Daily News Briefs

Axsys Technologies Inc. announced it has signed an exclusive, $6.7 million 18-month contract to provide ultraprecision air-bearing scanners to a digital imaging customer. Axsys supplies precision optical products for the aerospace, defense and high-performance commercial markets. . . . Boyd Fowler was appointed vice president and CTO of Fairchild Imaging, a Milpitas, Calif., manufacturer of high-performance electronic imaging components and cameras. Previously, Fowler was a founder and vice president of engineering at Pixel Devices International (PDI), a Sunnyvale-based start-up company CMOS device developer that was acquired by Agilent Technologies. He joined Agilent's sensor solutions division as an image sensor scientist and subsequently managed its advance camera development group. . . . Kuka Robotics Corp., a Michigan manufacturer of industrial robots, has opened a national robotics training center at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC), in Appleton, Wisc. FVTC will offer 27 application and maintenance classes to Kuka Robotics customers. It will also use Kuka robots and software to offer programs for FVTC students in manufacturing systems, metal fabrication/welding and machine tool technology. The new center, which is expected to open in August, is part of the Kuka College program for robot service technicians, programmers and administrators.