INTERVIEW: CAREERS
“Fresnel’s capabilities include optical design using specialised soſtware”
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development and fabrication of light guides for uniform illumination with a high lumen yield. For decoupling light, they use different scattering patterns such as fine surface structures or printed dot patterns, and they can manufacture plano components as well as wedge- shaped parts. Fresnel’s core capabilities include optical design using specialised software, and master tools manufactured by ultra-precision machining (UP) using technologies, such as UP- diamond turning, UP-fly-cutting and UP-linear ruling. Additionally, different
manufacturing processes are available for precision polymer replication, i.e., compression moulding, a special injection- compression moulding process, and a casting process for the fabrication of hybrid optics (silicone-on-glass). Also available are standard and custom anti-reflective and reflective coatings as well as interference layers that can be applied on polymer substrates of plano, structured or continuous surfaces. For Zosel, one of Fresnel’s most important core capabilities is custom finishing, which is achieved by CNC milling that can cut parts to virtually any shape in close tolerances. The other is quality assurance.
Every component has to be inspected before it leaves the premises
As he explains, although the company has been certified according to ISO 9001 since 1996, it has taken a lot of time and money to ensure the ultra- high levels of quality control required for customers. Every component, big or small, has to be inspected before it leaves their facilities and the first inspections are now fully automated – except for larger parts that are still inspected manually as they are too difficult to handle in an automatic process. But the main challenge has been inspecting microstructures because of the difficulty in finding inspection systems on the market that can handle
such special components. After unsuccessfully trying for several years to find a suitable system, Fresnel finally took matters into its own hands and, 18 months ago, in collaboration with a partner, designed and implemented its own microstructure inspection system.
Fresnel Optics is based in Apolda, Germany 54 Electro Optics November 2022
The future For Zosel, Fresnel has a bright future, particularly in the machine vision and lighting markets. His strategy will be to continue as they have done over the previous five years: developing and producing optical components in cooperation with customers, and to introduce new standard micro and nanostructured components as new market needs emerge. To this end, Fresnel has a number of advantages over its competitors. As he explains, microstructured lenses must have absolutely precise surfaces, which are not possible to achieve with standard injection moulding machines. To meet this challenge, the company has successfully implemented vario-thermal injection moulding to provide
the level of accuracy that will be required by next generation applications and this capability has become one of their unique selling points. Furthermore, the master
tools, which are the starting point for any production, are all original and in-house. The master tool is the basis for the so-called ‘tooling tree’, whereby, for example, in an electroforming process, several copies of the master tool are created from which stampers are created for the actual fabrication of the components themselves. In parallel to having the master tools in- house there is good option to offer prototyping to enable customers to quickly evaluate a lens design. These factors mean the company is well-placed to consolidate and enhance its position as a leader in microstructured polymer optics. When asked about his advice
for the next generation of entrepreneurs, Zosel says the most important thing is to be able to motivate your team and employees to work together on interesting projects – and to motivate them to stay in the company. EO
@electrooptics |
www.electrooptics.com
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