Vitrum Technologies GmbH
Booth number: 4205-52
www.vitrum-technologies.com/en-gb
About us
Vitrum Technologies, which is a spin off from the renowned German R&D institution Fraunhofer Society, offers technologies and machines for highly precise glass forming applications.
According to shape and accuracy requirements, so-called isothermal and non-isothermal processes are used by Vitrum Technologies to manufacture products such as asphere or freeform lenses, mirror substrates, domes, etc.
With the non-isothermal process, the cycle time can be reduced by up to 90% without compromising surface quality.
Vitrum offers high-precision Mold tools for achieving the highest accuracies in glass forming.
A wide range of geometric features are available: aspherical and freeform lenses, wafer-level inserts, multi-cavity tools.
We offer both, forming tools for non-isothermal glass molding as well as for isothermal precision glass molding.
Vitrum – in close cooperation with JMO – develops molds according to customer specifications.
Thus, we enable our customers to expand their market shares and enter new markets. We serve the following industries: optics, automotive, communication and space, sensorics and life science.
Vitrum is your partner starting from development a prototype based on the customer’s specification to the equipment layout and until facilitating continuous mass production in your factory.
Address
Thomas-Dachser-Straße 7
52477 Alsdorf
Germany
E-mail: info@vitrum-technologies.de
Phone: +49 241 894 35521
Internet: www.vitrum-technologies.com/en-gb
Contact person:
Dr. Paul-Alexander Vogel
General Manager
E-mail: paul.vogel@vitrum-technologies.de
Phone: +49 170 4609482
Products & Services
Vitrum Technologies offers innovative solutions for the optic and photonic industry. We supply technologies and machines for highly precise glass forming applications. Depending on the geometry and accuracy requirements, so-called isothermal and non-isothermal forming processes are used by Vitrum.
Isothermal and non-isothermal forming machines are for the following forming applications:
Machines for isothermal forming for end products with highest requirements to shape accuracy
Machines for non-isothermal forming for high volume production
We further distinguish between machines for bulk glass and thin glass.
Bulk glass (hot forming of aspheres or freeform lenses)
The following forming processes will be applied for bulk glass:
Isothermal Precision Glass Molding
Non-Isothermal Glass Molding
Thin glass (hot forming of mirror substrates, domes, sensor covers)
The following forming processes will be applied for thin glass:
Gravity Slumping
Vacuum Assisted Slumping
Press Bending
Deep Drawing
Vitrum offers high-precision Mold tools for achieving the highest accuracies in glass forming.
We offer both, forming tools for non-isothermal blank pressing as well as for isothermal precision blank pressing.
Wear-reducing protective coatings to increase the service life of the tools are available as an option.
The protective coatings can be re-applied multiple times to increase the life cycle of the tools.
Non-isothermal Thin Glass Forming Machine
Suitable applications are mirror substrates, wafer level optics, domes, covers for sensors and displays.
Isothermal Precision Glass Molding Machine for upscaled Production
Suitable applications are high precision aspheres and freeform lenses. A wide range of glass types such as low-Tg, borosilicate or various IR glasses can be formed on this machine technology.
Isothermal Thin Glass Forming Machine
Suitable applications are highly accurate formed glass components for space telescope mirror substrates, adaptive mirror substrates, mirror substrates for quantum communication.
The machine can be configurated for different product quantity scenarios.
Non-isothermal Bulk Glass Molding Machine
This machine was developed with the highest respect to features as exceptional positional accuracy (highly accurate - repetability less than 1µm) and high temperature furnace module (up to 1250°C).
The benefits it brings are serving of high quantities, high system flexibility, as well as environmental friedly production.
The involving process is cost-efficient and fast in production.
Mold tools
Forming tools which are made of various metallic and non-metallic high-performance materials are used for non-isothermal glass forming. The precise production of the forming tools is crucial for achieving the highest accuracy in hot glass forming. To increase tool life, there is the option of reducing wear by applying protective coatings.
A wide range of geometric features is offered: aspherical and free-form lenses, wafer-level inserts, multi-cavity tools. For isothermal glass forming, materials with high strength and fatigue resistance are used.
The following services are offered:
Design of the forming tools:
- Complete specification of the functional glass-contacting surfaces and the machine connection
- Development of the mold temperature control strategy (cooling and heating) - for the non-isothermal mold forming
- Development of suitable scaling strategies (e.g. multi-cavity molds)
Production of the mold tools:
- Pre-machining and finishing using state-of-the-art machine technology
- Metrological characterization
Coating of the mold tools:
- Design and use of protective coating systems, e.g. based on DLC
Preparation of the mold tools:
- At the end of their life cycle molding tools can be reconditioned and cost-effectively reused.
