Dr Wenko Süptitz, head of photonics at German industry association, Spectaris, discusses what the association has planned for the upcoming Optatec trade fair in Frankfurt next month.
The international trade fair Optatec continues to be the leading exhibition on precision optics in Europe. The interest remains high since optical components and systems are the core of all high-tech photonics products, from laser processing equipment to top-notch ophthalmic surgery instruments.
Overall, the German photonics industry had an excellent year in 2017, with a revenue growth of 12 per cent, growing to €34 billion. For 2018, Spectaris analysts expect another revenue rise of nine per cent. The global industry has a similarly sunny outlook.
Some 40 companies represented by Spectaris’ photonics division will be at Optatec, demonstrating their products and services. The organiser Schall Messen expects well above 400 exhibitors in total. This presents the perfect opportunity for Specatris to offer additional activities to the participants.
Spectaris and the DIN Institute (Deutsches Institut für Normung), the German national organisation for standardisation, will present the workshop ‘DIN ISO 10110-7 and DIN ISO 14997 surface imperfections: test methods and specifications on drawings’ on 16 May. Representatives of the DIN Committee will present on ‘Basic standards of optics’, which will inform people about the published international standards ISO 10110-7 and ISO 14997 and about the anticipated German publications DIN ISO 10110-7 (indication of surface imperfections in optical elements), and DIN ISO 14997 (surface imperfection test methods).
Besides the exchange of technical knowhow, the search for new talent has become an important exhibitor goal in connection with trade shows like Optatec. Spectaris is going to contribute to this activity by organising a guided exhibition tour for graduate students of the Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics (KSOP).
Equally interesting for exhibitors and visitors, SPIE and Spectaris are holding a reception to celebrate the first International Day of Light on 16 May, which was officially proclaimed by UNESCO in November 2017. Spectaris has already promoted this Day of Light throughout Germany by sending out a Day-of-Light poster to high schools, universities and governmental authorities. Spectaris expects that the Day of Light has the potential to become the major annual anchor point for all sort of public activities around light and its technical applications.
