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Under this heading, we would like to provide you with publications in technical journals, lecture documentation, and alternative publications of Aixtooling GmbH and our cooperating partners. please contact us personally if you have any questions about individual articles.

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OPTATEC 2010 - "Integrated Process Chain for Precision Molding of Glass Optics"

 15.06.10
P1140439
P1140439
Berbnd Bresseler
Bernd Bresseler

Presentation by Bernd Bresseler within the Optatec Forum 2010 on June 15, at 11:45 am.

Managing Partner Berndf Bresseler has hold an interesting presentation within the Forum 2010. The topic is "Integrated process chain for precision molding of glass optics". He introduced the technology features and focused on challenges and future perspectives. Please find the presentation below.

Downloads
Presentation Aixtooling_Final.pdf
Links
Optatec

VDI Workshop on "Molded Optics"

 01.12.09
VDI
Berbnd Bresseler
Bernd Bresseler
Dus_Digi_001[907]
Dus_Digi_001[907]

On December 1 and 2, 2009, VDI was holding a project workshop in Düsseldorf during which, among other things, the research results for the European research project "Production4µ" have been presented.

Chair of the workshop was Prof. Dr. Fritz Klocke from Fraunhofer Institute of Production Technology IPT.
Aixtooling GmbH participated in the workshop with its own presentation on the subject of mold making for precision molding of optical glass (see attachment). In detail the following subjects are to be covered:

  • potential and implementation options of micro-optics
  • production-appropriate design
  • materials
  • molding tools and machines
  • processes
  • measurement and quality assurance

Please find the program as well as the Aixtooling publication attached.
Downloads
Aixtooling Abstract v01.pdf Prog_VDI-P4µ-WS_OpticsManufacturing.pdf Aixtooling Presentation_internet.pdf
Links
Production4µ Forschungsprojekt

Aixtooling's presentation at the 19th World of Photonics Congress

 17.06.09
Guido Pongs
Guido Pongs
laser2007_as2498
laser2007_as2498

Guido Pongs, Managing Director of the R&D and Engineering departments, will present the latest developments of Aixtooling GmbH in Munich on June 18, 2009.

The 19th World of Photonics Congress will take place during Laser 2009 on June 14-19, 2009, in Munich, as part of the Laser World of Photonics. You can find more information here.

5th International Colloquium on Optics "Optics - Key Technology for the Future"

 18.03.09
Berbnd Bresseler
Bernd Bresseler
Quellenhof_tcm234-141651
Quellenhof_tcm234-141651
Optikkolloquium 2009 Plenum

"Precision Glass Molding of Optics with High Complexity"
Bernd Bresseler, Managing Partner, Aixtooling GmbH

Aachen, March, 18th 2009

Aixtooling - Integrated service for precision glass moulding

Based on the market leadership in products such as digital cameras or mobile phones with camera function, precision glass molding has been extensively developed and consolidated as a core technology for optical systems in Asia. However, due to the growing application of complex-shaped optics a wider application of replicative manufacturing methods can be foreseen also in Europe. Precision glass molding is characterized by good automation possibilities. Therefore, it is suitable also for high-wage locations such as Germany. Due to the replicative nature of the process, the key issue for successful use is high quality mold making. The molds are required to meet the same requirements with regards to form accuracy and surface quality as the glass optics itself - but are to be manufactured of advanced, highly heat resistant materials....
Downloads
Abstract_Bresseler.pdf Tagungsbandbeitrag.pdf optik_programm_09.pdf
Links
Fraunhofer IPT Aachener Optikkolloquium Pressemeldung nach dem Optikkolloquium

2009 in optics and precision engineering

 31.12.08
Jahrbuch Optik 2009
Jahrbuch Optik 2009

Bernd Bresseler, Guido Pongs, Thomas Bergs
Molding of precision optics - the key is in tool making

Since 2005, Aixtooling GmbH has pursued its vision of establishing precision molding of optical glass as a standard technology of the optical industry in Europe. In comparison with classical grinding and polishing technologies, the process has significant advantages, especially in the manufacture of complex glass lenses in medium to large lots. It permits the replicative production of ready-to-install optics without further machining...
Downloads
Aixtooling Beitrag Jahrbuch F&O 2008.pdf
Links
Link zum Verlag Schiele & Schön

Tool making as the standard - ultra-precision mold tools for the precision molding of optical glass

 30.03.07
Mikroproduktion 03/2007

Bernd Bresseler, Aixtooling GmbH
"Microproduction" 03/2007, pp. 22-26
Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich

Introduction
Precision molding of optical glass is seen today as an important addition to the machining of optics. Due to the growing demand for aspherical optics, more widespread use of replicative molding processes is anticipated in Europe as well. Tool making plays a crucial role due to the imaging nature of this process. Every micro-defect, every shape deviation is reflected on the surface of the glass. There are therefore the strictest of requirements on the quality of shape and surface. Molding tools must also be capable of withstanding high loads at varying temperatures of up to 800 °C. Only high-performance materials can meet these requirements. Aixtooling GmbH relies on ultra-precision machining with grinding and polishing for this reason, and together with Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT, it continues to work towards the further development of this process...

Downloads
Werkzeugbau als Maß der Dinge.pdf

Advanced Optics Using Aspherical Elements (SPIE Press Book)

 01.10.07
Advanced Optics Using Aspherical Elements
Fachbuch

Thomas Bergs and Bernd Bresseler publish their 2007 contribution "Tools for Precision Glass Molding" for the reference book "Advanced Optics Using Aspherical Elements (SPIE Press Book)" by Bernhard Braunecker, Rüdiger Hentschel and Hans J. Tiziani
pp. 258-265, ISBN 978-0-8194-6749-2

Modern optical imaging systems today achieve a performance that would have been considered unimaginable in past years. The same is true of optics for communication applications, measurement tasks, materials processing, etc. These performance increases are due both to the use of new materials and to the introduction of new surface machining and assembly processes. The essential improvement is that the physics of material loss in polishing and that of material deposition in coating have been quantitatively understood to such a degree that these processes can now be modeled mathematically, permitting computer-controlled implementation.
This progress now makes it possible to use aspherical optics to a greater extent in high-performance optics systems, an innovation that, due to cost reasons, has previously been impossible in the scope needed for the mass products dominated by Asia, for instance in cameras for cell phones.

However, estimating the opportunities and risks of the use of aspherical optics requires knowledge of the entire value-added chain, including design, materials properties, surface processing variants, metrology techniques, coating concepts, and system assembly. However, only experts on the everyday frontline of technology can provide reliable information on these matters. This is the reason this book contains contributions regarding these subjects of almost 60 authors from 30 well-known optics companies and institutes in the German-speaking world.

On a positive note, many of the authors and their companies and institutes are associated with DGaO as members, which can be seen as a sign of the collegiality across company borders traditionally maintained in the field of optics.

The contributions, submitted in template form, are complemented by a didactical introduction including an evaluation and summary of the contributions and an outlook on future trends. This part was essentially compiled by the editors B. Braunecker (former head of the optics development at Leica Geosystems AG in Heerbrugg), R. Hentschel (former head of optics production at Schott AG), and Prof. H. Tiziani, honorary member of DGaO and longstanding head of the Institute for Technical Optics at the University of Stuttgart.

The goal of the book is to show the most suitable path through the value-added chain for each optical application, thus not only to understand the methods recommended, but also to recognize their limitations and to estimate the costs of investment and operations. At the same time, more detailed information on the Internet is identified. The book is recommended not only for technical experts, but also for decision makers and consultants.
Links
Mehr Informationen

Not ground but still as smooth as polished: Molding of optical glass is replacing grinding and polishing.

 24.04.06
Glasoptik-Fertigung auf Toshiba-Maschinen: Das Präzisionsblankpressen nimmt mehrere Minuten Zeit in Anspruch und hat einbaufertige Linsen zum Ergebnis (Bilder: Fraunhofer IPT)
Industrieanzeigher 2006

Technical article in the print edition of Industrieanzeiger: 2006/17, page 66
In time for the WZL anniversary, Fraunhofer IPT has a highlight to offer: Its spin-off Aixtooling GmbH gives Europe the chance to manufacture optical glass purely with molding technology - until now, the exclusive domain of the Japanese.

Anyone who enjoys photography has surely been astonished over the last ten years. Camera lenses keep getting smaller - with no loss of quality. Zoom lenses with focal lengths of 28 to 300 mm for small reflex cameras used to be impossible. Today, they are no bigger than your hand and just fine for the needs of even ambitious hobby photographers. Their secret: aspherical optics. Developers design glass lenses that deviate from the traditional spherical shape in order to avoid distortion. They eliminate the need for bulky correction lenses and allow the lens to be much smaller. There's only one disadvantage to aspherical optics: grinding and polishing is much more difficult. Japanese specialists thus made a virtue of necessity ten years ago and developed the process of precision molding. This produces glass lenses in a single molding process step, at moderate unit prices. This invention allowed the Asian optical industry to outpace European in the area of mass products ? as every photo-fan knows.

more...

4th International Colloquium on Optics "Optics - Key Technology for the Future"

 18.03.09
Berbnd Bresseler
Bernd Bresseler
Quellenhof_tcm234-141651
Quellenhof_tcm234-141651

»Precision Glass Moulding of Advanced Optics ‚
Challenges for Mould Making«
Bernd Bresseler, Partner, Aixtooling GmbH

Aachen, March, 18th 2009

Today advanced optics and optical systems are essential components which enable innovative product developments especially in several fast growing industries. Due to the ongoing demands for mobility and resolution optical systems are designed with lower weight and smaller size. In this context glass optics are continuously in competition to plastic optics, but often its stable optical performances make them the preferred materials. The trend is obvious ‚ the rising demand for optical elements with increasing geometrical complexity. Aspherical optics, diffractive optical elements, and monolythical lens arrays are already implemented to compensate the limitations of spherical components.
Direct optical manufacturing i.e. by pre-grinding, finish grinding and polishing is an established process chain for standard optics. It can produce lenses with higher geometrical accuracy and surface quality with adequate cost efficiency, although, the process chain requires extensive technological know-how. Comprehensive automation strategies are therefore difficult to implement. Conventional glass optics manufacturing plants are characterized by manual procedures and significant dependency on empirical knowledge. Direct manufacture of complex shaped optical elements requires significantly more efforts. Several process steps on different advanced machine tools have to be chained and fed back which results in long manufacturing times and high costs per piece. Of course these process chains are justified and required when highest accuracies on large optics are needed. A typical example is the manufacture of ultra precise optics for wafer steppers for microlithography.
However, there exists a large demand for complex imaging optics with medium accuracy (i.e. /4-/6). These optics are used in many applications within consumer electronics, laser technology, automotive or life science industry.
One promising approach to fill this gap is the replicative production technology. Europe is in an excellent position in the design and development of advanced optical systems. However, many industries have been transferring their production to low-wage countries.
The application of precision glass moulding ‚ as one example of replicative manufacturing - utilizes our strengths. It is designed for automation, the high requirement for technological know-how and the minimum process steps to just one manufacturing device precision glass moulding is destined to become an important technology for the european optical industry.


Downloads
Aixtooling_final Abstract.pdf Aixtooling_final Proceedings.pdf
Links
Fraunhofer IPT Aachener Optikkolloquium

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