THREE SECTORS TWO NETWORKS ONE TRADE FAIR

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www.photonicsviews.com THREE SECTORS TWO NETWORKS ONE TRADE FAIR Editorial Three Industries. Two Days. One Fair. Almost every success story initially has an open end.

The dense, high-quality triad of industries under one roof cannot be found anywhere else.

Wetzlar is one of the globally most recognized industrial centers for optical technologies. For many companies, especially mechanics and electronics have become essential, too.

1 THREE SECTORS TWO NETWORKS ONE TRADE FAIR Editorial Three Industries. Two Days. One Fair. Almost every success story initially has an open end. This was no different with the network fair W3+. How fast the idea of one platform for optics, electronics and mechanics has proven to be a successful model is remarkable though. The dense, high-quality triad of industries under one roof cannot be found anywhere else. Three industries that characterize the profile of the industrial region Wetzlar and by now attract experts from around the world. Wetzlar is one of the globally most recognized industrial centers for optical technologies. For many companies, especially mechanics and electronics have become essential, too. As an entrepreneur I know this all too well. In most cases, innovative technologies and systems can only be successfully developed and launched, when all the different areas are perfectly integrated. To achieve this, interchange between the industries is key. The W3+ Fair presents itself as an ideal forum for interchange, bringing together what belongs together: technology leaders and hidden champions, decision makers and developers, exhibitors and an expert audience on regional, national and international level. This has got about among the specialists. Since the fair s premier in 2014, the number of exhibitors and visitors has grown steadily. In 2016, more than 155 companies and partners met more than expert visitors: a record high. By the end of February 2017, when the network fair will be taking place for the fourth time, even more exhibitors and visitors are expected to come to Wetzlar. Companies from ten countries will be presenting their products and expert knowledge in the Rittal Arena. Moreover, the Competence Center Mittelstand 4.0 from Darmstadt, the Dutch Medical Technology Network Brainport Industries, and the Czech Reasearch Institute ELI will be there as well. The fair will be flanked by a comprehensive framework program with top- level speakers from research, science, and economy. If you are interested in current trends and pioneering technologies or you develop them yourselves, you should not miss the W3+ Fair: February 21 to 22 in Wetzlar where three industries meet at one fair during two days. Wishing you exciting and successful days, Thorsten Kortemeier CEO, Minox GmbH Chairman of the Wetzlar Network 10 Optik&Photonik 1/ WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Special Section Marcel Gross, Keyence Steffan Gold, Trioptics Jürgen Bode, Satisloh Bright Prospects for Network and Business By now, W3+ Fair in Wetzlar has become established as a network fair that

We asked Keyence, Trioptics, and Satisloh why they value the fair and how they interpret their current and future business development.

In your opinion, how did the past financial year go, what is the current status, and where is the future journey heading? Keyence: We are in the microscopy and measurement business.

2 Special Section Marcel Gross, Keyence Steffan Gold, Trioptics Jürgen Bode, Satisloh Bright Prospects for Network and Business By now, W3+ Fair in Wetzlar has become established as a network fair that combines three different industries. The mix of startups and global industry leaders is attracting more and more exhibitors. We asked Keyence, Trioptics, and Satisloh why they value the fair and how they interpret their current and future business development. Which industry within optics, electronics and precision mechanics does your company belong to? In your opinion, how did the past financial year go, what is the current status, and where is the future journey heading? Keyence: We are in the microscopy and measurement business. The past financial year has gone very well. We are currently in a growth phase. Keyence is getting more and more established in the market, and we are already among the market leaders in the field of digital microscopy. As far as measurement is concerned, our digital measuring projectors have been well received by the market throughout the past seven years, and by now they have become part of the standard measurement equipment in manufacturing and quality control. New developments, like our image-guided coordinate measuring machine, will continue to further expand our market position in the measurement industry. Trioptics: As one of the largest manufacturers of optical measurement technology, our core competence lies in the optics area, yet electronics and precision mechanics are very important for the development of our product as well. We are very satisfied with the business development and the outlook on In the past year, just like in 2015, we employed more than forty highly qualified employees to be able to cope with the projected growth. We are also planning to move to our new company headquarter by the end of 2017, and we are all looking forward to this event. Satisloh: We belong to the optics industry. After a surprisingly conservative first half year, our capacity utilization was clearly above average in the second half. The current order situation is positive, and we are expecting a healthy growth for the current year. What will become important business factors for you in the future? Keyence: Keyence s core competence lies in the development of innovative solutions based on optical technologies. With Industrie 4.0 becoming a part of our customers daily business, networking and communications are playing an ever more important role along with products that fulfill the application requirements. We think that the development of appropriate interfaces will therefore become more important. Trioptics: With our products and solutions we are present in all the relevant growth markets from autonomous driving to intraocular lenses. Therefore, we have three main challenges: We must try to understand various applications and requirements, we often have to develop solutions that are not yet available in the market, and our customers require increasingly short development cycles. If you want to successfully achieve all of this, you need a competent and motivated team. This is why our employees are so important to us. Satisloh: The requirements on a machine manufacturer in the optics industry are becoming more diversified. Our customers demand flexible, future-proof solutions. At the same time, the trend towards higher precision within more difficult boundary requirements remains unbroken. Another trend is the demand for automation solutions in small and medium-sized batched in Europe that enable our customers to remain competitive in the future. Which importance do you place on the W3+ Fair? How does this relate to Wetzlar as location? Keyence: The fair in Wetzlar is a good platform for us to make contact with regional companies and to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the optics industry. Trioptics: In September 2016, we opened a sales and service office in Wetzlar to be closer to our customers. In the next step we are also planning to develop and manufacture products in Wetzlar. All of these activities require competent employees and suppliers in the region. The fair is an especially good platform to find them. Satisloh: The fair offers the opportunity to get into conversation with our regional customers and suppliers and to cultivate the personal networks. Moreover, we can present ourselves as an attractive employer to pupils and students in the region WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Optik&Photonik 1/

www.photonicsviews.com W3+ Fair A Glance at the Industry The signs indicate growth The German council of economic experts only projects an economic growth of 1.3 percent for 2017.

3 W3+ Fair A Glance at the Industry The signs indicate growth The German council of economic experts only projects an economic growth of 1.3 percent for The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry calls the in the industry mood subdued based on the enquiry among German companies made by its Chambers mainly because the export expectations are far below the long-term average of the enquiry. The German economic associations remain carefully optimistic according to the Institute of the German Economy in Cologne, at least: 28 out of 48 associations asked expect a growth in the production industry in 2017, yet only three of them a considerably higher one. Seems the vision industry, robotics, automation, and test & measurement are not affected our research has brought us nothing but growth prospects. Vision full speed ahead In 2015 the European vision industry had already grown by a remarkable 10 percent, in 2016 it remained on track with 8 percent growth. In November 2016, German engineering association VDMA Machine Vision s Chairman Dr. Olaf Munkelt announced during the opening ceremony of the Vision fair that the industry would achieve a record growth of at least 2.2 bn euros. And in 2017? The VDMA robotics and automation is expecting a dynamic industry development again. While vision has become a key technology in Industrie 4.0, it has expanded its areas of deployment to applications outside the industry, for example to daily life situations such as food detection without barcodes in supermarkets. In addition to that, vision technologies are used in intelligent transportation systems, medical and security technologies. Growth-engine Germany, record product cameras Germany proved to be the most important sales market for the European vision industry in 2015 with 33 percent of the turnover, which equates to a 12 percent plus compared with the prior year. North America was the second most important export market (plus 11 percent), followed by China with 8 percent of the turnover (plus 16 percent compared with 2014). The industry s key product is the camera with 30 percent of the total turnover of the European vision industry. In 2015, the turnover rose by solid 9 percent. The turnover of vision systems as such developed less dynamically, yet still achieved 6.5 percent growth. Record turnovers in robotics and automation According to the German engineering association VDMA robotics and automation the total order situation in the first nine months of 2016 developed as expected, therefore, they are expecting a turnover growth of 2 percent to a new record high of 12.4 bn. Taking a closer look, industrial vision developed better than expected. The demand for robotics increased considerably especially in the third quarter 2016, what led to higher turnover expectations than the formerly assumed 2 percent. 12 Optik&Photonik 1/ WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

4 Special Section The development of integrated assembly solutions was poor during the first nine months, a slight decrease is expected. Under the current conditions it is likely that the growth in robotics and automation will continue in In addition to the automotive industry as the largest and most important customer of robotics and automation, growth opportunities in the metal industry, the plastics industry, medical technology and the food and packaging industry can be expected. Further to the strong domestic market, foreign demand, especially from China and the US are seen as a growth engine. China is strongly driving manufacturing automation. The new US president s objectives to strengthen domestic production open up opportunities for German robotics and automation. In Europe, the main areas for investments into automation are the Central and Eastern European markets. Test and measurement confident about 2017 According to different VDMA surveys, the development of turnover and exports in test and measurement shows steady growth between 2003 and 2015, with the exception of a slight decrease in the year of crisis In 2015, turnover was at about 5.25 bn euros, while exports amounted to just below 3.5 bn euros. Industrial metrology strong in europe After the first half-year 2016, the turnover in metrology was slightly negative, mainly due to a weak demand from China whose exports were 15 percent below the previous year s results. Deliveries to the US were also weaker than in the previous year with a minus of 4 percent. In contrast to this, Europe showed solid demand during the first half year, leading to a total export plus of 4 percent. Impressive growth could be seen in France (+20 percent), Switzerland (+18 percent) and Hungary (+17 percent). Austria s demand grew by 7 percent. Only deliveries to Italy were declining and decreased by 6 percent. Despite the positive figures fro Europe, VDMA is expecting just a small growth in metrology of 1 to 2 percent due to the weak demand from China and the US. Testing technology defies the Brexit Foreign demand for testing technologies continued its positive trend in 2016, while domestic demand had already decreased towards the end of 2015 and just moved sideways in During the first nine months, foreign orders could be increased by 2 percent while domestic orders dropped by 1 percent. According to a VDMA quick poll in October 2016, 60 percent of the companies asked reported a constant level compared to the previous year. A fifth of the companies in the industry reported an increase while another fifth reported a decrease of incoming orders. During the first eight months of 2016 the total exports in the testing technology went up by 2 percent, yet they finally slowed down. From June to August, exports dropped by five percent. Most important driver of the increasing foreign demand was China, yet with lower growth than in the previous year. In contrast to this, deliveries to the US were clearly below the level of 2015, yet with a positive trend towards the end of the year. Demand from Great Britain was surprisingly high despite the Brexit debate, exports were increased strongly. Future federal projects as opportunity Looking at the AMA association for sensor and testing technology s reports, the industry presented itself as a constant value with unchanged turnover and order intake compared to the previous quarter. While the industry experienced considerable growth in the first two quarters, sensor and testing technology remained on stable, high level in the third quarter. This reflects the development in Germany s manufacturing industries that were trying hard to improve in the third quarter, too. They were facing less domestic demand, impulses mainly came from abroad. According to AMA Managing Director Thomas Simmons, the industry be and would remain a stable economic factor with an optimistic start into The solutions for the challenges of the Federal Government s future projects, such as energy efficient, climate-adapted cities, sustainable mobility, internet-based economic services, Industrie 4.0 and secure Identity would all be based on data delivered by sensors and evaluated by testing technologies WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Optik&Photonik 1/

engineering industry. They offer the complete spectrum of value creation chain from feasibility studies and design work to manufacturing, assembly and after-sales-service.

5 News Individual solutions for vacuum chambers and mechanical devices MSA AG is a reliable manufacturer of vacuum chambers and assembly groups for a variety of applications in the mechanical engineering industry. They offer the complete spectrum of value creation chain from feasibility studies and design work to manufacturing, assembly and after-sales-service. The company has specialized in the manufacturing of vacuum chambers and chamber systems. Its core competencies are lot size one, simultaneous engineering, and maximum flexibility. The portfolio comprises a variety of products including: Double wall chambers for testing gas proofness Vacuum chambers for cryostats used in particle accelerators Cleaning chambers operated in the semiconductor technology Test bench high-voltage superconductors Vacuum chambers for coating flexible substrates Vacuum chambers for thin film coating Thermal chambers for simulating space conditions Booth D19a MSA Maschinen Systeme Anlagen AG, Karlstadt/Main Lenze with solutions for Industrie 4.0 This year, Lenze will be exhibiting at the W3+ Fair in Wetzlar for the first time, presenting solutions of modular software and scalable hardware based on modern interfaces for horizontal and vertical integration. Visitors will be able to experience how modular concepts make machines more flexible, how modern interaction possibilities considerably reduce deployment and maintenance times, and how assistance systems facilitate machine operation. One of the highlights is the new i500 series of inverters that sets standards regarding size, application fit, and ease of operation. Safety in the entire system With the new safety controller c250-s, Lenze paves the way for projecting the whole motion, control, and safety technology with one integrated technology. The entire Machine safety can be programmed with just one single engineering tool based on the PLCOpen standard. Intelligent, tailor-made motor Lenze s new integrated mechatronic solution comprising gearbox, motor, electronics, and software will be shown at the fair, too. The m350 drive offers a fixed gear ratio with just one translation level. The drive speed is freely selectable and can be configured via NCF connection with a comfortable smartphone app. This compact package saves energy and reduces variant diversity considerably. Booth E15 Lenze SE, Hameln New gearboxes from Harmonic Drive The CSF Mini gearboxes CSF-2UP from Harmonic Drive are extremely lightweight and flat, and at the same time they offer a high tilting rigidity due to the direct connection of the cross roller bearings with the output flange. The tilt resistant, precise output bearing enables the direct installation of high payloads without additional support which allows for a simple, space-saving design. Moreover, the drive side is designed to enable a very compact engine mounting. Due to zero backlash the gearboxes are also fit for highly accurate positioning requirements. Thanks to their little weight and compact design, the CSF Mini gearboxes CSF-2UP are ideal for the use in applications that offer little mounting space, such as jointed-arm robots, measuring devices, or medical engineering applications. The gearboxes can be made to order according to customer-specific requirements. Booth C16 Harmonic Drive AG, Limburg/Lahn VKT Videotechnik offers high-speed image analyses VKT will be presenting the Photron FAST- CAM Mini series of compact cameras that are said to be the most powerful, flexible and light sensitive in their class due to the latest SA-X/ SA-Z series sensors. The smallest model of the Mini AX series, the Photron FASTCAM Mini AX50, offers extraordinary light sensitivity and high image quality. Coupled with high flexibility and ease of use, the 1-megapixel-camera system can even be used in demanding industrial, military, and scientific applications. It offers 2, px and up to 170,000 fps in partial resolution. Booth B5b VKT Video Kommunikation GmbH, Pfullingen 14 Optik&Photonik 1/ WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Special Section Meopta-Optika Research and Development Meopta manufactures products to precise design specifications for applications across a variety of industries and works individually with

A team of outstanding designers and engineers provide innovative solutions, while the extensive development and production capabilities guarantee the highest level of quality and performance in

6 Special Section Meopta-Optika Research and Development Meopta manufactures products to precise design specifications for applications across a variety of industries and works individually with customers to create optimal solutions according to their needs. A team of outstanding designers and engineers provide innovative solutions, while the extensive development and production capabilities guarantee the highest level of quality and performance in manufacturing. Meopta s R&D center is a comprehensive development environment focusing on creating efficient solutions for the design and production of opto-mechanical and optronic assemblies. The company is able to oversee the entire product life cycle, from an idea s initial conception to the serial production and assembly of a finished product. In addition, Meopta s close cooperation with local universities and scientific laboratories provide an expansion to Meopta s top quality equipment and a great number of highly skilled professionals that enable the R&D center to ensure the highest level of technical development services and quality across all projects. One of the currently ongoing challenges is the development of the Shack-Hartmann wave front detection sensor realized by cooperation with the department of optics at Palacky University in Olomouc. These targets mean the acquisition of algorithmic structures, realization of the SW application and technical realization of the sensor in several modifications, differing by resolution and dynamic range. Booth B12 Meopta - optika, s.r.o., CZ - Prerov Euromicron fiber arrays for multiplex spectrograph Euromicron delivers so-called fiber arrays (dot masks) for a modular multiplex spectrograph that consists of 75 single spectrographs with a total of 33,000 multimode fiber optics that capture light signals from distant galaxies in space. The fiber arrays precisely guide every single fiber optic and allow its exact and regular order. As the precision of the measurement depends on this order, the fiber arrays play a key role in the observation process. Every single spectrograph requires one fiber array that enables the exact guiding of a total of 448 fiber optics in a tiny space. Each of the produced masks is not bigger than a 5-cent piece. The 440 holes are placed on an area of just 9 9 millimeters; the borehole diameter is depending on the array design between 128 and 330 micrometers, with tenfold depth. According to Euromicron, this kind of drilling performance can be reached due to an extremely smoothly running spindle whose accuracy deviations stay within tolerance even at highest speed. The fine drills that are almost not visible with the naked eye are said to be very stable despite their delicate structure, and they ensure an extremely reliable production process. Booth B20b Euromicron Werkzeuge GmbH, Sinn RoHS and REACH compliant deep black coating The Israeli company Acktar Ltd. is a global manufacturer of deep black, inorganic, non-toxic and non-outgasing coatings and films. Acktar Black coatings and films are a RoHS and REACH compliant alternative to black chromate coatings. According to the manufacturer, they also offer better optical features, and they can be applied to a multitude of substrates. The coatings have a high thermal stability of -269 C to +350 C and can be used in a wide spectral range from UV to IR. They fulfill the demanding requirements regarding light absorption and reflection of industries like aerospace, industrial optics, sensor technology, laser technology, medical, the semiconductor industry, and additional advanced technologies also under class 1-vacuum and cleanroom conditions. Booth D3 ACM Coatings GmbH, Naumburg-Bad Kösen Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena presents Bachelor and Master study programs Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena will be presenting the Bachelor and Master study programs in laser and optical technologies and the modular extra-occupational education in optics. Currently young men and women are studying a variety of programs in engineering, economics, and social and health sciences on the modern campus. The university relies on an increasingly interdisciplinary collaboration of university sectors, making ideal use of synergies. Teaching and research are closely linked for this reason, too. The university is looking for cooperation with schools and universities in the region and companies that support the Bachelor and Master theses as well as projects. Campus Area Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule, Jena WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Optik&Photonik 1/

Executive Summary World Robotics 2018 Industrial Robots

Executive Summary World Robotics 2018 Industrial Robots 13 Executive Summary World Robotics 2018 Industrial Robots Robot Sales 2017: Impressive growth In 2017, robot sales increased by 30% to 381,335 units,