AICON Celebrates 25 Years
The specialist in optical, camera-based 3D metrology has installed many of the over 4,000 3D measuring systems in use worldwide.
Posted: July 28, 2015
Optical, camera-based 3D metrology has become a standard in many industrial areas. Far more than 4,000 of the installed 3D measuring systems worldwide come from AICON 3D Systems GmbH (Braunschweig, Germany). For 25 years the company has developed, manufactured and supplied 3D metrology for various applications as one of the leading global full-range suppliers.
“We originally wanted to name our company ICON. That sounded fitting, as the word means ’image‘ in Greek. But because of trademark issues, it wasn’t possible; an image processing company already carried that name. However, we liked the sound of the word so we simply put an A in front and it became AICON. The sound is the same and it comes with a strategic advantage: we are always on top in alphabetic company lists,” explain Dr.-Ing. Carl-Thomas Schneider and Dr.-Ing. Werner Bösemann as they summarize the start of their company.
In 1990, they jointly founded the AICON 3D Systems, initially as a spin-off from Volkswagen Research and Technical University Braunschweig. The business incubator “Technologiepark Braunschweig” provided ideal conditions because AICON was growing fast. In 2003, the company moved to their own buildings in the Northwest area of Braunschweig.
In order to meet increasing company requirements in metrology, AICON took over the scanner manufacturer Breuckmann in 2012. The joint product portfolio includes innovative solutions for universal applications, including portable coordinate measuring machines for universal applications, specialized optical measuring technology for vehicle testing and tube manufacturing, as well as white light scanners for contact-free surface measurement of objects.
AICON’s list of customers includes renowned automotive manufacturers, companies from aerospace industry and mechanical engineering as well as research facilities and universities. More than 140 employees work for the company worldwide. Besides the two German sites, the headquarters in Braunschweig and the Scanner Innovation Center in Meersburg on Lake Constance, subsidiaries in China, Korea, Japan and the U.S. contribute to the company’s success.
Managing directors Schneider and Bösemann are optimistic. “With new technologies and systems, we will open up new global market fields and continue our course of growth,” they said.
Subscribe to learn the latest in manufacturing.
