Ophir-Spiricon Receives Utah Innovation Award for BeamWatch

North Logan, UT -­ Ophir, the global leader in precision laser measurement equipment and a Newport Corporation company, is pleased to announce that Ophir-Spiricon has been honored with a 2015 Utah Innovation Award from the Utah Technology Council (Salt Lake City, Utah). Designed to draw attention to the high level of innovation taking place throughout Utah, the awards program recognizes significant innovations and the companies that created them. Ophir-Spiricon was presented with the award in the category of Mechanical Systems/Chemicals/Manufacturing for BeamWatch®, the industry's first non-contact, focus spot size and position monitor for very high power YAG, fiber, and diode lasers. The system instantly and accurately measures laser parameters without requiring contact with the laser beam. The awards were presented at the 13th annual Utah Innovation Awards luncheon where more than 350 individuals attended.

"BeamWatch is a revolution for laser-based material processing, such as in automotive and aerospace manufacturing," said Gary Wagner, General Manager, Ophir-Spiricon. "It is a non-contact, focus spot size and position monitor for very high-power lasers that makes no contact with the laser beam. As a result, the system has no power restrictions and has been successfully tested on high-power lasers up to 100 kW. Previous contact-based systems have been limited to a maximum of 10kW."

Spiricon develops the technology that is behind many of today's laser-based innovations, from eye surgery to industrial welding to military guidance systems. Spiricon was founded in 1978 by Dr. Carlos Roundy, a Logan, Utah, native who received his BS in Physics from Utah State University. Dr. Roundy went on to get his PhD from Stanford and work for Bell Labs. While at Bell Labs, he invented a way to make 2D images from heat; this is now known as a pyroelectric infrared camera. Today, most major laser manufacturers rely on Spiricon's fundamental technology to assist them in developing innovations in lasers and laser-based devices.

Ophir-Spiricon has also been recently honored with a 2014 Manufacturing Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan, a Best Practices Award for Continuous Improvement from the Utah Manufacturers Association in 2013, a Utah Manufacturer of the Year award from the Utah Manufacturers Association in 2012, and an Outstanding Technology Business of the Year award from the Cache Chamber of Commerce.

About Utah Technology Council
The Utah Technology Council is the essential resource for Utah's over 5,200 science and technology companies seeking to develop management talent, improve Utah's business environment, and raise investment capital. Members can connect and share insights with industry peers, venture capital firms, professional service providers, and government and academic leaders. Visit http://www.utahtechcouncil.org

Figure 1. Ophir-Spiricon's BeamWatch team receives the 2015 Utah Innovation Award (left to right): Jeff Guttman, Chief Technology Officer; Rachael Taylor, Mechanical Engineer; Bruce Thorne, Engineering Director; Dan Ririe, Mechanical Engineer; and Jed Simmons, Sr. Scientist.