Beam of brilliance Jenoptik

Jenoptik lasers for medical applications

BEAM OF BRILLIANCE

Integrated optoelectronics group Jenoptik continues to utilise its competitive advantage to provide hightechnology solutions to its customers worldwide. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to Michael Fichtner, head of sales for Jenoptik’s Lasers business unit, to find out more.

Michael Fichtner, head of sales, Jenoptik’s Lasers business unit Jenoptik, headquartered in Germany, divides its activities into five divisions: Lasers & Material Processing, Optical Systems, Industrial Metrology, Traffic Solutions and Defence & Civil Systems. With major production sites abroad in the USA, France and Switzerland as well as shareholdings in Singapore, India, China, Korea, Japan and Australia, the group is represented in more than 80 countries worldwide and is listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange and included in the TecDax index.

Its customers around the world mainly include companies in the semiconductor equipment manufacturing industry, automotive, medical technology, security and defence technology as well as the aviation industry. Jenoptik has approximately 3430 employees and generated sales of about €600 million in 2013.

Michael Fichtner is the head of sales for the Jenoptik Lasers business unit. He spoke to Industry Europe about how his business unit is integrated into the Lasers & Material Processing division of Jenoptik and into the whole Jenoptik group and how its performance is proving positive. “Within the Lasers & Material Processing division we have two units: Lasers and Laser Processing Systems. The Lasers unit offers the actual lasers and the other offers the related material processing. I’m specifically connected to the Lasers unit although both units work very closely together to deliver solutions to our customers and also to other Jenoptik divisions.” The Laser Processing Systems unit develops and manufactures complete systems that require lasers, such as specialist 3D metal cutting machines for applications like metal tube cutting and other applications that use robots to cut metal,

plastics and glass components with lasers. As this unit is focused on complete solutions, it also provides the software and everything else the customer requires. The majority of clients for this unit are in the automotive sector.

The four other divisions of Jenoptik all utilise the optics expertise that the company’s reputation has been built on. The Optical System division is focused on developing and manufacturing precision optics, such as lenses for beam shaping in various applications, making glass that is shaped to fulfil a specific function. The Industrial Metrology division uses optical, tactile and pneumatic techniques to produce measurement systems with industrial applications. The Traffic Solutions division is dedicated to developing and producing traffic enforcement systems, otherwise known as speed cameras, based on laser, radar and sensor technologies, whilst the Defense & Civil Systems division makes lasers for defense applications such as target designation and range finding.

Diode laser manufacturing in Jena

The Lasers & Material Processing division’s two units work closely together to provide complete laser solutions for its customers. Mr Fichtner is clear that this ‘onestop shop’ approach is a key element in the company’s ongoing success. He said, “We address all levels of the value chain, from passive to active, from systems to subsystems and complete functional systems. By offering everything from chips to complete systems, customers know that they can come to Jenoptik for any optoelectronic requirements. We also try to make the best use of our own components in our products and systems so that we can keep control of the quality. We know that our components are developed and manufactured to the very highest standards. So, not only does it allow us to keep control of costs, but it also means our guaranteed quality is second to none.” Competitive advantage

This competitive advantage also means that Jenoptik’s Lasers business unit always has internal customers for its laser diodes, making it a strongly performing unit within the company. Mr Fichtner described Jenoptik’s latest femtosecond laser as a ‘hot issue’, with its ability to support micro-medical applications such as tiny hole drilling for catheters or cutting of stents – thanks to

very short, accurate pulses, meaning that the local material is not heated. These systems are based on the disc-laser technology, which provides high optical pulse-to-pulse stability with high reliability for systems that can be used 24/7. The other recent product launch is the next generation of semiconductor laser chips with high power and greater efficiency which enable new applications such as “Direct Diode” material processing systems, the new type of laser systems.

Mr Fichtner added, “Our products and systems – from laser sources and laser systems right up to complete laser machines – are all totally precise, residue-free and low-maintenance. Our products are in great demand in a wide variety of markets for versatile laser applications. We offer semiconductor materials, diode lasers, solid-state lasers and fibre lasers, laser machines and exhaust cleaning systems. We work with our customers to develop components or systems, and integrate them into complete laser machines for laser material processing if desired.”

With Jenoptik continuous working on innovative solutions to add to its successful portfolio, the company’s dedication to providing ‘electro-optical efficiency’ to its customers is allowing it to stay at the forefront of its industry. Mr Fichtner concluded, “We have a number of key differentiators that help us to stay ahead of the competition, such as having our own wafer fabrication factory to produce semiconductor wafers for our lasers in-house. Our plans for future growth are focused on not creating ‘me too’ products but rather on continuing to harness our USP of developing and manufacturing high-value, optoelectronic products that utilise our laser expertise.” n