LIMO wins Prism Award 2018 to bring “optics Oscar” home to Dortmund

LIMO's beam shaping system Activation Line UV-L750 for treatmtent of surfaces and coatings has won the Prism Award 2018 at the Photonics West.

(Dortmund, Germany - February 22, 2018) For over 25 years, LIMO has been a player in the world’s premier league for laser optics. Now, the Dortmund-based company has topped off its success story with the world’s most prestigious photonics award. LIMO has captured the renowned U.S. Prism Award 2018 by beating out the Chinese and American competition in the final round. Also known as the “optics Oscar,” the award was presented to LIMO on January 31, 2018 at a ceremony held during the SPIE Photonics West trade fair in San Francisco.

The American Prism Award for photonics innovation is the most important international honor handed out in recognition of the top innovations in the fields of optics and photonics. Since 2008, the distinction has been received by companies who introduce particularly innovative and technologically groundbreaking products onto the market and, according to the award criteria, also make a difference, solve problems, and improve life through photonics. That’s why the Prism Award is considered to be the Oscar of the photonics industry. LIMO has won the Prism Award 2018 in the category of “Material Processing & Additive Manufacturing” for its Activation Line UV-L750 product, which is used in the production of flexible mobile phone displays. It marks the first time that the “optics Oscar” will head to Dortmund in the award’s 10-year history.

Quantum leap for customers

For over 25 years, LIMO has ranked among the leading international specialists for laser beam shaping. With its victory over co-finalists Nuburu and Han’s Laser, the German manufacturer of specialized optics for laser material processing managed to beat out two leading laser companies from the U.S. and China - thereby further solidifying its reputation as one of the world’s foremost cutting-edge companies in the field of laser beam shaping. LIMO’s award-winning Activation Line product unlocks new dimensions in the field of surface and coating functionalization and, as a result, is revolutionizing industrial production technology in a wide range of different industries - well beyond applications involving smartphones. This linear beam shaping system gives customers the ability to both significantly improve materials and to use them in entirely new applications.

Innovation creates the future

“We are very happy about being chosen to receive the Prism Award,” says LIMO CEO Dr. Guido Bonati. “It shows us that the we’re doing business the right way - with our constant focus on the needs of our customers and partners, whom we supply with key technologies in the form of pioneering laser systems and optics for market-relevant innovative leaps.” As a major international player in the development of advanced laser-based production technologies and photonic manufacturing processes, LIMO provides key technologies for future trends in fields such as autonomous mobility, energy and the environment, as well as communication and the digital world. LIMO is therefore actively helping to create the future while serving as a driving force to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.