Review 2010

Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT, Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT

Optimistic ambiance at the optics branch-meeting in Aachen

On October 19th and 20th 2010 about 120 experts of the optics industry met for the sixth time at the International Congress "Optics – Key Technology for the Future", invited by the Fraunhofer Institutes for Production Technology IPT and Laser Technology ILT. The Colloquium intended to present new glances at innovations and trends concerning the optical technologies and related branches. As successfully established in previous years, the lectures where organized into a framework of the three superordinated topic areas "Strategies & Markets", "Technology & Production" as well as "Products & Innovation". Moreover, the tour through the test facilities and laboratories of the hosting Institutes as well as the conference diner provided plenty of opportunities for the discussion of technical details and networking with participants and speakers.

User-orientation opens new perspectives

Hardly affected by the global economic crises, especially the speakers within the topic area "Strategies & Markets" took an optimistic look into the near future. The insistent warning to the participants of the last colloquium in 2009, to invest into various high-end-products, was obviously successful. In spite of the difficult economic situation and corresponding profit losses, many companies were still able to expand and unlock new market segments.

Dr. Markus Weber, head of cooperate research & technology at Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen, presented new user-orientated technologies and system solutions. Using high quality and powerful microscope systems as an example, he explained how a precise look at the requirements of the end user opens extensive perspectives for the producer of optical systems.

The necessity to keep an eye on the global markets was illustrated by Dr. Marco Ledig, Vice president technology at Qioptiq Photonics GmbH Co. KG: in detail he addressed growth-relevant strategic thoughts, concerning technology transfer as well as the demanding supply of different company facilities on a global scale.

Dr. Thomas Bergs, managing director of the hosting Fraunhofer IPT, focused on megatrends relevant for the optics industry and beyond: energy, mobility, environment, health, communication and safety obtain to be particularly promising markets for manufacturers of optical components. In the past years the precision glass moulding process was established as a cost-effective and yet highly precise manufacturing method for large quantities of free formed glass lenses. The Fraunhofer IPT in Aachen researches and optimizes this technology, creating European standards for design, simulation, measurement- and tool-technics together with its partners.

Ongoing Development for manufacturing processes

The second day started with a broad overview about technologies and production. Stefan Bäumer and Mathieu Breukers introduced new approaches for the design, the manufacturing and testing of free formed optics from the special perspective of Philips Applied Technologies and the VDI Enabling Technologies Group in the Netherlands. Dr. Markus Rossi from Heptagon Oy in Switzerland talked about wafer level manufacturing as one trend of the mass-production of micro optics. Later on, EOS President Prof. Hans Peter Herzig further informed about manufacturing methods of refractive and diffractive components during the topic area "products and innovations".

The challenges ahead focus especially on the mass-production of high-precision glass- and synthetic components. The illuminating technique offers diverse areas of application for optical components and systems. Especially the fields of LED technologies and light conduction show a large amount of applications. Even more, special task like the production of ultra light-weighted optical systems for satellites can be developed, as well as surfaces with special reflection qualities for photovoltaic applications.

Branch-Meeting with future

The Aachener International Colloquium on Optics has continued to develop more and more into one of the decisive branch-meetings within the last years. The composition of talks on more strategic questions during the first day and the rather technological focused lectures during the second day allowed the participants to gain exactly the extensive overview on current developments within the optics industry the colloquium intends to give. Furthermore the shop floor tour and the evening event are highly suitable for exchanging ideas and acquiring new interesting contacts.

The next Aachener International Colloquium on Optics will take place on November 27th and 28th 2012.