Flir Delivers 100,000th IR Camera
Camera maker Flir Systems Inc. of Wilsonville, Ore., said it will deliver its 100,000th commercial-use infrared camera this week. The Flir thermal imager, used for building inspection, was sold by its Tucson, Ariz.-based IR camera distributor, Professional Equipment, to Bob the Inspector Inc. in Green Valley, Ariz. Bob Childs, owner of Bob the Inspector, received an award noting the 100,000 milestone and his $3450 Flir BCAM SD IR camera compliments of Flir during a press conference in Tucson today. “This remarkable achievement is a reflection of Flir’s success in its efforts to make infrared technology increasingly available and affordable,” said Tom Scanlon, Flir vice president for Americas Thermography. “While Flir’s earliest thermal imagers cost $50,000, today’s professionals can access Flir technology for a fraction of that.” Other applications for Flir’s commercial IR cameras include law enforcement, industrial plant maintenance, electrical and HVAC diagnostics, and research and development. Flir also recently donated two handheld thermal imaging cameras to the Clackamas County, Ore., sheriff's office for search-and-rescue operations and nighttime patrols. (11/5/2009)
Omicron Names Singapore Rep.
Omicron Laserage Laserprodukte GmbH of Rodgau, Germany, has expanded its worldwide sales network by adding photonics specialist Photonitech as its distributor in Singapore and Malaysia, the company announced this week. Singapore-based Photonitech will sell Omicron’s entire laser systems product portfolio and provide consultancy, technical support and product training for Omicron in Singapore and Malaysia. Omicron’s worldwide sales network now consists of 17 distributors. (11/5/2009)
Wal-Mart Selects Cree LEDs
Cree Inc., an LED manufacturer located in Durham, N.C., has been selected to provide energy-efficient lighting for Wal-Mart renovations and new construction. Wal-Mart plans to install LRP-38 lightbulbs in 650 stores during the first year, replacing ceramic metal halide in the produce and electronics departments. According to Cree, the PAR38-style lamp was selected because of its energy-efficiency, long lifetime, controlled beam and high color rendition. Designed to last 50,000 hours, the LRP-38 consumes 82 percent less energy than the 70-W ceramic metal halide bulbs it replaces and can last more than five years in a 24/7 operating environment. (11/5/2009)
Veridiam Names New CFO
Veridiam of El Cajon, Calif., announced that Robert Mazzacavallo has been named its chief financial officer. Veridiam is a contract manufacturer of high-precision fabricated assemblies and metal components, serving primarily Fortune 500 companies in the medical devices, power generation, aerospace and general industrial markets. Before joining Veridiam, Mazzacavallo was chief financial officer at C-Tech Industries in Camas, Wash., where he worked closely with Andrew Gale, now Veridiam's CEO. Mazzacavallo has spent much of his career assisting mid-size, multisite manufacturers grow their business, identify efficiencies, streamline processes and optimize resources. He holds an MBA in finance from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business and a BBA in accounting from the University of Notre Dame.
(11/4/2009)
CDI Awarded CNT Device Patent
Carbon Design Innovations Inc. (CDI) of Burlingame, Calif., announced that it has received a key technology patent for the fabrication of carbon nanotube (CNT) devices. US Patent #7,601,650 was issued on Oct. 13, 2009, for a variety of methods and techniques related to fabricating an improved CNT device such as an atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe. According to the company, this process for coating CNTs gives CDI the ability to make stronger, stiffer and more durable AFM probes that are less likely to break if they “crash” during a scan. The company currently offers two CNT AFM probe types: the standard CCHAR (carbon core high-aspect ratio) and CCHR (carbon core high-resolution). (11/4/2009)
Changelight Orders Aixtron System
Semiconductor technology company, Aixtron AG, located in Germany, announced that China-based LED developer Changelight Co. has ordered an Aixtron planetary reactor system for the production allium arsenide (GaAs) LEDs. The order is for an AIX 2600G3 system in the 49x2-in. wafer configuration. The tool was delivered in the third quarter 2009 to the company’s new facilities in Xiamen (Xiang An) Torch Industry Park of Fujian Province in China. (11/4/2009)
AMD Lasers Forms Alliances
Indianapolis-based AMD Lasers announced strategic partnerships with 1-800-Dentist, Fortune Management and Cetylite Industries, in a move aimed at providing more value for dental professionals that purchase the Picasso diode dental laser, said AMD. While supplies last, AMD customers who purchase a Picasso laser package will receive a voucher for the book titled, “Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth,” a gift certificate for a free practice analysis and a complimentary Cetacaine Topical Anesthetic Liquid Kit, a combined value of almost $1600. (11/4/2009)
Cree LED Bulb Breaks Records
Cree Chairman and CEO Chuck Swoboda demonstrated an A-lamp LED light bulb with the highest lumen output and efficacy reported in the industry at the annual Cree shareholder meeting in Durham, N.C., last week. The company said the bulb produces 969 lumens at 102 lumens per watt – light output equivalent to a 65-W incandescent bulb – yet it uses only 9.5 W. The demonstration A-19-style bulb features Cree's XLamp XP-G LEDs and its patented TrueWhite Technology, delivering a 2800 K warm-white light with a 91 CRI (color rendition index). "We are pushing the industry by demonstrating what's possible," said Swoboda. "With every improvement in LED components, new applications become achievable. We are excited to show the world not only what can be done, but what they should expect in an LED light bulb." (11/2/2009)
Zygo CEO to Retire
Zygo Corp. of Middlefield, Conn., announced that CEO J. Bruce Robinson will retire when a successor is named, which is expected to happen during the second half of the fiscal year. Robinson, who has led the company for more than 10 years, will become a Zygo consultant. Chairman Bruce Worster and board member Carol Wallace will lead Zygo's board in the CEO search and selection process. Zygo is a supplier of optical metrology instruments, precision optics, and electro-optical design and manufacturing services to the semiconductor capital equipment and industrial markets. (10/29/2009)
Laser Light Engines Hires CEO
Laser Light Engines of Salem, N.H., has hired Doug Darrow, former general manager of Texas Instruments’ DLP Cinema Div., as CEO, the company announced this week. Darrow, a 23-year veteran of Texas Instruments, replaces company founder Bill Beck, who will remain as executive vice president, business development. Darrow played a key role in driving digital movie distribution and transitioning the theater industry away from its 100-year-old film format, Laser Light Engines said. A leading expert on the future of movie distribution and 3-D, Darrow was a featured panel member at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2009 and a keynote speaker at 2008’s ShoWest, where he received the Digital Cinema Pioneer Award. “We started Laser Light Engines two years ago to bring the benefits of high brightness, energy-efficient solid-state laser illumination to digital cinema and other large-scale projection applications,” Beck said. “Having demonstrated our technology, it is now time to drive commercialization and widespread adoption.” Laser Light Engines is developing solid-state light sources for 2-D and 3-D digital cinema and other large-venue projectors. The company said its light sources, which can be incorporated into a standard digital cinema or advertising projection system, will have three to five times the brightness, 100 times the life and half the power consumption of standard arc lamps. (10/28/2009)