Red-hot future for infrared fiber optics innovator IRphotonics

Late 2000. In his laboratories at Rennes University in France, and with the help of a multidisciplinary team, seasoned research scientist Mohammed Saad designed the ground-breaking iGuide composed of advanced infrared fiber optic and material with physical, chemical and geometrical proprieties superior to standard fiber. In short, the light produced by optical fibers irradiates to heat minute pieces of metal or plastic to the desired temperature. Dr. Saad’s technology would revolutionize the world of the infinitely small.

At about the same time, Éric Geoffrion, an experienced manager in the optics field, deplored the inefficiency and lack of speed of the bonding/curing process for the assembly of small pieces. Little did he know then that the key would lie in the hands of a man who lived 4,000 km eastward, on the other side of the Atlantic.

The scientist and the businessman became acquainted and decided to join forces to bridge the gap between idea, industry needs and technological development. In 2003, they founded IRphotonics in Montréal, an SME that specializes in the design, manufacture, and marketing of infrared-based materials and systems.

Speed and accuracy are the order of the day

Leading the young firm’s products are iGuide, of course, but also iCure, a thermal curing system tailor-made for automated manufacturing processes requiring rapid adhesive curing and localized heating of bonded assemblies. At the heart of this system is the high performance fiber optic, iGuide.

The biomedical, optoelectronic and military sectors are already sold on iCure and iGuide, both original inventions that hold great promise. Needless to say, the use of these cutting-edge technologies greatly streamlines manual, semi-automated and automated processes. Industry and scientists have been won over! Proof positive: IRphotonics has doubled its sales in less than three years.

“The primary technological advance of the fiber designed by IRphotonics is its capacity to transmit light within an infrared wavelength that serves to produce heat and thus accelerates the curing process. Result: an unprecedented degree of strength and durability,” explained Éric Geoffrion.

Off the beaten track, the road taken by IRphotonics

For an enterprise that has illustrated itself through its innovations and developed extremely high-level systems, the best commercial strategy, bar none, would be to take advantage of its leg-up on the competition. Now is the time to conquer foreign markets: the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, China, to name but a few. Need it be said that IRphotonics sees big?

Canada Economic Development is proud to lend its support to IRphotonics in this initiative, which will allow the Montréal firm to set itself apart and market one-of-a-kind products both in Canada and around the world. The equation is simple: new markets will inevitably result in increased sales, which will enable IRphotonics to pursue its research and thus maintain its competitive edge while consolidating its reputation as a world leader in its field.

Indeed, in 2010, IRphotonics took top honours in the industry’s prestigious Prism Awards, in the Photonics Innovation category. Introduced in the United States in 2008, this annual award recognizes the world’s best innovations in optics and photonics. Winning this coveted distinction puts IRphotonics squarely in the international spotlight, for there are many contestants and they come from all corners of the world.

IRphotonics develops the infinitely small and infinitely accurate. A red-hot future awaits this innovative infrared fiber optics enterprise. No doubt about it.