Worldview

Rochester Expansions Add Up To Jobs

footers at RPOHot on the heels of Optifab, this past May, substantial growth plans were announced -- and continued being announced, by RRPC companies throughout the summer. G-S PLASTIC OPTICS, JML Optical, Optimax, OptiPro and Rochester Precision Optics all announced new investments, some to be accompanied by significant facility additions. Projects got under way quickly, with opening dates projected in October / November time frames.

If these companies are able to reach their projected growth numbers, 450 qualified applicants will need to be available in the region over the next two years.

OptiPro's 12,500 sq ft facility is expanding to to 20,000 sq ft. The new addition has three purposes:
A new state of the art optics machine tool build area triples our current working space
Additional space for our Advanced Process Development (APD) lab and Metrology lab
Expanded Machine Tool Showroom

OptiPro’s APD Lab and the Machine Tool showroom are now being recognized by manufacturing industries as innovative “technical centers” where customers can work with OptiPro personnel to develop advanced solutions for high quality, cost effective manufacturing processes. Since the beginning of 2011, the optical fabrication and metalworking industries have been extremely busy. With the development of OptiPro’s new “PRO 80” series of machines, a major goal with this new expansion is to increase the number of machine build cells thus reducing lead times to meet the rapidly growing market demands.
By expanding the APD Lab with the new grinding, polishing and measuring equipment the plan is to increase Optipro's ability to meet customers’ critical demands for advanced research and development projects. Optical training courses (OptiPro U) will also benefit from this increased floor space and new equipment, allowing for more students and hands-on experience.
The addition is expected to be completed by the end of September, with both OptiPro U and OptiPro's annual open house to follow in the fall.

Rochester Precision Optics is adding 40,000 square feet to their facility. The building is being expanded to the north along Bailey Road and to the west along John Street. RPO will invest $10.7 million to expand its Henrietta, New York facility, adding 151 new jobs to its current 144 head count. RPO is expanding its 64,500 square foot facility by adding an additional 43,000 square feet of new space, including clean room space.

Optimax Systems is adding an additional 20,00 square feet to their Ontario facility, increasing their footprint by a third and investing over $5,000,000 in capital equipment to double their manufacturing capacity.

The 20,000 square feet addition is designated space for the lean manufacturing of high precision production optics. It will include 2000 square feet of space in the form of two environmentally controlled rooms specifically engineered to provide enhanced metrology capability.

 

IN THIS ISSUE:

RRPC companies boosting job numbers
East High Summer Sizzler
The Spanish are coming
Optics Boot Camp
New Hires
Federal Funds to Fill Training Needs

Software Helps Design Perfect Interference Filter
Acknowledgements, New Awards
WNY Golf Tourney Wrap up
Conferences and Events
Contact RRPC

East High / MCC Summer Optics Sizzler

RRPC / East High School / Monroe Community College Summer Optics Sizzler
Seventeen East High School students participated in the second annual Sumer Optics Sizzler, June 27 - 30.

The mostly volunteer staff led the students through a rigorous four-day program that included an intro to optics and how the brain sees, and break-out to five teams studying coherent light, stereo vision & imagery, interferometry, spectrometry and projection science. The team leaders were:

Light Pipe - Jim Van Kouwenberg (Optimax) / Marcelo Guimaraes (MCC)
Stereo Vision & Imagery - Jim Crittenden (MCC)
Interferometer - Josh Cobb/Paul Michaloski (Corning Tropel)
Spectrometer - Jen Kruschwitz (UR / JK Associates)
Projection Science - Paul Conrow (East High School)

Following three days of study, the teams offered presentations of their work via Powerpoint slides to their peers and a panel of experts.

This year's panel was composed of:
Alexis Vogt (UR, Bausch and Lomb)
Katie Hasman (UR, ITT Geospatial Systems)
Elise Michaels (UR, Optical Process Development and Optical Metrology Engineer)
Jim Petrosino - Current Interim MCC Dean of Technologies

 

 

Angstrom Precision Optics has learned that one of their filter components enables unique forensic devices used by commandos to track terrorists. Secure Electronic Enrollment Kit, or SEEK, manufactured by an Angstrom customer, CROSSMATCH. is a handheld biometrics recorder that takes iris scans, fingerprints and facial scans and ports them back to an FBI database in West Virginia in seconds

East High / MCC Summer Optics Sizzler

In June, 2010, East High School (Rochester, NY) and Monroe Community College partnered to deliver a three day summer optics program for students from East High School. (see the story here) The intent was to engage 12 students in an exciting and interesting immersion in optics, and establish a dual-credit optics program between the two schools.... LEARN MORE

Inc. 5,000 Includes Rochester OPI Firms
Congratulations to the RRPC members listed on this year's Inc. 5,000.

Sydor Instruments LLC, 1,953
Stefan Sydor Optics Inc., 2,359
Optimax Systems, 4,680

Optics Boot Camp

Intensive will Focus Upon Optical Fabrication
Monroe Community College finished an optics boot camp... READ MORE

Focus on Sales. CEO Lunch & Learn.

Are You Winning As Much As You Could Be?

Tuesday May 24, 5:00pm Friday, May 27th, 12:00PM - 1:00PM

The RRPC is providing a monthly lunch and learn series for CEO members that are interested in enabling their organizations to win more sales. The program will be delivered by Worldleaders Sales Solutions and designed to provide a fact-based training approach specifically for... READ MORE

Welcome new RRPC Member Seko

SEKO is an innovative, flexible provider of first-class transportation services. Leading the logistics industry with new technologies and customizable solutions, SEKO has triumphed in the outsourced transportation management marketplace. Beginning first as an air freight forwarder operating out of a single Chicago office in 1976, the company is pioneering a new path for the logistics industry through a commitment to providing global reach, local control and robust technology tools.

 

Kruschwitz

Jennifer Kruschwitz published an excellent article about software for developing the "perfect" interference coating

JWST Future uncertain

The James Webb Space Telescope is under the budget axe

Field Guide To Optical Fabrication Now Available

Many of us know Ray Williamson from SPIE conferences and APOMA events. Ray's insights into optical fabrication are valued by all. Now he has published a field guide with SPIE.

11th Annual Golf Tournament

Ron is in for back surgery

Economic Development Committee Tags Optics Advisory Panel


GRE CEO, Mark Peterson and Augustine Melendez from Eastman Kodak are convening the group

Events

 

Photonics West
21 - 26 January 2012
San Francisco, California, USA

Defense, Security and Sensing
23- - 27 April, 2012
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Laser Optics Berlin
19 - 21 March 2012
Berlin, Germany

Frontiers In Optics / Laser Science
16 - 20 October 2011
San Jose, California, USA

Contact RRPC

How does one acquire the coveted RRPC Newsletter Cub Reporter Badge?
Contact us with industry news and be the first in your office to wear one (or hide it in your desk). New York Photonics and the Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster are active and growing collaborative organizations
 

Copyright 2011, Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster, Inc.

New York Photonics and The Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster (RRPC) are not-for-profit organizations founded to promote and enhance the New York State photonics, optics and imaging industry by fostering the cooperation of business, academia and government.