Science, manufacturing and innovations under one roof

 

Among the fastest growing Lithuanian businesses that generate the largest added value, the laser research and manufacturing company Šviesos konversija (Light conversion) is expanding its manufacturing facilities and opening a new research unit to host further laser research and development activities.

“I am pleased that Vilnius is such a good place for the development of knowledge and creativity-based business. With no free economic area at hand, Vilnius however can boast its free creativity area, and Šviesos konversija is the best and most successful testimony to that. Its production is the reflection of the future of Vilnius, where the creative cooperation between science and business translates into the most competitive high value-added products. The development of this company in the territory of the former Soviet Dvarčionys factory is a successful example of conversion, the result of which is an aesthetic environment and new type of interaction with the local community. All this makes Vilnius a city good to live and work“, says Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius.

One of the world’s leading laser manufacturers Šviesos konversija is ready to take further its manufacturing and research opening up a new building. At the end of 2013, the company moved to new 4050 sq. m. premises that house laser and nonlinear optical testing and manufacturing units, a cleanroom and the administration. On 12 July 2018 a new 2500 sq m building is opening to expand operations in laser research and manufacturing. The company now will now have more than 6 500 sq. m for research and manufacturing. New lasers and laser systems are being now developed in 20 research and manufacturing laboratories. Yet another 9 are soon to follow suit. A new cleanroom is about to be opened too. Thus the total area of the premises that meet the highest requirements for clean manufacturing and the assembly of high-sensitivity lasers will be about 560 square meters. “The opening of the new building will further strengthen the synergies between the manufacturing, research and emerging innovations. I believe that in the near future, this whole territory is to become a centre of attraction for high-tech manufacturing companies“, says Algirdas Juozapavičius, Director of the company.

The company welcomes the possibility of creating synergies between science and technology by developing innovative devices that are in high demand both in scientific as well as industrial markets. The company manufactures lasers for scientific research, industry and medicine. Among its staff, it has 21 Doctor of Science, 74 holders of Master degree and over 30 students – all of them successfully combine their manufacturing or research work and university studies.

Lasers for medicine and scientific research

In cooperation with the University of Vilnius, and having the expertise in designing femtosecond laser devices, the researchers are involved in the development of medical laser systems for correction of refractive failures (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism). In collaboration with the Centre for Life Sciences at the University of Vilnius, the company professionals are researching the genotoxic effects of ultraviolet light on various tissue cells. One of the most famous projects, carried out together with the Vilnius University Laser Research Centre and UAB Ekspla, is the creation of the Sylos laser for the ELI-ALPS European Centre for Access to European Studies in Hungary. This is an ultra-high-power ultrasound pulse laser. The 5-terawatt (1 terawatt = trillion watts) laser power system, Sylos, is a unique system that generates 10 femtosecond and shorter pulses. The pulses will be used in fundamental studies to study the peculiarities of electron mobility in atoms and molecules. The system was developed using the Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplifier (OPCPA) technology developed and refined in Lithuania.

The company creates and manufactures light sources of replaceable ultrashort pulses. One of these applications is microscopy. With such ultra-short pulse sources, neurology scientists illuminate and monitor the brain of living mice.

One laser colour can monitor the activity of mouse neurons, and another colour may activate the neurons. It provides scientists with a lot of valuable information about the brain activity. In the long run, this technology can be applied both in medical diagnosis and in treatment.

The company provides for all the necessary conditions for scientists to upgrade the existing lasers and develop new laser systems. The main focus is on the development of femtosecond laser with a high, medium power and high repetitive frequency.

About the company

The company has naturally evolved through daily research and development efforts in innovative light technologies. Compared to 2016, the corporate net profit last year went up by 10.6 % (i.e., up to 14.377 million EUR), its income accounted for 35 % (42.655 million EUR). In 2017, sales revenues went up by 35 % (42.7 million EUR). Products are exported to more than 40 countries worldwide. The main customers are industrial companies and scientific institutions, and the main products are femtosecond lasers and their systems, which are mainly exported to the world’s largest science and industry centres in Germany, Japan, the USA, China, and the United Kingdom. Currently, the company has 24 representations in Europe, North America and Asia, and branch offices in the USA, China and South Korea.