Sofradir Group - Experts & Thought Leaders

Sofradir and its subsidiary ULIS announce their merger and new company name: Lynred. Lynred was created to respond to a need for an all-inclusive infrared (IR) product offering to the global aerospace, defense, industrial and consumer markets. In response to increasing market requirements, the company has attained a critical mass geared to shortening the time-to-market process of new products. Its US entity remains a subsidiary and has been renamed Lynred USA. Equipment integration support Lynred gives us more punching weight in R&D and increased visibility within the IR ecosystem" Lynred is the new identity under which its 1,000 staff will provide the widest range of advanced IR technologies to global markets, assure a long-term and reliable product supply and accompany client projects with the best possible IR design and equipment integration support. “Lynred will enter the market with a new vision for the future in an increasingly competitive market, which has seen the number of players double over the last five years,” said Jean-François Delepau, chairman of Lynred. “We are the established European leader in infrared technologies. Now, Lynred gives us more punching weight in R&D and increased visibility within the IR ecosystem. Thanks to the commitment of our employees in forming Lynred and increased support from our partners, we will be able to offer new attractive solutions to our customers.” Infrared imaging systems Lynred is actively pursuing growth in this market. The world military infrared imaging systems market was estimated at $8.5 billion (approx. €7.6bn) in 2018 and is expected to grow to $14 billion (approx. €12.5bn) in 2023. This translates to a global potential annual market growth rate of around 10% at camera and system level Extrapolated market data also indicates that the market for cameras for industrial and consumer applications has the potential to increase from $2.9 (approx. €2.6bn) to $4.1 billion (€3.7bn) in the same period. This translates to a global potential annual market growth rate of around 10% at camera and system level. Lynred will advance developments of next generation IR detectors with the €150 million ($167.4M) financial investment it is making in the Nano2022 project over the next five years. Smart buildings These IR devices will be designed to address trends in autonomous systems for smart buildings (workspace management, energy savings), road safety and in-cabin comfort of vehicles. Developments also include the very large dimension IR detectors needed for space and astronomy observations as well as compact and light IR detectors that can be used in portable devices and on drones. Lynred will continue enlarging its product catalogue, strengthening its R&D investments and hiring in support of activities.

Sofradir, globally renowned infrared technologies designer and sensor manufacturer, and Allied Vision Technologies, global manufacturer of machine vision cameras, has announced the availability of Goldeye G/CL-033 TECless, a cost-effective SWIR (ShortWave Infrared) industrial camera designed with Snake SW Tecless technology.  SWIR industrial cameras Using Sofradir’s Snake SW Tecless detector, Allied Vision’s Goldeye cameras have VGA resolution housed in very compact housing (55x55x78mm), allowing integration into systems with limited space. Allied Vision designed its new model Goldeye G/CL-033 TECless industrial cameras around the Snake SW Tecless sensor  Allied Vision designed its new model Goldeye G/CL-033 TECless industrial cameras around the Snake SW Tecless sensor due to the uncooled detector’s small footprint (0.65in2, 3.23cm2), the compatibility of its frame rate (300 frames per second) within most industrial in-line inspection requirements and its availability in large volume. In addition, the detector is distinguished by its exceptional level of performance in terms of low noise and image quality. Snake SW Tecless detector Snake SW Tecless is manufactured based on the cost-efficient high-volume standards typically used for visible image sensors, which makes SWIR technology more affordable in cost-sensitive applications such as industrial machine vision. “The industrial machine vision market has, thus far, been dominated by visible light CMOS/CCD cameras for product sorting and quality control. Yet, cameras using SWIR wavelengths have proven to be effective in solving challenges where the capacities of visible light fall short,” said Sebastien Frasse-Sombet, SWIR product line manager at Sofradir. “Until now, the cost of SWIR technology has been prohibitive for most high-volume applications. Our new affordable Snake SW Tecless detector helps customers justify the use of SWIR solutions like the Goldeye camera in machine vision applications aimed at increasing production yields and improving performance and quality.” Goldeye G-033 TECless SWIR camera Goldeye G-033 TECless with Snake SW Tecless is among the fastest GigE Vision compliant SWIR cameras on the market Goldeye G-033 TECless with Snake SW Tecless is among the fastest GigE Vision compliant SWIR cameras on the market. The camera achieves an outstanding image quality due to multiple image correction features such as non-uniformity, defect pixel and background correction. It offers advanced features including auto-contrast, look-up tables and comprehensive I/O control. By selecting smaller Regions-of-Interest (ROI), the camera’s frame rate can be increased even further, and image data processing can be optimised. “As a global player in the machine vision market, Allied Vision has been a driver of SWIR imaging for years. We believe that the combination of Sofradir’s knowledge in manufacturing infrared sensors and Allied Vision’s expertise in sensor integration, including image correction and optimisation, will sustain the ongoing growth in the SWIR imaging market,” said Jens Hashagen, senior product manager at Allied Vision Technologies. SWIR vision technology “With SWIR vision system costs gradually decreasing thanks to the maturity and production volumes of these technologies, the adoption of SWIR vision technology is accelerating to reliably cover a growing spectrum of applications,” added Sebastien Frasse-Sombet. Allied Vision will showcase its Goldeye G-033 TECless camera, designed with the Snake SW Tecless detector, in a microscope-based semiconductor inspection demo, at Photonics West, booth 2369 South Hall, February 5 – 7, at the Moscone Center, San Francisco (CA).

Sofradir, a pioneer in developing and manufacturing key classes of advanced infrared (IR) detectors for military, space, scientific and industrial applications, announces its election to the Board of Stakeholders (BoS) at Photonics21, the European Technology Platform (ETP) representing the European photonics community. The BoS is the main decision-making body of the platform. Sofradir’s appointment is effective as of November 19, 2018. As board member, Sofradir will support Photonics21 BoS’ role in defining and prioritising the photonics research and innovation roadmaps to be proposed to the European Commission for funding. It will raise awareness of infrared and thermal imaging within the European photonics sector as well as their potential for application in a cross-section of industries. Significant contribution Sofradir’s representative, Patrick Abraham, private and public partnership manager at Sofradir, was one of 39 candidates elected. He brings close to 30 years’ experience in a diverse range of photonics applications from fiber-optics communication to infrared imaging and in forging strong relationships within the photonics R&D community in Europe. Sofradir is proud of Patrick’s selection to the Photonics21 Board of Stakeholders, where we have no doubt he’ll make a significant contribution" He has experience with H2020 and ECSEL collaborative projects and Private and Public Partnership (PPP) development. His skills include promoting and managing innovation as well as having a clear understanding of academic and industrial needs. “Sofradir is proud of Patrick’s selection to the Photonics21 Board of Stakeholders, where we have no doubt he’ll make a significant contribution,” said David-Billon Lanfrey, chief strategy officer at Sofradir. Efficient food production “Photonics is a key enabling technology across a wide range of industries. It is therefore essential that European players in the private and public sectors actively coordinate efforts on making the European photonics sector strong. Through this it will be capable of harnessing these innovations to bring viable solutions for addressing societal challenges, such as climate change, disease detection and efficient food production in Europe and beyond.” Mr. Abraham will act as an ambassador for infrared and thermal imaging by raising awareness of this technology within the European photonics community. Stakeholder board members are appointed for four years. Sofradir remains within Work Group 5 for Security, Metrology and Sensors, where it has been a member since 2014.