OPTICS INDUSTRY REPORT

Nov. 1, 2006
Centice (Morrisville, NC), a provider of next-generation sensor technology, has expanded its patent portfolio with the recent award of “Methods and systems for static multimode multiplex spectroscopy (MMS).

Spectroscopy patent strengthens Centice IP

Centice (Morrisville, NC), a provider of next-generation sensor technology, has expanded its patent portfolio with the recent award of “Methods and systems for static multimode multiplex spectroscopy (MMS).” This patent (U.S. Patent 7,092,101) describes different methods and systems for making spectral measurements on weak diffuse sources while maintaining high spectral resolution. “This patent award is an important milestone for Centice as we continue to strengthen the company’s intellectual property position,” said Ray W. Swanson, president and CEO.

Centice is the exclusive licensee of MMS spectroscopy technology first developed at Duke University under NIH and DARPA grants for tissue spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging. In July 2006, Centice won an R&D100 award for its Raman Spectrometer based on the patented MMS technology.

Coatings acquisition finalized

Dynasil (West Berlin, NJ) and Evaporated Metal Films (EMF; Ithaca, NY) announced that a definitive agreement has been signed for Dynasil to acquire 100% of the stock of EMF for a cash payment at closing.

Dynasil manufactures optical blanks from synthetic fused silica and other optical materials as well as optical components and specialized optical systems for the laser, optical instrument, and general optics markets. EMF has optical coatings capabilities that are targeted additions to those currently offered by Dynasil including its Optometrics subsidiary, which it acquired in March 2005.

Industry veterans form new optics company

With more than 40 years of experience in the optics business between them, Jeff Luksich and Mike Wiederhold have joined to form CaseCor Precision Optics. Already operational in a 5000 sq ft building in Macedon, NY, Casecor is filling orders, reviewing blueprints for new work, and working the network of contacts they have established over the years for referrals. Some local shops currently have more work than they can handle, and that should play well for a new entry in the market. CaseCor is building on capabilities in precision and plano optics, with plans for confronting the tooling necessary for spheres, cylinders, and more-complex demands in the near future.

Linos opens new production center

In a ceremony that was attended by about 400 guests, Linos (Göttingen, Germany) opened its new facility in Regen, Germany. Linos has invested about $6.7 million in the new production center. The Lower Bavarian government helped to fund the project by granting subsidies. In the current fiscal year alone, Linos is spending $1.5 million on a new production line in Regen, with which highly complex optical systems are to be manufactured from the beginning of 2007. About 250 people are employed at the Regen location at the present time. They produce high-quality lenses and glasses for complex optical systems that are developed in Göttingen and Munich.

WaveFront Sciences marks 10th anniversary

Employees, families, customers, vendors, and local politicians celebrated the 10th anniversary of Wavefront Sciences (Albuquerque, NM) and dedicated its new building. As a successful example of technology transfer from national labs, WaveFront Sciences has been contributing to the economy of New Mexico for a decade. Its new 12,000 sq ft building doubles the company’s capacity to 24,000 sq ft of optical-manufacturing and laboratory space. More than half of WaveFront Sciences’ products are exported outside the U.S.

1000th optical-machining system sold

Precitech (Keene, NH) has completed the highly anticipated sale of its 1000th machine to II-VI Infrared (Saxonburg, PA), a provider of CO2 laser optics. The delivery of the Nanoform 250 Ultra, an optical-machining system with accurate and robust ultraprecision capabilities, continues a tradition between Precitech and II-VI Infrared that began in 1988 when II-VI and Pneumo Precision launched their partnership with the sale of a two-axis fly cutter used to manufacture high-precision mirrors.

Also in the news . . .

LxSix Photonics (Montreal, QC, Canada), manufacturer of optical-sensor solutions specifically addressing the needs of the oil and gas industry, has been named one of the ten “Best Companies to Watch” by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50, the annual program which recognizes the fastest growing technology companies in Canada. . . . Essex (Columbia, MD), a provider of advanced image and information processing products for cybersecurity, is acquiring Adaptive Optics Associates (AOA; Cambridge, MA), a maker of high-performance electro-optic products and systems, from Metrologic Instruments (Blackwood, NJ) for $40.2 million in cash. . . . Saint-Gobain Crystals (Milford, NH) completed delivery of multiple sets of Sapphire Transparent Armor Windows for integration into armored vehicles for government use and were awarded a larger second contract.

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