Industry 4.0 in the fabrication of optical components: development, presence, and requirements

Optics and photonics are considered as an enabling technology for innovations in other technological fields (e. g. astronomy, medicine, military, …). Their first applications date back to jewellery processing in ancient times. In the medieval age Vikings on Gotland (1050) buried the Visby lenses. They have a quality of workmanship and imaging comparable to a high quality lens made in the mid-20th century. The specific use of spectacles to correct long-sightedness or presbyopia is known from the 13th century. Around the transition from the 16th to the 17th century, the microscope and the telescope were invented, combining several lenses for the first time. This shows that the exploitation of the optical properties of materials can be dated back very early in human history. In particularly, today`s optics industry is still based on personal knowledge which results in a relatively workmanship production environment. The challenges of globalisation and the current pandemic situation demonstrate that increasing the degree of automation is a possible way to keep a leading position in the market. This is not only important due to the high quality of optical components but also by enabling competitive prices for production through reducing the labour costs. The third industrial revolution established the digitalisation of production and the usage of CNC-machinery. In most industries including optics industries this is the status quo of production. The target of industry 4.0 and internet of things is to lead into a new industrial revolution. The German government developed the buzzword “Industrie 4.0” (eng. Industry 4.01 ). This concept includes the contradiction of mass production and production according to individual customer requests. This should be carried out by connecting all production units with the goal of an intelligent factory. Among other things this includes seamless monitoring of the manufacturing processes along all steps and remote access to involved machines. A further target is manufacturing under the constraint of a small batch size down to one piece. This publication aims to present the current situation in the manufacturing of optical components and compare this with manufacturing of metallic components. It will outline, which measures are necessary to ensure a comprehensive transformation of the optical industry in accordance with the Industry 4.0 idea and which benefits can be expected.