12. Commitments & Contingent Liabilities (Details) (USD $)			1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended						12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2013 QuantaLife [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 QuantaLife [Member]	Oct. 04, 2011 QuantaLife [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 UNITED STATES	Dec. 31, 2013 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]		Dec. 31, 2012 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]		Dec. 31, 2013 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] QuantaLife [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] QuantaLife [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Aug. 31, 2012 Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Aug. 31, 2012 Development [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Aug. 31, 2012 Sales [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Sales milestone minimum payment [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Sales milestone year 1 maximum payment percentage [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Sales milestone year 2 maximum payment percentage [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Sales milestone year 3 maximum payment percentage [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Sales Milestone year 1 purchase orders [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Sales milestone year 2 purchase orders [Member] CellSorter [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Sales milestone year 3 purchase orders [Member] CellSorter [Member]
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliations, Recurring Basis, Liability Value								$ 20,800,000	[1]	$ 52,600,000	[1]			$ 20,800,000	$ 44,600,000
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
Operating leases, due next twelve months	39,100,000
Operating leases, due in two years	30,100,000
Operating leases, due in three years	24,000,000
Operating leases, due in four years	18,600,000
Operating leases, due thereafter	49,800,000
Post-Employment Benefits Liability	46,300,000	39,500,000
Recorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation	99,000,000
Recorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation Due in Second to Third Year	32,300,000
Recorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation Due in Fourth to Fifth Year	7,300,000
Recorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation Due after Fifth Year	59,400,000
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation	65,400,000
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Due in Twelve Months	57,400,000
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Due within Two Years	7,200,000
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Due within Three Years	400,000
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Due within Four Years	400,000
Letters of Credit Outstanding Amount	8,200,000
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability, Settlements			6,000,000	6,000,000		20,000,000
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration, Potential Percentage Payout																				60.00%	51.32%	50.38%
Employees Covered By Collective Bargaining Agreements U.S., Percentage	7.00%
Entity Number of Employees							3,000
Fair Value, Measurement with Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation, Recurring Basis, Liability, Gain (Loss) Included in Earnings												2,000,000	16,100,000	3,800,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability					24,100,000											44,600,000	19,900,000	24,700,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, High					48,000,000																		20,000,000	30,000,000	45,000,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, Low																			$ 0

[1] The contingent consideration liability is included in the following accounts in the Consolidated Balance Sheet (in millions): December 31, 2013 December 31, 2012 Other current liabilities$6.1 $27.3Other long-term liabilities14.7 25.3 Total$20.8 $52.6