FISBA manufactures precision optics, optical assemblies as well as laser and illumination modules – from idea to series production.
FISBA AG
St. Gallen (CH) · Berlin (DE) · Saco, ME (US) · Shanghai (CN)New on Amplifa
About FISBA
FISBA AG, headquartered in St. Gallen, is a provider of precision optics and develops and manufactures optical components and assemblies – from micro-optics and rod lenses to aspheric lenses and prisms, through to complete laser, illumination and imaging/vision systems. Manufacturing encompasses classical optics production (grinding and polishing of optical glass), precision glass molding for aspheres and freeform geometries, coating, cementing, highly precise housing production as well as assembly including active alignment and cleanroom manufacturing. Tolerances in the thousandth-of-a-millimeter range, highly automated and custom-developed production machines, and in-house metrology ensure reproducible series quality; capacity exceeds one million lenses and more than 50,000 assemblies per year. Customers come from endoscopy/medical technology, life sciences, defense, diode laser collimation, LiDAR and machine vision; the portfolio ranges from build-to-print and build-to-spec to build-to-idea. In addition to the headquarters with 4,400 m² of production space, the company maintains sites in Berlin (FISBA Photonics GmbH), Saco, Maine (FISBA North America) and a sales office in Shanghai.
- Site
- St. Gallen
- Processes
- Classical optics manufacturing (grinding and polishing of optical glass for flat optics and lenses,, Precision glass forming / precision glass molding (aspheric lenses, freeform geometries,, Manufacturing of micro-optics / microlenses (incl. rod lenses, centering), Coating of optics (anti-reflective, filter, mirror, beam splitter), Cementing of lenses and prisms (cementing), High-precision mechanical housing production (for athermalization of optical assemblies), Assembly of optical assemblies incl. active alignment and alignment turning, Assembly and in-house testing of imaging and vision systems
- Materials
- optical glass, glass (material for fine optics, lenses, prisms, ridge plates), Fusilica (low-absorption special glass for blue FACs), high-refractive-index glass for FAC lenses, Fusilica, high-refractive-index glass, precision glass molding, coating
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016
- Founded
- 1957
- Employees
- 300 (as of 2015;
- Industries
- Endoscopy/medical technology, Life sciences/laser, Defense, Diode laser collimation/industrial laser systems, LiDAR, Machine vision
- 01
Optical design/engineering (build-to-print, build-to-spec, build-to-idea)
- 02
Prototyping
- 03
Classical optics manufacturing (grinding/polishing) or precision glass molding
- 04
Coating
- 05
Centering and cementing
- 06
High-precision housing production
- 07
Assembly incl. active alignment (cleanroom)
- 08
In-house metrology and testing
- 09
Series production and scaling
Materials & Processes
optical glass
Material for lenses, prisms, rod lenses and flat optics; machining in the thousandth-of-a-millimeter range.
Fusilica
Low-absorption special glass for FAC lenses, also for blue diode lasers (430–470 nm).
high-refractive-index glass
Material for FAC lenses (fast axis collimation).
precision glass molding
Glass forming for aspheres, freeform geometries and diffractive structures.
coating
Anti-reflection, filter, mirror and beam splitter coatings, including IAD system APS 900 in Berlin and Syrus Pro 1100 in St. Gallen.
Active Alignment / Alignment Turning
Assembly of optical assemblies with active alignment for diffraction-limited, athermalized systems.
Sites
St. Gallen
CHHeadquarters, production (4,400 m² since 2012)
- Lot size
- Pilot series to industrial large-scale series
- Materials
- optical glass
- CNC machines for optical machining
- Coating system Syrus Pro 1100
- custom production machines developed with technology partners
- cleanroom manufacturing
Berlin
DEFISBA Photonics GmbH (founded 1998 as FISBA OPTIK GmbH), development and coating technology
- IAD coating system APS 900
Saco, ME
USFISBA North America (2024 merger of FISBA LLC Tucson and Gray Optics Portland); design, product development and
Shanghai
CNSales office FISBA (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (since 2020)
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classical optics manufacturing (grinding and polishing of optical glass for flat optics and lenses,Machining | – | – | – | – | optical glass |
| Precision glass forming / precision glass molding (aspheric lenses, freeform geometries,Forming | – | – | – | – | glass |
| Manufacturing of micro-optics / microlenses (incl. rod lenses, centering)Machining | thousandths of a millimeter | – | – | – | glass |
| Coating of optics (anti-reflective, filter, mirror, beam splitter)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cementing of lenses and prisms (cementing)Joining | – | – | – | – | – |
| High-precision mechanical housing production (for athermalization of optical assemblies)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly of optical assemblies incl. active alignment and alignment turningAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly and in-house testing of imaging and vision systemsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Optomechanical design / engineering (diffraction-limited, athermalized, color-correctedEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Prototyping and series production of optical components and assembliesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of fast axis collimator (FAC) lenses (acylindrical, D-shaped, low absorption, alsoMachining | – | – | – | – | optical glass, Fusilica (special glass) |
| Manufacturing of slow axis collimator (SAC) lenses and SAC arrays (cylindrical lenses)Machining | – | – | – | – | optical glass |
| Manufacturing of FISBA Beam Twister™ (FBT) micro-optics (90° beam rotation)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of prisms and beam splittersMachining | – | – | – | – | glass |
| Production of laser and illumination modules (e.g. READYBeam, RGBeam, diode laser-based modules)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Metrology (state-of-the-art optical metrology, inspections)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cleanroom manufacturing for optical assembliesAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coating system (IAD – ion-assisted deposition) | APS 900 | 1 | – | 1998 | Berlin (FISBA Photonics GmbH) |
| Coating system | Syrus Pro 1100 | 1 | – | 2002 | St. Gallen |
| CNC machines for optical machining (computer-controlled glass machining) | – | – | – | – | St. Gallen |
| custom production machines (developed with technology partners | – | – | – | – | St. Gallen |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
FISBA's quality management system is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 (both SQS, valid until 21.01.2029) and ensures documented, traceable processes from incoming goods inspection to final release; cleanroom manufacturing, in-house metrology and a lean/six-sigma culture complement quality assurance.
| Evidence | St. Gallen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 13485:2016 |
History
- 1957
Founded as Altherr-Strietzel AG by Waldemar Strietzel, Christian Fischbacher Sen. and Hennoch Altherr in St. Gallen
- 1958
Christian Fischbacher Sen. acquires all shares; renaming to FISBA OPTIK AG, approx. 30 employees
- 1965
Production launch of micro-optics for endoscopy
- 1993
Innovation award for Swiss technology (diode laser) at the Hannover Messe
- 1998
Foundation of FISBA OPTIK GmbH Berlin (today FISBA Photonics GmbH); investment in the IAD coating system APS 900
- 2002
Up to 100,000 optical components/month; second coating system (Syrus Pro 1100); approx. 300 employees
- 2004
Market launch of FAC lenses; OEM laser module series enters series production
- 2005
Introduction of precision glass molding for aspheres, freeform geometries and diffractive structures
- 2011
Development and series production of a CMOS video endoscope (lens diameter 0.7 mm)
- 2012
Inauguration of the new 4,400 m² production facility in St. Gallen
- 2013
Market launch of the FISBA RGBeam™
- 2014
Foundation of FISBA LLC in Tucson (Arizona)
- 2015
Launch of the FISCam™ micro camera; over 300 employees; renaming to FISBA AG
- 2018
Premium Service Award from Everbright in Suzhou (China)
- 2019
Market launch of the FISBA READYBeam™
- 2020
Opening of the sales office FISBA (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
- 2023
Acquisition of Gray Optics (May); ISO 13485 certification (February)
- 2024
Merger of FISBA LLC Tucson + Gray Optics Portland; new site Saco, Maine (1,150 m²)
- 2025
Market launch of the READYFlow platform for flow cytometry
- 2026
Christian Zellweger takes over the CEO position from Markus Hersche