Topological modes in a laser
Topological concepts could potentially be used to build particularly robust, strong lasers in which you can amplify light over a long path.
News
Investigate new platforms for quantum information
Ki3 Photonics and Quantum Bridge Technologies from Canada have recently been awarded a grant of 450,000 US dollars from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research to explore highly-entangled states of light towards cutting-edge functionalities in telecommunications and computing.
Congatec and S.I.E. enter into a strategic value-added partnership
Congatec and System Industrie Electronic (S.I.E) enter into a strategic value-added partnership. The focus is on solution platforms for regulated industries such as healthcare and medical technology that require MDR-certified medical computers, and systems for critical infrastructure that require cybersecurity certification from federal agencies such as the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
IVAM: companies think sanctions against Russia are right
48 % of IVAM Microtechnology Network’s members have reported to be directly or indirectly affected by the war in Ukraine in a recent survey. For 3 % of the companies, the situation is even highly critical. 49 % of the respondents stated that their own company is not currently affected.
How to go from nano to macro in 3D printing
Nanoscribe extends 3D microfabrication to print macroscopic structures with the new Extra Large Features (XLF) Print Set which expands the functionality of an existing machine and turns it into a blazing-fast precision printer for millimeter- and centimeter-sized parts.
Photonic saliva test for COVID-19
A new device could offer a higher sensitivity than today’s COVID-19 rapid antigen tests while also being faster and more cost-effective than PCR tests.
Seeing through blood with a microscope
The new collaborative project ‘BetterView’ is working on a special surgical microscope in order to detect cholesteatomas – an aggressive form of chronic otitis media – and bacterial biofilms and to remove them safely.
Chairman of the European Executive Forum for Advanced Manufacturing introduced
The new Executive Forum for Advanced Manufacturing, EFAM, has a chair: Dr. Matthias Bölke, Vice President Strategy Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, is taking over the leadership of the forum set up by the European industry association Orgalim with immediate effect.
PhotonFirst appoints Nick Singh CTO
The Dutch photonics scale-up has appointed Fiji-born, Toulouse-educated, and Bristol-based Nick Singh its chief technology officer to succeed founder and CTO Pim Kat who retired in December.
Escha and Duotec take over production in Hungary
Escha and Duotec take over production capacities in Central Europe. To this end, the companies will jointly acquire 49 percent of the shares in SVI Hungary Kft., in Ajka (West Hungary) from the SVI Group.
GOM becomes Carl Zeiss GOM Metrology
GOM GmbH has been operating under the name Carl Zeiss GOM Metrology GmbH since the end of February. This is intended to clarify the unity almost three years after the takeover by Zeiss.
Euresys: Revenue grew by 29 percent in fiscal 2021
Machine vision specialist Euresys has increased sales by 29 percent in fiscal year 2021, to 20.3 million euros. This corresponds to growth of 32 percent in Asia, 10 percent in the Americas and 32 percent in the EMEA region.
Nanoantennas for light controlled electrically
Researchers at Linköping University have developed optical nanoantennas that can be turned on/off and gradually tuned by applying electrical potentials.
Fraunhofer Center for Sensor Intelligence (ZSI) planned
A Fraunhofer Center for Sensor Intelligence is to be established at Saarland University in Saarbrücken. Saarland's Minister President Tobias Hans and the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Prof. Reimund Neugebauer signed an agreement to this effect. A new building is planned, which will cost 35 million euros and, after a five-year construction period, will be operated as a cooperative project between the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT and the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP.
New type of an artificial retina
An array of photoreceptors detects the intensity of visible light via a change in electrical capacitance, mimicking the behavior of the eye’s rod retina cells.
A high-speed IR camera for monitoring laser surface structuring
In the frame of the EU-funded LAMpAS project, New Infrared Technologies (NIT) has developed an uncooled high-speed IR camera specifically adapted to the project’s requirements. The camera is able to detect in line the heat accumulated during laser surface structuring processes. It will be one of the two sensors/techniques integrated in the LAMpAS inline monitoring system.
More sensitive X-ray imaging
Researchers at MIT have shown how one could improve the efficiency of scintillators by changing the material’s surface to create certain nanoscale configurations.
A million times brighter than the sun
A new high-performance white-light laser is expected to speed up quality control in the semiconductor industry and provide closer monitoring of toxicity tests in microbiology. In one step, this laser enables the two-sided characterization of surfaces and can be integrated into production chains. The technology has been developed at the Fraunhofer Application Center for Optical Metrology and Surface Technologies (AZOM) and Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau (WHZ) as part of a PhD thesis.
Optical detection of COVID-19
The main advantage of this new optical technology over PCR lies in the speed of sample processing.
Trumpf acquires a majority stake in fiber-laser specialists AFS
Active Fiber Systems and Trumpf target synergy effects in research and to further expand their companies' market shares. Trumpf plans to retain and expand the location in Jena, Germany, and the independence of the research-oriented company even after the takeover as majority stakeholder.
Solar modules with a marble look
Perovskite solar modules with the new optics reached a very high efficiency of up to 14 percent.
McElhinney appointed as CEO of PowerPhotonic Inc
PowerPhotonic, a manufacturer of wafer scale micro-optics from Dalgety Bay, Scotland, has appointed Mark McElhinney as CEO of its US subsidiary. His initial focus will be quickly establishing US engineering and manufacturing operations that will directly serve the North American defense market.
Stemmer Imaging significantly exceeds pre-Corona sales
Stemmer Imaging's revenue and earnings in fiscal 2021 are significantly above Corona year 2020 and also above pre-Corona year 2019, the machine vision integrator reports, citing preliminary figures.
Sensopart expands management
Sensopart appointed Marius Westermann as Managing Director Marketing and Sales in October 2021. With his appointment, the management team grows to three members.
OCT improves process stability of laser metal deposition
German-Belgian four-year research project improves coaxial process for wire-based LMD.
Vortex microscope captures 3D motion of molecules
New device can measure the very detailed dynamics of how molecules move and rotate inside liquid system.
Cognex passes the 1 billion US dollars sales mark
Cognex achieved strong sales growth for the second year in a row. In fiscal year 2021, the vision specialist generated 1.04 billion US dollars in revenue, an increase of 28 percent over the previous year.
Zygo broadens European presence by opening office in Italy
Optical metrology and optical component manufacturer Zygo Corporation – a business unit of Ametek, Inc. – has established a new office in Italy, building upon its extensive network of offices and partnerships throughout Europe.
nLight acquires process monitoring expert Plasmo
The acquisition expands nLight’s industrial solutions into automated quality assurance products and adds additional scale in Europe.
Small device focuses terahertz energy for high-resolution images
American researchers have created a device that enables them to electronically steer and focus a beam of terahertz electromagnetic energy with extreme precision.
Ulrike Helfferich joins EPIC as COO
EPIC strengthens its team by appointing Helfferich as chief operating officer, to supervise daily business operations lead, key initiatives, and implement organization-wide strategies.
VDMA: Exports almost back to pre-Corona level
German mechanical and plant engineering increased exports in 2021 by a nominal 9.8 percent to 179.4 billion euros, only slightly below the figure for 2019. The chances of a new record in the current year are therefore good.
Trumpf and Metalenz illuminate with stable polarization
High-technology company Trumpf and optics innovator Metalenz showcased live demonstration of illumination for smartphone applications at Photonics West.
Framos adds global chief marketing and sales officer to its management team
Since the beginning of February, Daniel Otto has been Chief Revenue Officer at Framos and thus responsible for all marketing and sales tasks of the machine vision provider worldwide.
Macnica ATD expands portfolio with AI-powered computer vision solutions
Macnica ATD is expanding its portfolio to include AI-powered computer vision solutions from Retrocausal. The U.S. company specializes in systems that help manufacturing employees avoid assembly errors and make their daily work more efficient.
