Acquisitions (Details) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		1 Months Ended			9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		1 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 BioMedical [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 BioMedical [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 BioMedical [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 BioMedical [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 AirSep [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 AirSep [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 30, 2012 AirSep [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 AirSep [Member] BioMedical [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 01, 2011 GOFA [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 01, 2011 GOFA [Member] EUR (€)	Sep. 30, 2012 GOFA [Member] Distribution and Storage Segment [Domain] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 Clever Fellows Innovation Consortium [Member]	Apr. 02, 2011 Clever Fellows Innovation Consortium [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 Clever Fellows Innovation Consortium [Member] BioMedical [Member] USD ($)	Aug. 30, 2012 Maximum [Member] AirSep [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 Selling, General and Administrative Expenses [Member] AirSep [Member] BioMedical [Member] USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business combination equity interest percentage											100.00%		100.00%	100.00%			100.00%
Working capital adjustment														€ 947
Fair value of net assets aquired											83,801		28,372				732
Operating Income (Loss)	32,032	29,043	88,976	64,839	7,051	8,548	25,498	24,218				(854)			2,608			(1,561)
Amortization expense	3,810	3,342	10,130	9,947								608
Business Acquisition, Amortization of Stepped Up Inventory Basis												855
Management Retention Expense																				278
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs									418	1,134
Net assets acquired:
Accounts receivable, net											24,280
Inventories, net											32,058
Prepaid expenses											586
Other current assets											3,837
Property, plant and equipment											5,370
Other assets											976
Accounts payable											(11,031)
Customer advances and billings in excess of contract revenue											(4,782)
Accrued salaries, wages and benefits											(1,837)
Other current liabilities											(288)
Current portion of warranty reserve											(9,920)
Other long-term liabilities											(11,359)
Net tangible assets acquired											27,890
Deferred income tax assets											13,051
Goodwill											98,649		11,438				2,938
Identifiable intangible assets											67,700
Long-term deferred tax liability											(24,840)
Net assets acquired											182,450
Total purchase price														26,261
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Income Taxes Receivable											2,800
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Liabilities Assumed																			10,000
Potential purchase price																	5,000
Cash paid for acquistion																	2,000
Duration for payments of contingent consideration																3 years
Sales	$ 254,249	$ 211,311	$ 710,294	$ 574,950								$ 8,638			$ 13,946			$ 1,198