Every year, VisiMax Technologies holds a "Training Day" for all employees. Though the company's expert staff has thorough experience, the company recognizes the value of continued optical coating education.  Chris Murphy, VisiMax Vice President, explains why the company takes the time to devote 100% of a day to training on processes, equipment, and safety.

In a complex industry that is constantly evolving, staying current on the latest developments is key to understanding customer needs and continuing to be a preferred partner in supply chains. As it is in other industries, continuous education is important to succeeding in optical coating. For VisiMax, investing in the skills and knowledge of its technical team leads to greater opportunities for the organization. This applies to the newest members of the team as well as seasoned thin film coating professionals.

April 29-May 4, VisiMax's technical team will attend Techcon, a technical conference hosted by the Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC), the global source for learning, applying, and advancing vacuum coating, surface engineering, and related technologies.

Photonics West attendees can nearly always expect a great show, but exactly what makes it great changes year after year. Sometimes it's the exhibitors' displays that wow, other years the classes and presentations get the attention, and the conversations with fellow attendees are always of interest to those looking to keep up with the latest industry trends.  

Optical coating is a complex process with critical details that can greatly impact the outcome of a project. Many times, thin film coating knowledge is an understanding of certain variables that is developed over time. Because large portions of the workforce are baby boomers who will retire in the near future, how do you train the incoming coating engineers in a field that simply requires experience?

Optical coating is a high-tech process that requires an incredible commitment to quality, particularly due to the sophistication of the customers’ applications. Mistakes in optical coating are expensive and can have tremendous supply chain consequences. For VisiMax and other coaters, the quality of our coating process is the single most important measure of our success.

Having optical coating work done is often perceived by optics systems designers and fabricators as risky, expensive, and painful – sort of like going to the dentist. But it doesn’t have to be like this. When you establish a relationship with an experienced coating partner the risks within your optics supply chain are mitigated.

For an optical coater, SPIE’s annual Optics + Photonics conference is like a boiled down version of Photonics West—a distillation of everything we want in an optics conference without the hustle and bustle of the magnificent Moscone Center. Photonics West is still a favorite because of its importance to us and our industry, but Optics + Photonics delivers the facetime and prospecting potential that we crave from a high quality trade show.