Top team in optomechatronics Wild

TOP TEAM IN OPTOMECHATRONICS

The Austrian company Wild GmbH is a leader in the development and production of sophisticated components and systems for medical and optical hi-tech applications. Julia Snow reports on the latest successes and innovations.

Founded in 1970, WILD can look back on over 40 years of experience in systems, equipment and components for the optical technology precision mechanics, electronics, medical, and plastics technology sectors. The company offers precision parts, injection moldings, press and follow-on composite tools, electroplating, painting products, and assemblies, as well as providing comprehensive after-sales services, repairs, and value analysis services.

Headquartered in Völkermarkt, Austria, the WILD group offers a wide spectrum of performance with its five components of Wild GmbH, Photonic Optische Geräte GmbH & Co KG, WILD Elektronik u. Kunststoff GmbH & Co KG, all based in Austria, Solar Semi GmbH in Germany, and finally WILD Technologies s.r.o. in Slovakia. The production facilities have been certified to ISO 9001, 13485 and 9100, and cleanroom production is fully compliant with class 1,000 and 10,000. All

FILTROPTM

FILTROP™ is a world-wide operating supplier of highest quality coated optical components such as: narrow- and wide-band AR-coatings, reflectance enhanced and protected metal mirrors and all-dielectric mirrors for various precision optical apparatus, laser systems and medical devices. Furthermore, all sorts of interference systems, neutral- and dichroic-beamsplitters, edge filters as longpass and shortpass, but also more monochromatic bandpass- and multicavity Fabry-Perot-line-filters. Metal oxides are applied nearly exclusively for such coatings. Optical, mechanical and environmental performance of films is optimized by energy input directly into the growing films in interactions with activated states as well as by deposition of and bombarding with energetic particles in order to eliminate physico-chemical deficiencies inherent in conventional reactive evaporations. Among the various possibilities to perform such coating quality ion plating, particularly reactive low-voltage ion plating RLVIP, is chosen as the best available technology.

together the group currently employs more than 300 people and has a production capacity of 250,000 hours per year.

Last year was highly successful: WILD not only won one of the world´s most renowned awards in the area of medical technology - the “Medical Design Excellence Award 2011” in New York for the VeinViewer® Vision, but a turnover of €66.3 million (up 8 per cent) made 2011 a record year. With €3 m, medical technology contributed the biggest share as well as the biggest overall contract from a well-known German producer of diagnostics systems. The strongest growth however, came from the optics technology division, due to the positive trends in laser and laboratory technology as well as in photogrammetry.

Two main markets

In medical technology Wild GmbH can offer the specific know-how, highest precision, absolute reliability and flexibility required by customers. Services and products offered include diagnostic systems, therapy systems and prosthetics.

In the field of optical technology, the combination of precision mechanics, optics and electronics give the company a special edge. Activities here range from laboratory technology and metrology to photogrammetry and products for the semiconductor industry, including photovoltaics.

UltraCam revolutionises Aerial Photography

With the UltraCam Eagle, Wild has introduced a digital revolution that sets completely new standards in aerial photography: the first large-scale digital aerial image camera with interchangeable lenses. Named UltraCam Eagle by development partner and Microsoft

subsidiary Vexcel, it is the first with a sensor head that has an interchangeable lens system with two different focal widths. This enables aerial photography companies to have enormous flexibility regarding aircraft altitude and resolution on the ground. The unit boasts a modular construction, with separate or integrated computer units, so that the UltraCam Eagle can be considerably more compact than previous models, weighing 70kg instead of 140kg – suitable for use in single and twin engine aircraft, as well as jets.

The camera can store 3.3TB per storage unit, or 3800 pictures, and the choice is between 8 or 16 bit colours and the formats PAN, RGB, CIR and RGBI. Good advice around CE-certification

Medical technology is one of the most strictly regulated markets worldwide, and any product within the EU requires the CE-Certificate. While the mark stands for patient safety, it also represents high costs and high barriers to market entry, especially for smaller producers. Any delays around the certification process can

RS - the world’s distributor of choice

RS Components is the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc, the world’s leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products. With operations in 32 countries, the company offers more than 550,000 products through the internet and catalogues to over one million customers, shipping more than 46,000 parcels on the same day the orders are received. The products, sourced from 2,500 leading suppliers, include electronics, automation and control, test and measurement, electrical and mechanical components. Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2012 had revenues of £1.27bn. Founded in London more than 70 years ago, the Electrocomponents Group now operates on every continent and has more than 6,300 employees. Its strategy is based on high service quality exceeding customer expectations and an unrivalled product range to meet all the requirements of customers.

With more than 500,000 customers across Europe and 36% of Group revenue, RS now brings in a turnover of £456.3m in Continental Europe.

Founded in Austria 1980 as Verospeed and renamed 1992 into RS Components Ges.m.b.H., the Austrian subsidiary of the Electrocomponents plc. is present since three decades Austria.

prove costly, so WILD is offering a specialist advice service to customers who are entering the medical sector, using its 40 years of experience with quality systems in the medical sector to help others prepare and complete the documentation and certification process.

Pure Perfection

WILD has also introduced a brand new precision cleaning facility. Both the demand for and the demands on precision cleaning have risen enormously – whether in medical technology, in analytics or in the production of lasers or semiconductors, manufacturers require parts that are absolutely free from particles or other production residue. WILD has reacted to this and has created a new, manual facility for precision cleaning. This facility allows a variety of working cycles, according to customer demands, that guarantees residue-free cleaning, even with difficult geometric parts.

In the new cleaning facility parts are processed through an eight-phase cleaning cycle, containing seven heated ultrascan containers with alkaline cleaning agents to clean, rinse, neutralise and final rinse in purest water up to 0.055µS. The 60l containers can accommodate parts of up to ca. 400X400X400mm.

The advantages of WILD

A privately owned company that responds proactively to market requirements – this mix of continuity and openness for new things has been the basis for WILD’s success. High levels of customer loyalty – the average cooperation with clients is more than 8 years – proof that WILD can offer added value: because large parts of the value chain are covered in-house, customers benefit from the convenience of a one stop shop and very short times to market. The company’s comprehensive development capacities also allow an early integration in the development processes of clients.

The positive 2011 results and the large number of successful recent product innovations give reason for an optimistic view of the future. The turnover target for 2012 is €74 m and investments to the tune of €1.7m are in the pipeline to support continued growth with new products and customers. n