Join the WILD Group where the most renowned players and newcomers from the world of laboratory technology, analytics and biotechnology meet in Munich.

Visit us at our booth 504 in hall A3 and find out how we can help turn your innovative idea into a product suitable for series production.

As a technology partner for optics, mechanics, electronics, and software, we support you in the development and manufacturing of measuring instruments for analytics, laboratory technology for biotechnologies & life sciences, measuring and testing technology, spectroscopic measuring instruments and microscopes.

We support numerous customers right from the development stage, carry out industrialisation and guarantee high quality in series production. Our in-depth understanding of optical technologies and overall device design is just as much in demand as our stable processes, fast response times and knowledge of regulatory standards such as ISO, GMP or FDA.

Be inspired through our passion for optical technologies and our striving for perfection.

The recently received Great Place To Work® award confirms the outstanding workplace culture of the specialist for optical technologies and lighting technology.

A sense of community, an open mistakes culture, an excellent corporate image, a modern working environment, and lots of collaborative support. These are just a few examples of why employees at PHOTONIC describe their company as a “Great Place To Work”. Based on a survey in which all 28 “PHOTONICers” took part at the beginning of the year, the specialist for optical technologies and lighting solutions is now authorised to use this official certificate.

“The Great Place To Work® award is a visible sign that we are creating an environment in which our team can perform excellently. We give our employees the freedom to realise their ideas. They are given a lot of responsibility, which they return in the form of an extra portion of motivation. I am particularly pleased that they are all proud of their company and describe their work as meaningful. This in turn guarantees a full focus on our customers and great commitment towards their projects,” says Managing Director Stefan Zotter, delighted with the extraordinary positive ratings.

The employees particularly emphasised the open work atmosphere, clear communication, and positive error culture. This creates an environment in which they feel valued and listened to. The promotion of a cooperative working environment in which ideas can be exchanged and innovative solutions can be developed together was also praised. This not only contributes to everyone’s personal development, but also strengthens the company’s success. Furthermore, targeted training programmes and a wide range of career opportunities also give employees the chance to realise their full potential and continuously develop their skills.

Would you also like to start working in a company that puts people first? Then visit our career page: www.photonic.at/unternehmen/karriere

Herbert W. Liaunig, majority owner of the WILD Group, passed away on 29 September 2023 at the age of 78. The staff of WILD and PHOTONIC mourn their founding father, an extraordinary visionary and esteemed art collector.

Under the leadership of Herbert W. Liaunig the WILD Group developed from an initial “extended workbench” of the Leica Group to an internationally sought-after technology partner possessing enormous development potentials. This extraordinary transformation is not least attributable to the entrepreneurial acumen, the sharp mind and the immense efforts of the industrialist Herbert Liaunig. He decisively contributed to shaping the group of companies and systematically worked to make it more financially successful than ever before. As a collector he also shared his passion for art with the staff. After all, his private collection of Austrian and modern art, which has grown to comprise more than 2,000 works since his days as a student in Vienna, is not only accessible in Museum Liaunig in Neuhaus. Numerous works, including by Markus Prachensky, Max Weiler and Bruno Gironcoli, bestow a dinstinct character on the WILD locations in Völkermarkt and Wernberg.

“The WILD Group bears his signature. Personally, I have learnt an unbelievable amount from Herbert Liaunig in our 25 years of working together. We will always uphold his fundamental rules of corporate governance”, says WILD Group CFO Michael Wratschko.

A success story, his success story

By purchasing WILD Carinthia in 1995 Herbert Liaunig, together with Dieter Feger, prevented the establishment from being closed, turned it into an independent enterprise and implemented a strict recovery programme in record time. The jigsaw pieces of know-how were reorganised and have been decisive for the company’s success to this day. The unique combination of knowledge in the areas of optics, precision mechanics, electronics, software and assembly technology is the USP of the WILD Group, whose customers include international market leaders from the areas of medical and industrial engineering, as well as optical technologies. Even after he handed over the management of the WILD Group to his son Alexander in 2013, for him to be able to exclusively dedicate himself to art, Herbert Liaunig constantly remained close to the company.

Thank you.
We bow in gratitude before Herbert Liaunig, our boss. A virtuoso entrepreneur, a strong personality and an impressive human being. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family.

The WILD Group management on behalf of the entire staff.
Arthur Primus, Wolfgang Warum, Michael Wratschko

Thanks to its close collaboration with Luminus, PHOTONIC is one of the first partners worldwide to have access to the latest developments in LED light sources.

Today, surgeons can monitor tissue blood circulation in real time during operations and thus make more precise decisions. As a result, they can more easily determine lymphatic tissues, boundary lines when removing tumours or blood supply to the organs. These deep insights into the human body are made possible by fluorescence imaging, an area in which PHOTONIC has long years of experience and abundant expertise.

ADDED VALUE THANKS TO THE COLLABORATION WITH LUMINUS
PHOTONIC‘s collaboration with high-tech company Luminus delivers real added value for its customers. Luminus specialises in the manufacturing of powerful LEDs for different wavelengths, which stand out through their excellent light qualities. PHOTONIC Business Developer Stefan Preißer explains where these qualities lie by using the example of the CFT90-WDH LED: ”The compact, monolithic VIS LED stands out through its high light output and very good colour specifications, which remain constant throughout the active illuminated area, the solid angle and the lifetime of the LED. This is decisive when tissue needs to be illuminated as orthrochromatically as possible over a large visual field. Thanks to PHOTONIC‘s robust light module design, including a customised cooling solution, the device has an average lifetime (L70) of well over 30,000 hours. ”As a result of the cooperation with Luminus, we were one of the first companies worldwide to test these new LEDs and promptly integrate them into a newly developed module for serial production“, says Preißer. PHOTONIC also wants to be a step ahead with the new CFT50-X LED. ”The product is not yet available on the market but is already being tested by us for the first prototypes. In future, it will be used to illuminate smaller surfaces directly or through small endoscope diameters using a very powerful high-quality VIS light at an affordable price“, Preißer explains. At 5 mm2, the LED has a small active illuminated area and is therefore suitable for optical systems that require a high luminous flux with a smaller etendue. For higher requirements with regard to etendue or for very specific wavelengths with a narrow band, diode laser sources are used and incorporated in a system-integrated design.

Examples like these demonstrate that, from the system to optical design, mechanics and electronics through to thermal management, PHOTONIC implements the best possible solutions for the development and manufacturing of high-power light modules. Moreover, it achieves this quickly, with a focus on individual customer requirements and, on request, with end-of-line testing.

It takes the right high-end optics to turn lasers into the key technology that opens new paths towards more efficiency, flexibility and precision. An enormous array of laser applications by the WILD Group demonstrates what is already possible today.

When lasers were invented in the early 1960s, the word was that this would be a tool in search of an application. Some colleagues of inventor Theodore Maiman even joked that he had found the solution to a problem that did not even exist. Today, lasers are often referred to as the ”smartphone“ of industrial tools. Like a master key, lasers open doors to ever more applications.

This is also the case at WILD. For almost 30 years now, the technology partner has been exploiting the potential of laser technology to meet its customer requirements. Whether for removing, applying, marking, scanning or measuring – in every intensity, direction or form – no other tool is as flexible and quick as laser light. Provided, however, that you know how to form the laser beam accordingly and choose the suitable wavelength and laser performance. This is exactly where the WILD Group‘s core competence lies. Beam-shaping and the right optics design allow for a huge spectrum of applications. ”Only after one guides a laser beam through an optical system will it eventually obtain the characteristics required for the respective task. That is why our work begins where the laser beam leaves the source“, explains Stefan Werkl, Head of Optical Technologies at WILD GmbH. However, the Group‘s development and manufacturing expertise goes far beyond that and has expanded over the decades, as have the specialised fields of laser technology where WILD and PHOTONIC operate: from optics for laser cutting, ultrashort pulse lasers for material processing and laser modules for medical technology or particle analysis to laser distance measurement.

SCAN INSTEAD OF MEASURING
WILD manufactures the optics module of a 3D laser scanner series on behalf of a leading supplier of 3D measurement technology which allows for quick, easy and precise measurements up to 350 m indoors and outdoors. Compared to other systems available on the market, this series offers extremely high stability to temperature and humidity variations. In addition, the devices are significantly more compact and inexpensive, and they play off their advantages especially when scanning shiny and dark objects. In ophthalmology, too, laser scans have become an indispensable part of modern diagnostics and follow-up monitoring. The ever-increasing pixel density of the 3D images in particular guarantees that the diagnosis and the subsequent surgical interventions are done more precisely than ever before. This has been rendered possible by an ever-higher scanning speed, which has risen dramatically in recent years. As an FDA-certified development and manufacturing partner, WILD is capable of quickly transitioning such quality leaps to serial status. This is a skill that is highly appreciated by a leading company specialising in ophthalmology, for whom WILD has been manufacturing several product groups for decades.

LASERS ARE A DOOR OPENER IN 3D PRINTING
The NanoOne 3D printer impressively demonstrates the exciting possibilities offered by high-resolution laser lithography systems. The device was developed by UpNano, optimised together with WILD and is now being manufactured by the technology partner. The device can print objects from sub-micrometre to centimetre scale with unprecedented speed and precision. This 3D printer‘s secret to success lies in the laser power of up to one watt, which is several times more powerful than in comparable systems. As a result, it can print highly precise 3D structures in black and, thanks to a combination with a new transparent material, even complete optical systems.

A MIXTURE OF LASER AND LIGHT
As an expert in illumination solutions, PHOTONIC is also heavily involved in the latest laser applications. ”The unique properties of laser light are increasingly finding their way into medical lighting optics. We concentrate on the development of innovative light sources, especially where increasingly thinner light guides are advantageous“, emphasises Fabian Lücking, Optics Project Manager at PHOTONIC. The latest customer example is a multi-colour light source for fluorescence microscopy with a light spectrum from the visible range (VIS) to NIR and UV. To achieve this, the several LEDs are optically mixed and coupled together again in a light guide. Alternatively, individual colour channels can be fitted with a laser instead of an LED. ”We have accompanied this project in all phases, from the search for suitable LEDs, laser diodes and dielectric filters through the design of the light path, the sensitivity and tolerance analysis of the optical system, to prototype development and transition to production. Today, the customer has a light source of unique modularity. It can be easily adapted to new applications, yet still manufactured at scale“, says Lücking.

A highly precise optical sensor that records and detects ultra-fine dust particles smaller than 0.2 micrometres. This is another in a series of laser applications realised by WILD. ”To achieve this, we had to redesign the laser module, develop an optics design for the available prototypes and also create the necessary measuring environment“, Stefan Werkl summarises.

Examples like these demonstrate that WILD ticks all the boxes when it comes to qualifying as a strategic partner for laser technology. This begins with optics design, covers all areas of manufacturing of precision parts and extends into the assembly and adjustment of laser modules, including the alignment turning of optics with arcsecond precision. In terms of laser sources, WILD has built up expertise in various areas for the wavelength range from 380 nm to 1700 nm: Nd:YAG lasers for drilling, welding and cutting, diode lasers for measuring and scanning applications, fibre lasers for data transfers and medical applications and gas lasers for cutting and engraving. When it comes to power classes, the technology partner’s experience extends from milliwatts to kilowatts of optical power. To meet the extremely high standards with respect to the production environment, WILD applies a closed process chain and uses all corresponding opportunities available in component and precision cleaning and cleanroom manufacturing. This guarantees that all components are free from particles and film contamination, a prerequisite for the long-term stability of laser optics.

On 1^st May 2023 we will move into new renovated premises!

Our new office is also located in Vienna. This will enable us to move smoothly, which will take us no more than a long weekend. For our employees, customers and partners, the new office is ideally located with public transport right next door. Parking spaces are also available in sufficient numbers in a large multi-storey car park with direct access to the office building.

From 1^st May you can find us at the following address:

PHOTONIC Optische Geräte GmbH & Co. KG
Dresdner Straße 81-85
1200 Vienna

We kindly ask you to take this into account when writing to us and to update your internal databases. The other contact options remain unchanged. You can reach us by telephone and e-mail at the existing numbers and addresses. Only during the extended moving weekend (28.04. to 01.05.2023) our accessibility will be limited for a short time, as we have to move our telephone system and network components.

We are very much looking forward to our new office, which opens many new possibilities for us. In addition to the space, we now have more room to rest and soak up the sun on the roof terraces.

Please inform all contact persons and departments concerned in your company about these changes.

We look forward to working for you from our new premises and will be very happy to welcome you there in person after the move.

Download official notice!

The WILD Group supplies various areas of multi-functional, high-tech operating theatres with a wide array of applications. Moreover, the Group is working together with customers on solutions for the surgery of tomorrow.

The operating theatre is one of the most sensitive areas in a hospital. Surgery is thus considered a supreme discipline among physicians and medical device manufacturers alike. Today‘s intelligent, multi-media operating theatres are full of high-tech equipment. These devices meet the most stringent quality requirements and incorporate technical innovations that make operations less taxing for surgeons and safer for patients. From hardware, such as floor stands for microscope swivel arms, to active disposables and lighting in the operating theatre: as a highly specialised all-rounder, the WILD Group supplies a plethora of devices and applications for operating theatres. Behind all this is an enormous development potential, a strong partner network, and expertise in electronics, optics, precision mechanics and software that almost no other company can cover at such a high level.

FUNDAMENTALLY STABLE
Let‘s start our journey through the operating theatre with an area considered essential for greater precision: optimal visibility of the area of intervention. This can be achieved through a combination of state-of-the-art microscopes and reliable floor stands, like the ones  manufactured by WILD. WILD supplies a stand for one of the leading manufacturers on the market which allows for a long reach and thus greater freedom of movement at the operating table, high flexibility when positioning it inside the operating theatre and utmost stability against vibration.

INTELLIGENT SURGERY LIGHT
Photonic produces one of the light sources for this system. Their surgery competence, however, reaches far beyond that. Whenever light is required on the operating table, the WILD Group‘s lighting specialist delivers customised solutions in different wavelengths. For instance, Photonic adapts high-power LED modules for endoscopy, surgical microscopy and fluorescence imaging specifically to the customer‘s
requirements so that they can be integrated into any existing lighting system. Light quality, however, also plays a crucial role in the  operating theatre itself. Performing concentrated visual examinations for hours on end is a mental and physical feat for physicians, during which they rely on optimal and, at the same time, flexible illumination. It makes a great difference whether the area of intervention is right under the physician‘s eyes or whether they have to navigate on screen during minimally invasive procedures. Too much light would cause disturbing reflections on the screen. In invasive surgery, however, a high colour rendering index and optimum illumination are required.
Photonic managed to meet both these requirements in a single surgery light. ”In ENDO mode, the light is reduced to a minimum to place the focus on the video signal of the endoscope camera, while keeping the surgical site visible for the assisting staff“, Stefan Zotter explains.

ACTIVE MEDICAL DEVICES
The fact that medical interventions today are becoming ever quicker and more precise can also be attributed to the use of complex,  powerful assist devices for computer-aided surgery. When products of this kind are used in direct contact with the patient, two key factors are decisive: They must be designed to operate correctly even after multiple sterilisation cycles, and it is also essential to choose the correct sterilisation method. The procedure becomes complex when active instruments are involved. WILD has proven a competent partner in these cases, with many years of experience in the development and manufacturing of active medical devices. ”In many projects, we are already involved in the design phase, where we contribute our expertise to the selection of the right surfaces and materials and support our  customers in making their products fit for cleanroom serial production“, says Alfred Michalek, Head of Quality Management at WILD.

3D PRINTERS FOR STATE-OF-THE-ART MEDICINE
An innovative 3D printer manufactured and assembled completely by WILD for an Austrian customer is specifically tailored to the  conditions of medical and dental applications. The device can manufacture top-quality components that possess outstanding biocompatible properties and allow for an almost unlimited range of geometries. This 3D printer combines industrial scalability and reliable compliance with medical specifications, for anything ranging from mandibular implants to perfectly tailored dental crowns. The great advantage of this modular device lies in its speed: at 150 layers per hour, it allows for cost-efficient serial production of high-performance ceramics.

MEDICAL ROBOTICS: THE FUTURE IS HERE
Higher requirements such as time and innovation pressure, physical and cognitive stress, lack of staff or the constant influx of new technological developments make working in operating theatres an increasingly complex task for medical staff. Several modern operating theatres are already using medical robotics systems as a solution to this problem. These offer unbeatably stable hands, they sew more precisely than humans, minimise blood loss and give physicians an unprecedented view of the surgery process. ”Robotics is one of the major future topics in surgery and WILD‘s experience and expertise in electronics, mechatronics, kinematics and software makes us an important partner for the development and implementation of innovative medical technology in the future“, believes Manfred Gallé, Head of Business Unit Medical Technology at WILD.

Come and meet our technology and business developers at COMPAMED/MEDICA 2022 and learn more about the contribution we make to equipping and developing the operating theatres of the future.

At this year‘s COMPAMED/ MEDICA, the WILD Group will be focusing exclusively on the topic of operating theatres. The technology partner develops and supplies a wide range of products for these multifunctional high-tech facilities. This is best illustrated at the booth of WILD and PHOTONIC (Hall 8a/Booth J19), where the group will be presenting examples of applications and devices that are already successfully in use.

An expert lecture by Photonic Business Developer Stefan Preißer at the COMPAMED Suppliers Forum (Hall 8b/Booth G40) on 15 November from 12.30 to 1.00 pm will present the advantages customers can gain from the combination of development and manufacturing from a single source. He will be speaking on the topic of manufacturing-focused design of optical assemblies and devices. What is important for cost-efficiently manufacturable solutions? This much can be said already: You can only reliably reduce development risks and time to market by obtaining input and know-how from manufacturing at an early stage, and guaranteeing a direct integration of development, production and cleanroom assembly.

WILD Business Developer Daniel Pressl will be speaking at the COMPAMED Suppliers Forum on 14 November from 11.00 to 11.30 am about the importance of open innovation and cross engineering in coping with current and future challenges in the development and  manufacturing of hightech medical products. ”As a technology partner of renowned medical technology manufacturers, we think about the future from the very beginning and develop products so that they can be manufactured easily, cost-effectively and at a high quality. By acting as a network hub, we capitalise on the fact that we can bring together the best minds in the industry and thus orchestrate innovation processes“, Pressl explains.

By combining research, serial production, and manufacturing, ACMIT and the WILD Group form a partnership that is extremely interesting not only for startups.

When it comes to research and development, the WILD Group has long ceased to resort solely to its own potential. Instead, the technology partner is driving innovation forward through collaboration, and today relies on various forms of cooperation within the WIN partner network. A new member of this knowledge hub is ACMIT Gmbh, the Austrian Center for Medical Innovation
and Technology, which offers genuine added value for WILD and Photonic customers.

ACMIT combines R&D services both with clinical requirements and with medical-technical basic research and product development at a corporate level. ”Our core topics include smart tools, medical robotics, fibre-optic tissue sensors, and the design of novel intraocular lenses. In general, we already get started when the idea for a product is born, be it from a market leader or a startup. In both cases, it requires processes and regulatory expertise to develop a medical technology product and bring it to serial production,“ explains ACMIT CEO Nikolaus Dellantoni.

CO-FINANCING FOR STARTUPS
The range of services extends far beyond that, though. ”As a publicly funded COMET research centre, we are also in a position to support projects that match our research areas with co-financing of up to 50%. We do not acquire any share in a company in the process but recover the invested funds through a temporary licence instead. The essential element for the customers is that the intellectual property created is fully transferred to them,“ Dellantoni explains.

WELL-CONNECTED
Since the approx. 50 employees of ACMIT are closely linked to technical and medical universities around the world, they add
extra speed to the development projects. They can handle tasks from the idea to the clinical application, including ethical approval, clinical studies and pilot series. When larger quantities are required, however, the WILD Group comes into the picture. ”We soon realised that we had to think beyond what we could manage ourselves. Therefore, we already try to anticipate a later serial production when volumes are still small. As a certified medical equipment manufacturer who can quickly scale up production volumes when required, WILD is the ideal partner for us,“ says Dellantoni. ”We are currently working together on an innovative medical device, where we can ideally contribute our expertise in the area of optics development and manufacturing“, predicts Photonic Managing Director Stefan Zotter.