MALVERN, UK - Malvern Instruments Ltd., manufacturer of particle and rheological characterization systems, has acquired the assets of Spectral Dimensions, Inc., Olney, Md., a privately held U.S. company producing near infrared (NIR) chemical-imaging instrumentation and software. Spectral Dimensions will cease trading, and the organization will be integrated into Malvern's U.S. subsidiary, Malvern Instruments Inc., Southborough, Mass. The chemical-imaging development and applications teams will continue to operate from the former Spectral Dimensions facility in Maryland.