COMPANY INTRODUCTION
AGICO (Advanced Geoscience Instruments Company) situated in Brno, Czech Republic, is one of the most respected world producers of scientific instruments for rock magnetism and palaeomagnetism and magnetic surveying.
AGICO's tradition dates back to the late fifties when the first version of its spinner magnetometer was developed for measuring remanent magnetization of weakly magnetic rocks by the Instrument Development and Manufacturing Group of Geofyzika Brno Company. The group separated as AGICO Inc. in 1995.
The latest version of its spinner magnetometer shows outstanding sensitivity, limited only by thermal noise of its pick up coils. Its sensitivity has not been achieved by any contemporary instrument using classical (i.e. non-quantum, non-cryogenic) operating principles. To be able to measure also soft specimens frequent in environmental studies, the instrument has been equipped with low-speed option in which the centrifugal force affecting the rotating specimen is substantially reduced.
AGICO also manufactures the most sensitive and accurate measuring system for the magnetic susceptibility and the anisotropy of susceptibility of rocks (and other materials). It can even measure the anisotropies of diamagnetic and near-zero susceptibility samples. This instrument was developed in the late sixties also and has been continuously upgraded and improved. The latest version is able to measure susceptibility and its anisotropy in various magnetic fields ranging from 2 A/m to 450 A/m. It has an option for fully automated measurement of susceptibility variation with field. In unison with non-magnetic furnace and non-magnetic cryostat, the instrument is able to measure the susceptibility variation with temperature, also in various weak magnetic fields.
AGICO innovates its instruments systematically through computerization and automation in order to increase measurement rapidity and comfort and, if possible, also sensitivity and accuracy. These instruments are routinely interfaced to personal computers using AGICO's software. To make evaluation of the measured data easier, AGICO specialists have developed software for advanced scientific processing of the measured data. The software is supplied complimentary with the delivered instruments.
AGICO, in addition to innovations of its traditional instruments, also develops new instruments with the aim of gradually covering the needs of standard rock magnetic and palaeomagnetic laboratories. AGICO instruments currently permit the following activities: measurement of remanent magnetization, AF demagnetization, measurement of magnetic susceptibility and anisotropy of low-field magnetic susceptibility, investigation of temperature variation of bulk susceptibility (from liquid nitrogen temperature, -196oC to 700oC, in air or flowing argon atmospheres), investigation of anisotropy of isothermal and anhysteretic magnetic remanence. More developments are underway.
AGICO's specialists not only develop and manufacture instruments, but also work as research scientists. Its group working in magnetic anisotropy of rocks contributes substantially and even pioneers this scientific discipline. The rare combination of scientific, engineering activities and collaboration with academic and commercial scientific units, all within one company has proved very fruitful. The company is proud of its cosmopolitan contacts and multilingual collaboration. We have manufactured, serviced and upgraded hundreds of instruments over the last thirty years that are in operation on all continents including Antarctica.
AGICO Inc.
(Advanced Geoscience Instruments Company)
Brno, Czech Republic