Delft scale-up Delmic showcases technology accelerating chip and cell research at world congress IMC21 in Liverpool.

DELFT, THE NETHERLANDS, 10 August 2026 -- Delmic, the Delft-based specialist in electron microscopy, will demonstrate at the International Microscopy Congress (IMC21) in Liverpool how AI and robotics are automating sample preparation, transforming a process that once took days of manual work into one that largely runs itself. “This allows scientists to determine sooner whether, for example, computer chips will function properly, medicines are effective, or solar cells perform as intended,” says Delmic CEO Sander den Hoedt. 

Delmic was founded in 2011 as a spin-out of TU Delft, where researchers have spent decades developing ways to make electron microscopes faster and more precise. The Delft-based scale up now supplies its technology to more than 220 renowned research institutes in over 30 countries. This includes nanometrology solutions for proteins and pharmaceuticals (cryo-electron microscopy), as well as materials (cathodoluminescence).  

Following major advances in the resolution and speed for nanoscale measurements themselves, Delmic is now also automating the preparation of samples. In cryo-electron microscopy, scientists study proteins and cell structures in a frozen state. Human operators must first cut ultra-thin sections at exactly the right location. Delmic’s METEOR system automates this process by accurately locating the proteins using fluorescence microscopy, allowing the machine to cut at exactly the right location. 

In cathodoluminescence, materials emit light when exposed to an electron beam, for example new materials (compound semiconductors) used in computer chips, electric vehicles, LED technology and data centres. This enables researchers to identify defects at the nanoscale, but they still have to manually select the correct measurement locations. The new generation of Delmic’s in-house developed SPARC technology, which the company is introducing at IMC21, automates this step as well. 

Cryo-electron microscopy, awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017, has evolved over the past ten years from a research technique into an integral part of drug development. At the same time, the emergence of new materials in the semiconductor industry requires inspection at ever smaller scales. In both cases, the microscopy itself is now capable of performing the measurements, while the manual work surrounding the process has become the bottleneck. Delmic's technology is steadily removing this bottleneck.

Delmic’s new technologies can significantly improve the reliability of scientific conclusions, according to CEO Sander Den Hoedt: "Researchers often base their work on very limited data, simply because the measurements take too long," he says. "Just as with DNA sequencing, we can now produce robust amounts of data much sooner. Only then can you determine whether what you are seeing is the rule or simply a coincidence.”  

IMC21 will take place from 31 August to 4 September at ACC Liverpool and is one of the world’s leading international congresses in microscopy. Delmic will present its innovations at booth 381.