Development and manufacture of systems for vacuum thin-film coating, wet grinding and dispersing technology, and technology components
Bühler Leybold Optics
Alzenau, Germany · Raleigh, USA · Beijing, ChinaNew on Amplifa
About Bühler Leybold Optics
Bühler Leybold Optics is a business unit of the Swiss technology group Bühler AG, based in Alzenau, and a provider of systems and solutions for vacuum thin-film coating. The company develops and manufactures special-purpose machinery for coating glass, prisms and glass sheets as well as eyeglass lenses and camera lenses, including PECVD processes for surface hardening and anti-reflective coating. Further fields of application include the metallization of automotive headlights, architectural and automotive glass, and roll-to-roll substrates for capacitors and flexible electronics. In addition to coating systems, the company produces technology components such as sputter cathodes, ion sources, high-precision measurement systems and digital solutions. In the field of electronic materials, agitator bead mills and three-roll mills for wet grinding and dispersing processes are also offered. The 650 employees work across everything from sales and design through manufacturing to global customer service.
- Site
- Alzenau
- Processes
- Vacuum thin-film coating, Glass coating, Headlight metallization (automotive), Roll-to-roll coating for capacitors and flexible electronics, Coating of eyeglass lenses/ophthalmics (e.g. PECVD coating, surface hardening, anti-reflective), Wet grinding & dispersing, Manufacture of components for thin-film coating systems (sputter cathodes, ion sources,, Technology components (sputter cathodes, ion sources, measurement systems, digital solutions)
- Materials
- Glass, Glass, prisms and glass sheets, Plastic (chamber materials for grinding systems), Ceramic (chamber materials/pastes), Metal (chamber materials/pastes), Plastics, Ceramics, Metals
- Employees
- 650
- Industries
- Semiconductors, Precision optics, Ophthalmic optics, Automotive, Glass coating, Flexible electronics
- 01
Engineering and design
- 02
Development of coating processes
- 03
Manufacture of special-purpose machinery and systems
- 04
Component manufacturing (sputter cathodes, ion sources, measurement systems)
- 05
Installation and commissioning
- 06
Service, maintenance and digital services
Materials and Applications
Glass
Coating of glass, prisms and glass sheets for industrial and consumer applications.
Plastics
Chamber materials for grinding systems as well as plastic lenses for ophthalmic optics.
Ceramics
Wear-resistant chamber materials for grinding systems and pastes.
Metals
Chamber materials and metal pastes for electronic components.
Locations
Alzenau
DEHeadquarters; Sales, Service and Application Center
- Vacuum thin-film coating system optiX fab
- Sputter cathodes
- Ion sources
- High-precision measurement systems
Raleigh
USSales, Service and Application Center
Beijing
CNSales, Service and Application Center
Systems and Components
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum thin-film coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass, Architectural and automotive glass, Flexible substrates (roll-to-roll), Semiconductor substrates |
| Glass coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Headlight metallization (automotive)Surface | – | – | – | – | Automotive headlights (plastic/glass) |
| Roll-to-roll coating for capacitors and flexible electronicsSurface | – | – | – | – | Flexible substrates |
| Coating of eyeglass lenses/ophthalmics (e.g. PECVD coating, surface hardening, anti-reflective)Surface | – | – | – | – | Glass, Plastic lenses |
| Wet grinding & dispersingSurface | – | – | – | – | Pigmented color pastes, Phosphor and glass pastes, Metal and ceramic pastes, Solder resist pastes, Adhesive components, Materials for solar energy |
| Manufacture of components for thin-film coating systems (sputter cathodes, ion sources,Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
11 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum thin-film coating system (special-purpose machine) | Bühler Leybold Optics optiX fab | – | – | – | Alzenau, Germany |
| Vacuum thin-film coating system | Bühler Leybold Optics Helios | – | – | – | – |
| Vacuum thin-film coating system | Bühler Leybold Optics Delta | – | – | – | – |
| Bead mill | Bühler MicroMedia Invicta | – | – | – | – |
| Bead mill | Bühler MicroMedia+ | – | – | – | – |
| Bead mill | Bühler MicroMedia | – | – | – | – |
| Three-roll mill | Bühler Trias | – | – | – | – |
| Three-roll mill | Bühler SD three-roll mills | – | – | – | – |
| Sputter cathode | Bühler Leybold Optics | – | – | – | Alzenau, Germany |
| Ion source | Bühler Leybold Optics | – | – | – | Alzenau, Germany |
| High-precision measurement system | Bühler Leybold Optics | – | – | – | Alzenau, Germany |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1994
After the split of Leybold AG, continuation of the "Optical Coatings" business unit
- 2001
Acquisition by the Swedish EQT investment group (previous owner: Unaxis)
- 2012
Acquisition by the Swiss technology group Bühler AG
- 2013
Bühler closes the solar business unit with its Dresden location