Business briefs

26 Mar 2004

Including news from Accent Optical Technologies, Rofin-Sinar Technologies, Eikos and more.

•  Accent Optical Technologies, a US maker of process control and metrology systems, has filed for a $60 million initial public offering of its common stock. Its stocks will trade of the Nasdaq market. Accent was formed in July 2000 through the purchase of Bio-Rad’s semiconductor and metrology division.

•  Rofin-Sinar Technologies says it will sell 2.5 million shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $28 per share. This will generate net proceeds of approximately $66.5 million. Rofin says it will use the cash as working capital and to acquire complementary products, technologies or businesses should any opportunities arise.

•  US flat panel display experts Imaging Systems Technology (IST) and Extreme Photonix (eXp) have teamed up develop full-color flexible plasma displays. IST will provide its proprietary Plasma-spheres and eXp will supply its color conversion technology. IST’s Plasma-spheres are hermetically-sealed and require no TFT active-matrix making them suitable for flexible displays.

•  Eikos, a maker of carbon nanotube inks, and Kent Displays, a cholesteric display technology specialist, have teamed up. As part of the collaboarion, Eikos will integrate its technology into Kent’s products. The aim is produce lower cost, more flexible and durable cholesteric displays.

•  Ophir Optics, a US firm specialising in infrared lenses and lens assemblies, has opened a new facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts. The building will house CNC grinding, polishing and centering equipment as well as conventional polishing, diamond turning and optical coating facilities.

•  The UK’s CCLRC has awarded a £3million grant to the Rutherford Appletom Laboratory (RAL) to upgrade its Astra laser to a dual-beam facility. When completed in three years time, the laser will deliver a total power of 1 petawatt. The work has been dubbed the Astra Gemini project.

•  Greece and Luxembourg are to become full members of the European Space Agency (ESA) by 1 December 2005. This gives both countries time to complete their national approval procedures. The ESA council unanimously approved both applications.