Shortly before Christmas, the European Pilot Line for free-form micro-optics (Phabulous) project consortium met for the last time in Prague, the headquarters of project partner ABIMI, after the project was extended to five years due to the pandemic.
Moderated by project coordinator Harry Heinzelmann from CSEM (Switzerland), Katharina Keller (Zumtobel) and Daniela Karthaus (Forvia/Hella) presented the final use case demonstrators, which literally provided a good picture of the potential of free-form micro-optics in general lighting and automotive headlight applications. Both companies now want to develop products based on the knowledge gained.
The partners in the finely tuned and highly effective value chain of different technologies to produce prototypes and solutions were also able to carry out a number of feasibility studies for small and medium-sized enterprises in the final phase of the project, giving them access to this cutting-edge technology.
Our MATERIALS team, led by Ursula Palfinger and Roman Trattnig, also made a name for itself with groundbreaking solutions in the fields of optical simulation, step-and-repeat and roll-to-roll UV imprint lithography, building on the unique results of the research teams in previous projects. In particular, the seamless stitching technology developed by JR-MATERIALS' experts for the production of large-area structures and imprint stamps with micrometre-sized structures attracted a great deal of international interest. In addition to the previously mentioned lighting markets, the pilot line also targets augmented/virtual reality, medical and consumer electronics.
What happens after the project ends?
After the end of the project, a freely financed one-stop shop will continue to operate for the many companies already interested. The European dimension of the project will be extended to North America in the future.
Jessica van Heck and her team at the Phabulous pilot line can count on the support of JOANNEUM RESEARCH and the other project partners. As part of the project, a virtual micro-optics marketplace (https://microoptics.eu/) has been set up, which will continue to serve as a contact point for customers and partners of the pilot line.
Paul HartmannPaul Hartmann, Director of MATERIALS and Vice President of the Phabulous Pilot Line Association, emphasises the quality of the collaboration in the project consortium, which will have an impact far beyond the end of the project: We are already discussing a number of follow-up projects with our European partners, which will certainly lead to realisable results soon, based on the trust that has been built up over the past few years.
A major article on the latest and promising results of the pilot line will be published in the journal Electro Optics at the beginning of 2025.
