Photonics West 2009: Companies On The Move
By Tim Bretz, Publisher, Photonics Online
As I reflect on Photonics West 2009, I can't help but think that the event was… well, lacking in space. Not that I, or anyone else who gathered at the San Jose Convention Center for North America's largest photonics exhibition last month, was necessarily complaining about it. Even though overall attendance seemed to be down a bit from last year, the exhibit hall was still overcrowded with booths, a clear indication that the industry is fairing pretty well — in spite of a struggling economy. Regardless, I think SPIE's decision to move the show to San Francisco's larger Moscone Center in 2010 was a good one.
Speaking of the economy, I was glad to see that some technology vendors have remained aggressive in these difficult times, developing new product lines and improving existing ones. As new applications within the military, medical, photovoltaic, and bioresearch sectors begin to emerge, 2010 should be ripe with opportunities. The following paragraphs are devoted to my three Photonics West 2009 Companies On The Move, organizations that demonstrated a solid vision of how they're moving technology forward in the midst of a slow economy.
Newport Corporation unveiled new products specifically designed for photovoltaic applications. The company's Oriel Sol3A Solar Simulator and Q-switched diode pumped solid state lasers are designed for photovoltaic manufacturing applications. The Oriel Sol3A simulators all use a single lamp design to meet not one or two, but all three performance criteria without compromising the 1 sun output power, providing true Class AAA performance. Not to mention they are certified to IEC 60904-9 Edition 2 (2007), JIS C 8912, and ASTM E 927-05 standards. There are currently 4 different models with ranging beam sizes to meet your needs. The photovoltaic sector looks very promising, and Newport is well positioned in this potentially lucrative growth area.
Andor Technology makes the list thanks to its breakthroughs in the spectroscopy application area. The Shamrock SR-500, the latest addition to Andor's family of spectrographs based on Czerny-Turner optical design, is available with a pre-aligned detector/spectrometer option, allowing for seamless integration of software, electronics, optics, and detector. It also boasts a fast, interactive graphical software interface that gives the user full control of all the spectrograph functions.
Finally, I expect great things from AcuLight, a company recently acquired by Lockheed Martin. AcuLight's R-1850 Infrared Nerve Simulator, designed for use in the medical research and scientific communities, uses a novel stimulation method that doesn't produce electrical artifacts and doesn't cause contact damage to nerves. The R-1850 is one of many AcuLight products that will help Lockheed penetrate a medical market where it is not particularly well known.
Keep an eye on these companies in the coming months, to see if they can maintain the momentum they've showed so far this year. Thanks to everyone who took the time to speak with me during Photonics West. I wish you the best of luck in 2009, and hope you see you in San Francisco next year.