Insights into innovation and production
Excursion to the light and camera technology
2025/02/24 by Felix Wirth
On 18 February 2025, students from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at TU Darmstadt had the opportunity to visit two leading German companies in optics and camera technology: VIAOPTIC and Leica. The excursion was part of the Lighting Technology and Semiconductor Lighting Technology lecture of the Lab of Adaptive Lighting Systems and Visual Processing. It offered in-depth insights into the latest developments in optical manufacturing technologies and camera development as well as applied lighting research.

Our excursion started at 10.00 a.m. at the Leitz Park in Wetzlar. After a friendly welcome from the VIAOPTIC engineers, we were given a comprehensive tour of the production facilities.Precise manufacturing technologies such as injection moulding for high-precision optical components were demonstrated.
The detailed insight into the manufacturing processes for high-precision plastic optics, which are used in numerous industrial applications in medical technology and automotive manufacturing, was particularly impressive.
We then moved on to Leica Camera AG, where an exciting tour of the ultra-modern production facility and photo exhibitions awaited us. There we were able to see how innovative camera technologies are created, what role optical systems play in professional photography and that a modern camera contains the knowledge of an entire electrical engineering degree programme.
A particular highlight was the opportunity to talk to Leica engineers about current research and development projects. Specific image algorithms and board designs were discussed.
After a joint lunch break with a lively discussion about the impressions gained, inspiring presentations on career opportunities in lighting and camera technology followed. The speakers gave us valuable insights into various fields of activity and described exciting challenges in the industry.
The excursion concluded with a visit to the Ernst Leitz Museum, which used interactive exhibits and historical cameras to illustrate the development of optical technologies.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the participating companies and organisers for this enriching experience!
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