Cutting-edge technologies Wild

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES

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.

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 1000 and 10,000. Altogether the group currently employs more than 300 people and has a production capacity of 250,000 hours per year. 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/photovoltaics.

UltraCam revolutionises aerial photography

With the UltraCam Eagle Wild 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 70 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 und RGBI.

Focus on magnesium

Magnesium processing is becoming increasingly sought-after by customers. The light metal is not only being used in technical optics, there is also an enormous potential in medical technology.

WILD has already worked with magnesium for 20 years. Now, in the course of the technology roadmap, the opto-mechatronic specialist has reinforced its focus on this material and is advising its customers on possible areas of application including surface treatments.

On the scales magnesium alloys have a similar weight to plastic, but with a higher level of strength. According to Stefan Werkl, head of Technical Optics at WILD, a property that makes magnesium interesting for WILD is this: “Wherever weight plays an important role, you will not be able to beat magnesium in the future. Even in small and medium production quantities.”

In addition, magnesium has a very good damping capacity. These parts can insulate acoustic noise very well and reduce vibrations from vibratory stresses. A surface treatment is necessary not only for aesthetic reasons but also to protect the magnesium from wear and corrosion. WILD currently offers its customers two different methods. No further finishing is necessary with the plasma-chemical process, akin to the black-anodised process. However, with pure passivation the magnesium is refined using painting or coating.

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 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 also has a high 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’s manual precision cleaning facility allows for a variety of working cycles, according to customer demands, that guarantees residue- free cleaning, even with difficult geometric parts.

In this facility parts are processed through an 8-phase cleaning cycle, containing seven heated ultra scan 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.

Core strengths and future plans

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 – prove 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.

Looking ahead, WILD will be strengthening its development of additional know-how in the digital imaging sector. Modern image processing and analysis systems guarantee flawless products and flawless processes and in medical technology they ensure that diagnosis and monitoring are significantly more precise.

In recent years WILD has developed a range of innovative application solutions including a camera system for automatically determining skin types using indicators, as well as a system for lens testing which is able to recognise the smallest surface defects. In the process the lenses of laser optics are irradiated with diffused light. A camera is focused on the individual lens surfaces and, thanks to a resolution in the micrometre range, it is able to record even the smallest particles, scratches or bubbles in the glass.

“As part of the technology roadmap, in the future WILD will strengthen the development of know-how in the production of digital image data using sensors and cameras as well as in their editing and processing,” says a spokesperson from the comapny. Supporting the systems partner are University Prof Dr Robert Sablatnig from the TU Vienna and Dr Raimund Leitner from CTR, among others, who are contributing their expertise in the fields computer vision, document analysis, visual surveillance, 3D data acquisition and reconstruction, machine learning, pattern recognition and hyper-spectral image processing. n