + software into unified workflows
Indigo Scientific for Custom Setups
Indigo Scientific is not just a microscope reseller. We are a scientific imaging and instrumentation engineering company. We supply complete systems including Zeiss and other manufacturer products but we also design, build and develop custom imaging platforms from the ground up. Our capability spans optics, mechanics, electronics, software and imaging workflows.
Complete system design
From specification through to delivered instrument — optics, mechanics, electronics and software designed as an integrated system.
CAD/CAM and mechanical design
In-house mechanical design and manufacture for optical housings, motion systems, sample holders and custom instrument enclosures.
Electronics design and manufacture
Custom hardware for XY stage control, triggering, synchronisation, temperature regulation and instrument interface design
Software development
instrument control, automated acquisition, image stitching, reconstruction pipelines, spectrometer software and bespoke analysis tools, all developed internally.
WHAT WE DO
Engineering-led scientific imaging, built around your application
Indigo Scientific develops custom imaging systems and scientific instrumentation for universities, research institutes, NHS facilities, pharmaceutical companies and industrial customers across the UK and internationally.
Our core expertise is in imaging system integration and scientific software development.
We also supply and integrate complete commercial microscopy systems from Zeiss, Jenoptik, OKOLAB and other partners, and can combine commercial and custom components into bespoke imaging workflows tailored to specific research or industrial requirements.
If you have an imaging problem a sample that existing instruments cannot handle, a workflow that needs automating, a requirement that off-the-shelf systems cannot meet, or a novel imaging modality that needs engineering from first principles, this is the kind of work we do.
WHAT WE BUILD
Custom imaging systems & scientific instrumentation examples
The following categories represent capabilities and system types we have developed, integrated or delivered. This is not a product catalogue, it reflects our engineering capability and the range of imaging problems we work on.
High-Resolution Episcopic Microscopy (HREM) & Block-Face Imaging
Custom HREM Imaging Systems
Fully custom optical HREM systems built from scratch including the OHREM Micro and OHREM Ultra platforms. Serial block-face sectioning and imaging at 1–8μm voxel resolution.
Structured Illumination for SBF
Structured illumination systems developed from scratch for serial block-face imaging. Improves optical sectioning and contrast in beyond standard widefield capability.
3D Reconstruction Workflows
Automated reconstruction pipelines for HREM and block-face datasets. Inherently aligned stacks without registration steps. With 3D capabilities for large volume visualisation.
Motion Systems & Automated Scanning
Automated XY Stage Systems
Custom-built encoded XY motion systems for automated tile scanning, multi-sample positioning and large-area acquisition. Integrated with acquisition software for lifetime instrument control.
Z-Stage & Focus Systems
Electronic focus control modules for motorised Z positioning and automated focus adjustment across imaging runs. Wavelength focus compensation for multi-channel fluorescence systems to correct chromatic shift between channels.
Large-Area Stitching Systems
Automated tile acquisition and image stitching for large-area datasets. Software-controlled multi-position acquisition with automatic montaging — reducing manual intervention to zero for extended imaging runs.
Fluorescence & Illumination Systems
Multi-Channel Fluorescence Imaging
Custom fluorescence imaging platforms with multiple excitation channels, filter wheel integration, camera-triggered excitation and software-controlled acquisition. Configurable for GFP, mCherry, DAPI, Cy5 and other fluorophores.
Scientific Camera Integration
Integration of scientific cameras into custom imaging systems. Camera triggering, synchronisation with illumination, exposure control and acquisition software developed to match specific workflow requirements.
Camera-Triggered Excitation Systems
Hardware synchronisation between camera exposure and light source excitation, eliminating crosstalk between channels and enabling precise timing control for time-lapse and high-speed fluorescence acquisition
Environmental, Spectroscopy & Specialised Systems
Temperature Control & Regulation Systems
Custom temperature regulation and control systems for imaging environments including enclosed heated stages, Peltier-based cooling, CO₂ and humidity regulation. Developed for live cell imaging, cryo-adjacent applications and controlled environment imaging.
Spectrometer Integration & Fibre Analysis
Control software and hardware integration for spectrometer systems including spectral acquisition, filter analysis, fibre-optic data collection and custom analysis tools.
Custom Triggering, Synchronisation & Cabling
Custom electronics solutions for hardware synchronisation between imaging components including trigger boxes, TTL interface boards, inter-system communication and custom cabling and interconnect design for imaging instruments.
WHAT WE DO
In-house software development
for imaging systems
Indigo Scientific develops scientific imaging software internally, not as a secondary capability, but as a core part of how we build imaging systems. Every piece of software we produce is written for a specific scientific or instrumentation purpose, and integrated directly with the hardware it controls.
Our software development spans instrument control applications (Windows-based, direct hardware interface), automated acquisition tools, image stitching and montaging, 3D reconstruction pipelines, spectrometer data acquisition and analysis, and bespoke processing tools for specific imaging workflows.
We can also integrate multiple hardware systems such as cameras, stages, light sources, spectrometers, temperature controllers into a unified software workflow controlled from a single application, with synchronised acquisition, data logging and export.
Frequently asked questions
What types of custom imaging projects do you take on?
We work on a wide range such ascustom imaging instruments for specific sample types or modalities, automation of existing imaging workflows, software development for instrument control or image processing, integration of multiple hardware systems into unified workflows, and bespoke scientific instrumentation where no commercial product exists. Contact us with your requirement and we will advise on feasibility and approach.
Can you develop software for an imaging system we already have?
Yes, we develop software for specific imaging hardware, including systems we did not build. This includes control software for cameras, stages and light sources, automated acquisition tools, image processing pipelines and workflow integration. Contact us with details of your hardware and what you need the software to do.
Do you work on single one-off projects or only production runs?
We work on one-off projects, small series and ongoing development work. The OHREM systems themselves began as one-off research instruments. We are not a contract manufacturer requiring production volumes,we take on individual research instrument projects where our engineering capability is the right fit.
How do custom imaging projects typically start?
Usually with a conversation — tell us what you are trying to image, what existing approaches have failed or are insufficient, and what your key constraints are (sample size, resolution, speed, environment, budget). We then advise on whether and how we can help, and what a realistic project would look like. There is no obligation in an initial discussion.
Indigo Scientific - Imaging Team
Based in Hertfordshire, UK. Systems shipped and supported worldwide.