A look into the future

Here in the heart of the American high-tech industry, the global photonics industry meets once a year at "Photonics West", the world's leading trade show for lasers, optics and photonics, to present and discuss the latest developments in laser and photonics technology. 23,000 visitors, 1,400 exhibitors, plenty of industry events and over 5,000 technical talks and poster presentations. And right in the middle of it all: HÜBNER Photonics.

 

The Photonics division of the HÜBNER Group will showcase their latest developments, including high performance lasers and combiners used for biomedical research, quality control in pharma production process, development of Augmented reality devices and exploration of new Quantum Technologies . "We are extremely excited to show such a large number of new laser products this year", says Håkan Karlsson, Head of HÜBNER Photonics, at the booth in the famous Moscone Center in the middle of downtown San Francisco. It was here in the largest convention center on the American West Coast that Steve Jobs once introduced the iPhone.

One of the main markets for HÜBNER Photonics lasers is Raman spectroscopy. Here, materials are illuminated with lasers and frequency shifts in the reflected light are examined. In this way material properties can be analysed and evaluated, giving information as to the chemical composition of the material. This is commonly referred to as the chemical fingerprint and can be used to monitor compound distribution in medical pills, as well as identify unknown substances such as explosives or drugs.

"In our new developments, we have paid particular attention to improving the lasers’ performance in Raman spectroscopy applications," Karlsson continues. “We now have the broadest portfolio of wavelengths in the industry.”

The photonics trade fair is accompanied by a comprehensive conference program: 5,200 specialist lectures, 65 courses and numerous workshops provide an indication of where the industry is heading. A hot topic this year is quantum computers. This new kind of computer technology is based on quantum mechanics and can potentially solve problems that even the largest supercomputers have so far failed to solve.

The HÜBNER Group

Mobility. Materials. Photonics.  |  united by passion.

As a global system supplier for the mobility industry, for manufacturing and for life sciences and research applications, the HÜBNER Group is the worldwide leader in gangway systems for buses and railway vehicles (Mobility), a prominent solution provider for rubber products, plastics technologies and elastomer-coated industrial textiles (Material Solutions) as well as a rising supplier for applications in the field of laser and terahertz technologies (Photonics). The HÜBNER Group employs more than 3,500 people around the world. In addition to the headquarters in Kassel, Germany, HÜBNER has built up more than 30 locations around the world in the preceding years and decades.