Hamamatsu Opens New Facility
Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. announced the completion of its new facility for the development of portable products, which combine optical systems with photonic devices. Dubbed the Business Promotion Project Building, the new facility is located on the grounds of the company’s Central Research Laboratory in Japan. The completion ceremony was held on October 16, 2009 and operations will begin this month. The Business Promotion Project Building will serve as a technology center for the various manufacturing divisions of Hamamatsu Photonics and will house equipment that is used in the development of integral optics-based products. It will also be the new offices for R&D groups which have been working on companywide integral optics projects during the past several years. Furthermore, the new facility will enable Hamamatsu Photonics to consolidate its expertise on various technologies related to integral optics, which until now have been distributed among the various divisions of the company. These technologies include those for optical systems design, optical thin film manufacturing and MOEMS/opto-nanotechnology device fabrication. (11/17/2009)
JDSU Brands Holography Platform
JDSU, an optical products company based in Milpitas, Calif., has announced a new name for its holographic technology platform. Now called IconiGram, the technology includes new features that enhance the visual impact and improve the application and distribution of holograms developed for products such as bank cards and identity documents. Products that leverage the IconiGram technology platform include a hot stamp foil product (IconiGram HS), security laminates (IconiGram LM), and pressure-sensitive labels and seals (IconiGram PS).
Holograms are easily recognizable images that are difficult for counterfeiters to simulate. They are considered one of the most popular “overt” security technologies that are used on products as a first line of defense against fraud.
According to the company, new features include enhanced and brighter imagery for authenticating holographic images, environmentally friendly packaging, dual registration marks for easier application and greater registration accuracy, and a new delivery format optimized for modern holographic manufacturing processes.
(11/17/2009)
Leadership Changes at Lockheed
Lockheed Martin Corp., based in Bethesda, Md., has announced several leadership appointments and a realignment within its Electronic Systems business area. The actions are effective in early 2010. Marillyn A. Hewson, 55, will become executive vice president of the Electronic Systems business area. Currently president of Systems Integration-Owego, she succeeds Christopher E. Kubasik, who has been appointed to the position of president and chief operating officer. John T. Lucas, 49, will become senior vice president of human resources, succeeding Kenneth J. Disken, who is retiring following a 40-year career. William L. Graham, 59, will become deputy to Linda Gooden, Information Systems & Global Services’ executive vice president. Orlando P. Carvalho, 51, will become president of the Maritime Systems and Sensors (MS2) business, succeeding Fred P. Moosally, who previously announced his retirement after a long career with the US Navy and the defense industry. Carvalho is currently vice president and general manager of MS2’s operations in Moorestown, N.J. Regarding the business area, effective Jan. 1, 2010, the ground vehicle line of business, which includes the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, will be realigned from Systems Integration-Owego to Missiles and Fire Control, and the balance of Owego’s business will realign with MS2. (11/16/2009)
Gulf Fiberoptics Adds New Div.
Gulf Fiberoptics, an Oldsmar, Fla.-based manufacturer of fiber optic products for the medical, industrial and visual illumination markets, has announced that it is adding a new photonics division. The division’s business development will be headed up by Cicely Rathmell, who has more than 10 years in the optics and spectroscopy markets. Christopher Bailey, who has a background in fiber optics technology and manufacturing, will lead the engineering department. Rathmell and Bailey have worked together in the past and are in the process of developing a staff. The new branch of Gulf Fiberoptics already has a full line of patch cables in inventory and is building its stock of bifurcated and reflection probe assemblies, with additional product offerings planned over the next six months. (11/16/2009)
Opnext Ships LDs to Microvision
Optical modules and components maker Opnext Inc. of Fremont, Calif., has begun shipping red laser diodes to Redmond, Wash.-based Microvision for its PicoP
® laser projection technology, the company announced this week. Potential applications for the technology include ultraminiature displays for embedded or accessory applications for mobile phones, personal media players, laptops and future wearable display devices. Laser-based microprojectors have a unique combination of features that are optimal for mobile device users, including infinite focus, rich color, and high contrast and resolution. Opnext said its red laser diode line plays an important role in this rapidly emerging mobile display market. (11/13/2009)
Sick Launches New Web Site
Sick, a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of sensors, safety systems and automatic identification products for industrial applications, has launched a new Web site at
www.sickusa.com. Using the enhanced navigational features and functionality, customers can get detailed information on product features, specifications and benefits, and they can request a quote or buy online with just a few clicks, said the company. Web resources cover applications, spare parts and product literature, and an improved service and support section helps access software downloads, training information and product support. A site titled “Industries” helps customers learn about specific automation solutions for their market. (11/12/2009)
Draka’s Fiber Powers Rwanda
Optical fiber and cabling company Draka Communications announced that it is in the deployment phase of a nationwide project to install fiber optic infrastructure throughout the Republic of Rwanda.
Rwanda’s population density is among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. This country has few villages, and nearly every family lives in a self-contained compound. Photo courtesy of “les Amis de Ahazaza” Education project, Rwanda.
This project entails running fiber optic cables along electricity transmission and distribution lines to link all the power plants, substations and town offices of Rwanda’s public power company, including the national control center in its capital, Kigali. The infrastructure will also interconnect an advanced management system for the country’s high- and medium-voltage electrical grid. The project is the result of an agreement signed last year between Amsterdam-based Draka and Electrogaz, Rwanda’s public power company, together with Mininfra, Rwanda’s Ministry of Infrastructure, and Minecofin, its Ministry of Economic Planning and Finance. The project, which is estimated to span 24 months, is partially funded by a grant from the Dutch foreign aid program ORET (Development-Related Export Transactions Program) and partially by the government of Rwanda. (11/11/2009)
IPG Founder Wins LIA’s Top Honor
Valentin Gapontsev, founder, chairman and CEO of high-power fiber laser maker IPG Photonics Corp. of Oxford, Mass., has received the 2009 Arthur L. Schawlow Award, the highest honor given by the Laser Institute of America (LIA). The prize was presented Nov. 4 at LIA’s International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO) conference in Orlando, Fla. Named for the 1981 recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics, the award honors individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the application of lasers in science, industry, education and medicine. At the ceremony, Gapontsev was recognized as “the father of the fiber laser industry as it is known today, who has pioneered the field in five decades of academic work and as the founder and CEO of a global technology company that continues to transform the laser industry.” (11/10/2009)
Bruker Names New Officers
Bruker Corp., a provider of scientific instruments and solutions based in Billerica, Mass., announced that its board appointed Bill Knight as chief operating officer and Brian Monahan as chief financial officer (CFO), effective Feb. 1, 2010. Knight is currently serving as CFO, while Monahan is the company’s chief accounting officer. Knight joined Bruker as CFO and treasurer in October 2004; he is also president of the Bruker Detection business in the US. Before joining the company, Knight was a founder of ATI Technologies and served as CFO of Anika Therapeutics, Zycos and NMT Medical. Monahan joined Bruker as corporate controller in April 2004 and was appointed chief accounting officer and vice president of finance in March 2009. He has served as executive vice president of Bruker Daltonics since November 2006 and as general manager of the Americas since July 2008. His prior finance-related roles at Bruker Daltonics include assistant vice president and vice president. (11/9/2009)
Senate Confirms 14th NIST Director
The US Senate recently confirmed Dr. Patrick D. Gallagher as the 14th director of the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) by unanimous consent. Gallagher has worked at NIST since 1993 as a scientist and laboratory director. In his current position as deputy director, he has carried out the functions of the director since September 2008. President Obama nominated Gallagher to his new post on Sept. 10, 2009. Gallagher has a PhD in physics from the University of Pittsburgh. He taught high school math and science for a year after receiving his BA in physics and philosophy from Benedictine College. Gallagher came to the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) in 1993 to pursue research in neutron and x-ray instrumentation, and accompanying studies of the properties of technologically important “soft” materials such as polymers, liquids and gels. In 2000, Gallagher was a NIST agency representative for the White House National Science and Technology Council and became active in US policy for scientific user facilities. At the Office of Science and Technology Policy, he served as chair of the Interagency Working Group on neutron and light source facilities. In 2004, he became director of the NCNR, a neutron research facility that is one of the most heavily used of its type in the nation. In 2006, he was awarded the Department of Commerce’s highest award, the Gold Medal, in recognition of this work. (11/9/2009)