GoPhotonics interviewed Juergen Zosel, the Managing Director of ORAFOL Fresnel Optics. A graduate in electrochemistry engineering from the University of Ilmenau (1988), Juergen Zosel began his career as a technician at Fresnel Optics GmbH in 1991. Over the years, he advanced to key leadership positions, including Technical and Operations Manager, before assuming the role of Managing Director in February 2016. His deep technical background and decades of industry experience drive ORAFOL's innovations in optical solutions.
Q. Can you give us a brief overview of the history of ORAFOL Fresnel Optics? When was the company founded and what was the goal? How has the company evolved over the years to what it is today?
Juergen Zosel: The history of the manufacturing of Fresnel lenses on the company ground in Apolda dates back to 1972. Originally, they were produced for overhead projectors often used in schools and universities. After the German reunification the location in Apolda was integrated into the US company Fresnel Optics, later belonging to the Reflexite Corporation, and established as a German branch. Under Reflexite and since 2011 the ORAFOL Group Fresnel Optics became a leading manufacturer of micro-structured optics of various sizes, types and materials. The goal has stayed the same for more than half a century: Providing customers with the highest quality micro-structured optics and never ceasing to innovate.
Q. Orafol Fresnel Optics is a leader in the field of microstructured plastic optics. Can you tell us about this area and what services you provide around it?
Juergen Zosel: Micro-structured plastic optics are an extremely diverse and versatile segment in the world of optical components. In order to be able to reliably meet the requirements of partners and realize their ideas a great amount of flexibility along the whole chain of production is necessary. That is part of the reason why ORAFOL Fresnel Optics is providing the whole range, starting with optical design, prototyping and tooling and ending with the large-scale production even of subassemblies. The other reason of course being reliability and quality.
Q. Can you tell us about your Optical product portfolio? Which product segment within this portfolio is the largest for you in terms of sales?
Juergen Zosel: ORAFOL Fresnel Optics offers a wide range of micro-structured optical components. The most common product category is still Fresnel lenses, the very same type of structure manufactured since the 1970s, although today’s lenses are often much smaller than the ones used in overhead projectors. We also offer all sorts of similar structures, such as Fresnel prisms, Fresnel cylindrical lenses, Fresnel axicons etc. Additionally, we offer retro-reflectors, micro-structured surface diffusers, and lenticular arrays. A relatively new but quickly growing part of our portfolio are microlens arrays. We also offer the ability to combine our structures in a single or double-sided optics.
Q. Which market segments do you cater to, and which segment drives the most business of your optical solutions?
Juergen Zosel: The Fresnel lens was developed in the 19th century for usage in lighthouses where conventional lenses became impractically heavy and complicated due to their size. More than two centuries later Fresnel lenses are still widely used in lighting applications, signal systems, industrial lighting solutions etc. Therefore this still is one of our most important markets. More recent fields of application are machine vision and sensor industries where our lenses are used both in an imaging and lighting role of various camera, scanner and sensor systems. All of these segments are growing and continuingly innovating, granting us a continuous stream of new challenges and opportunities to innovate as well.
Q. What are Frensel Lenses? What are the different types? Can you tell us about the different types of Frensel Lenses you develop?
Juergen Zosel: The Fresnel lens is the oldest type of micro-structured optics. It is a series of concentrical, circular groves, each with a different angle, arranged on the same plane. The angles of each individual groove represent the angle a conventional convex or concave lens would have in the corresponding distance from the centre. It is best explained by a picture.
The principle of a Fresnel lens is a very effective way to reduce the volume and weight of a lens with only some minor disadvantages caused by optical artifacts of the grooves. The high degree of flexibility in designing lenses that way as well as the afore mentioned savings of space and weight vastly outweigh the disadvantages in many different applications.
We offer both positive and negative Fresnel lenses, each with a vast catalogue of readily available standard designs as well as a start-from-scratch optimized for the requirements of our customers. Dimensions can range from a few millimeters in diameter up to half a meter (~20 in). We can manufacture them in various polymer materials such as PMMA, PC, and silicone-on-glass hybrid (SOG). A characteristic of our Fresnel lenses worth highlighting is the very low tip rounding (usually in the order of 3 to 5 µm radius) contributing to a reduction in optical artifacts and overall increased quality of our products.
Q. What are Fresnel prisms? Where are they used? Can you tell us about your line of fresnel prisms and how they differ from other manufacturers?
Juergen Zosel: The Fresnel prism is taking the principle of a Fresnel lens and applies it to an optical prism. It replaces a regular voluminous prism with a flat plane covered in parallel grooves. But in contrast to a Fresnel lens the grooves have a constant angle, as a varying angle would result in a Fresnel cylindrical lens (which we also offer). Fresnel prisms are often used in lighting applications whenever the diversion of light in a large area is needed. Another interesting application is in aviation where Fresnel prisms are used to enable flight crews to view angles of their aircraft otherwise hidden from them.
Our Fresnel prisms are of a very high quality especially when it comes to the form accuracy and tip rounding. But equally as important to our customers is our ability to reliably design and adapt them to various applications. Often it is not just the micro-structure making a design a challenge but also the required tooling, coating, and CNC machining in tight tolerancing. Areas we all mastered very well over the years.
Q. Who are your customers in the Optics segment and where are they located? What is the % breakup by continent?
Juergen Zosel: ORAFOL Fresnel Optics supplies customers worldwide. But our focus lies on Europe, making around 70% of total revenue. The rest is mostly split between East Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Although we are observing a growing demand forming in India, Africa and South America.
Q. Can you tell us more about your sales and support channels?
Juergen Zosel: Admittedly a sales channel growing out of fashion, we are still convinced by the value of face-to-face conversations at trade fairs. Therefore we are keeping up our dedication to be present on as many trade fairs themed around the world of photonics as possible. Aside from that we are active in multiple optics networks and always work on expanding our online presence. Our support team benefits from having the whole range of expertise in-house, drastically shortening the time to give an educated and helpful answer to any questions or concerns of our partners as well as new requests. We also like to conduct regularly visits with partners to strength relations and offer a more direct channel to voice suggestions and concerns.
Q. How is 2024 looking for ORAFOL Fresnel Optics? Are there any new announcements or products in optics on the horizon?
Juergen Zosel: There is no denying that the overall economic situation in the world, especially Europe and Germany is having an impact. But in comparison to the economic turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent supply chain constrains and energy price hikes in the following years 2024 is shaping up to become a year of increased stability and overall growth. There is a big project currently in the making that will revolutionize the way linear microstructures are manufactured. The quality of our Fresnel prisms and Fresnel cylindrical lenses will greatly benefit from this innovation. But that is a story for another day.
About ORAFOL Fresnel Optics
ORAFOL Fresnel Optics GmbH develops and manufactures micro-structured optical components made of plastics and supplies customers throughout the world. These are used in various industries, such as lighting, optical sensors, and machine vision, as well as backlighting, display, automotive, and solar power. They offer integrated R&D and production expertise: from the start of optical design to tool fabrication and precision polymer replication as well as a wide range of finishing processes. The focus lies on a high degree of flexibility and customization as well as optical quality for demanding applications.
