Carl Zeiss Co., Ltd.
Company Introduction
ZEISS Group develops and sells semiconductor manufacturing equipment, measurement technology, microscopes, medical technology, spectacle lenses, lenses for cameras and projectors, binoculars, planetarium technology, etc. The origin of the group was the precision equipment and optics workshop established by the company's founder Carl Zeiss in 1846 in Jena, a city in eastern Germany. Currently, we are headquartered in Oberkochen, southwest of Germany. Within the ZEISS Group, the Research & Quality Technology division provides measuring instruments and microscopes for material inspection to ensure compliance with the quality standards required for quality-critical applications. ZEISS microscopes and industrial measuring instruments also contribute to a variety of research by visualizing even the smallest structures and processes.
About Our Additive Manufacturing Business and Products
ZEISS offers a complete connected quality solution for the entire additive manufacturing process chain, from the powder to the finish part. Widest range of measuring / analysis capabilities available at ZEISS range from an industrial scale CMMs, sub-µm X-ray CT to sub-nm scale electron and He-ion microscopy. The specific ZEISS 3D Manufact workflow, enable hardware and software integration to correlate data and analysis across multiple length-scale and modalities. For example, a 3D printed part can be measured using a CMM or 3D scanner to check for deformation either during printing or heat treatment stage, or scanned using X-ray CT for defects, crack, porosity quickly in the form of routine industrial inspection. Using ZEISS’ unique correlative workflow, we can now focus on the cause of the defect or deformation, by targeted analysis of these regions using microCT, Light Microscopy, SEM, EDS, EBSD, X-ray Diffraction Computed Tomography etc.
Future Perspective and Expectation for German-Japanese Market
Besides the connected quality solution for the AM process chain, ZEISS also provides standalone solution to address specific needs of an AM process. For example, we provide 3 levels of powder characterization, size and shape of the metal powder using light microscopy, added inclusion detection suing electron microscopy and internal porosity detection in powder particles using X-ray microcopy. ZEISS provide in-situ powder bed monitoring to detect and correct powder bed related anomalies in order to print the part right each time, or using our unique resolution-at-a-distance as well as LabDCT, you can detect defect and 3D microstructure at the same time. Additive Manufacturing is often used to create complex internal flow channels, however measuring the internal surface roughness is not possible without cutting the part. ZEISS’ XRM solution makes it possible to non-destructively measure internal surface roughness accurately. These unique technologies available only at ZEISS, enables our customers to create fast and cost-effective recipe development process, which today might cost millions of dollars and might take even few years to develop.
Message for Visitors
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is being adopted by industry, primarily due to its freedom to create complex geometries and ability to create unique properties at selected part locations. However, the AM process is quite complex unlike in subtractive manufacturing where material stock is created independently and then shapes created with cutting to form desired parts, in AM the “foundry” and part shaping happens simultaneously, thus significantly increasing the complexity of the process. Therefore, it is critical, to obtain proper understanding of how the form, size and microstructure of the final components is influenced by the powder, laser power, speed, layer depth, inter-layer (hatch) spacing, thermal gradients etc. This approach utilizes a multi-scale, multi-modal workflow, designed to handle the complexity of the entire AM process chain, starting from raw materials to the finished parts. The outcome would be much faster transition from concept to full scale production or high quality parts. If you are interested in learning more about ZEISS' commitment to AM, please contact us.