Services for Manufacturers and Users of Lasers, Amplifiers, Nonlinear Optical Devices, and Fiber Optics
The following list gives some typical examples for services. You should also have a look at the general remarks on services, and in particular at some common questions and concerns.
Help in the Product Development
The development of new products in a high-tech area like laser technology is the key for economic success, but can be quite expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, it is essential not only to avoid excessive expenses in development projects, but also to finish them in time (→ consider time to market). After all, your products cannot earn any money before you can bring them to the market!
Working with RP Photonics can greatly reduce the risk of undue delays and excessive expenses. This can be achieved with different services:
- A feasibility study, ordered at the very early stage of your project, gives you a better understanding of whether certain goals are realistic, and whether or not a certain technical approach is the best available for reaching your goals.
- Begin your laser development, for example, with a carefully worked out prototype design, which is based on calculations of all essential parameters and on the technical experience of a distinguished expert. Do not waste lab time by trying out poor designs which have no chance to work!
- Before getting to the market, make sure that your product is based on a design which allows for efficient use of expensive components and for reliable operation, reducing the risk of expensive surprises after delivery of your product.
- You may also contact us when you have already got into trouble with the development project and need a trouble-shooter. However, the most efficient help is usually possible if you do that at the beginning of your development project. Avoiding mistakes is often much cheaper than curing them later on.
It would be foolish to try saving money with a seemingly “quick and dirty” development process, which often enough turns out to be slow, expensive and dirty in the end.
RP Photonics offers highly competent design services (e.g. for laser design), to be used as a valuable support for your R & D team. This can also include aspects of design for manufacturing, such as optimized manufacturing tolerances, which can avoid a lot of problems.
Design services by RP Photonics are delivered not to undermine the competence of your team, but rather to efficiently strengthen it. You get detailed design reports, clearly explaining not only all the essentials of the found design, but also which issues have been addressed in which way, why certain measures are important, etc. Effectively you are strengthening your team by buying specialized know-how.
See also the page on product design, on which such issues are discussed in detail. Besides, there is a Spotlight article on the issue of time to market.
Identifying, Understanding and Solving Technical Problems
For example, if your prototype does not work as expected, and you do not know what is wrong, consider to let an experienced expert act as a trouble shooter. He will analyze the problem and work out a viable solution. Do not waste time and money in unfocused trial-and-error attempts. The deep experience of an expert in laser physics and technology can quickly narrow the range of possible causes and lead to the most efficient solution.
Staff Training
An important area of RP Photonics Consulting is staff training in specialized areas. Apart from publicly announced courses, you can profit from tailored training courses on your premises. Compare the required investment with the gain of competence and resulting opportunities. In many cases, you may have to sell just one additional device, and the investment into staff training is already paid for!
Staff training is not a luxury, but rather a promising investment – particularly in the high-tech sector. It is particularly important when you are heading in new directions.
Technical Documentation and Advertising Materials
The first impression of your product may result from the contact with your technical documentation and advertising materials, rather than from experience with the product itself. Hence it is worth to pay attention to this issue. For a small fraction of the cost of product development, you can get your technical documentation brought to a standard which will convince your customers. And keep in mind that advertising experts may need support on technical aspects in order to do a great job.
Also make sure that the quality of your product descriptions (e.g. on your website) is as high as possible. Do not lose the customers before you even learn about them!
Independent Assessment and Comparison of Technologies, Products, or Technical Approaches
Ask the manufacturer himself, and you will hear that his product is the best of all! Simply believe rumors saying that a certain new technology will take over the market. Trust that the R & D focus recommended by the expert for technology X is the only reasonable one. And turn a blind eye to worrying news on some competing technology. Or contact RP Photonics Consulting to get independent advice for critical decisions, a second opinion on issues which you cannot fully analyze yourself (e.g. the power of a competing technology), information on possible new application areas, and assistance for purchasing equipment.
Resolving Conflicts between Suppliers and Users
It is not rare, unfortunately, that laser suppliers and users get into conflicts, for example over deficiencies of laser products. Obviously, going to court is usually not an attractive option; legal battles cost a lot of time and money, do not give any guarantee of success, and destroy commercial relations.
Therefore, it is highly recommended to get an impartial, competent and diligent adviser who can help to mediate (arbitrate), for example by providing an unbiased assessment of problems and by suggesting solutions. Dr. Paschotta of RP Photonics is a very suitable expert for resolving conflicts on laser technology. The earlier he is involved in such a case, the more helpful can his contributions be. However, he is also prepared to provide formal expert expertise for use at law courts.
Advanced Analytical and Numerical Modeling
Of course, modeling should never be done just for the sake of modeling! However, it can be a very cost-effective way to find the best route before going into expensive and time-consuming experimental attempts. An experienced expert can tell you in which cases analytical or numerical modeling can help you, and will do it in the most efficient and fruitful way. RP Photonics has powerful numerical software for such purposes.
Possible subjects of modeling are optical systems, devices and components. For example, various aspects of lasers, amplifiers and nonlinear optical devices can be well described with suitable models.
Characterization, Data Acquisition and Analysis
Thorough characterization e.g. of a laser product is the key not only for trouble shooting, but also for convincing your customer of the quality of your product. For example, consider the potential customer's confidence which results from proper noise specifications of a laser product which is going to be used in a noise-sensitive application, such as optical fiber communications or high precision optical metrology.
Get competent advice on what is the best method and equipment to do your characterization, get measurement protocols developed for your personnel, or get some numerical software developed for reliably and conveniently extracting the required information from your data.
Development of Funding Proposals, Press Announcements, and Patent Applications
When developing funding proposals for R & D projects, press announcements and patent applications, you will have to convince someone who may not think exactly as you do. Even if you could basically do the job yourself, it can save your business to have someone with high competence, deeply developed analytic capabilities and a somewhat different background to check and comment or improve your draft. Particularly for large research grant applications, such as for EU projects, space technology programmes and alike, you should not accept an unnecessary risk of failure. The same holds in the case of legal battles about patents.
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