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With leading technologies developed for its three core business sectors of precision equipment, imaging products and instruments, as well as other operations, Nikon delivers products and services of unsurpassed quality to customers worldwide. Nikon makes progress by assessing demand and applying expertise to come up with innovative solutions for lifestyle, aerospace and other industries.
Nikon Vision Co., Ltd.’s sport optics business is revitalizing the popularity of distance observation with a wide range of magnification products for applications as diverse as birdwatching and stargazing. Our binoculars lineup remains unsurpassed. And Nikon’s innovative digital camera attachments have expanded the use of Fieldscopes to the increasingly popular field of digiscoping, or supertelephoto shooting. The Laser 550A S portable laser rangefinder enables measurement of linear and horizontal distances to a target, contributing to a greater enjoyment of golf. Nikon Vision supplies loupes for reading, too, and large-objective-diameter binoculars for stargazing.
Our Customized Products Business delivers cutting-edge solutions in diverse fields, one example being the deployment of a 70cm-diameter infrared telescope aboard the infrared astronomical satellite Akari, which is probing the birth and evolution of galaxies. Nikon also provided its optical technology to the Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2 (AVNIR-2) used on the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Daichi, which carries out mapping, regional observation and resource exploration. Nikon equipment is also utilized in the optical-infrared Subaru Telescope in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, the site of many astrological discoveries. Indeed, the precision of Nikon optics is essential to many deep-space explorations.
(Courtesy of JAXA)
Nikon manufactures solid-state lasers that emit a deep ultraviolet laser light with a 193-nanometer wavelength. Wavelength conversion technology based on nonlinear optical crystals has enabled us to shorten infrared light. Unlike excimer and other gas-type lasers, this compact, easy-to-use laser requires no gas detectors or additional equipment. It can also be used as a light source for semiconductor inspection equipment, as it emits the same wavelength as the light source for ArF scanners used in cutting-edge LSI manufacturing. The Nikon laser holds great promise for a wide range of applications, from precision processing of biological materials such as protein crystals to ophthalmological treatments.
Since 1918, the year after our founding, Nikon has been developing and producing its own optical glass materials. Synthetic silica glass and calcium fluoride (fluorite) — state-of-the-art optical glass materials of vastly improved quality and performance — are now used for high-performance lenses in our IC and LCD steppers and scanners. In 2003, Nikon established a Glass Division for externally marketing of the Company’s optical materials and components. Superior-quality and large LCD photomask substrates are now in the spotlight as industrial materials indispensable for the manufacture of advanced LCD panels.
As factory automation (FA) evolves, production processes require ever-more-reliable controls. Among the Nikon encoders provided with industrial robots for detection of rotation angles and revolution counts, our Absolute Encoder employs special Nikon optical technology and original code patterns to achieve higher specifications in a more compact size. This product earns outstanding marks for reliability and is indispensable on automobile assembly lines for ensuring accurate control of robot arm positions and speeds. Nikon also supplies a wide variety of markets with products such as high-precision rotary encoders and digital micrometer systems that feature built-in linear encoders.
(Courtesy of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
Some experts say that 80 percent of a person’s sensory information comes through the eyes. For more than half a century, Nikon has been developing ophthalmic lenses using cutting-edge technology. Our exclusive SEE Series lenses are made to order to provide customers with the best possible fit. And Nikon is also expanding into new markets, too, such as that for progressive addition lenses where the need will continue to rise in step with the graying population. Demand for vision-support lenses is also growing with the increasing prevalence of eyestrain among computer users. In 2000, we established Nikon-Essilor Co., Ltd., a joint venture with Essilor International, the world’s largest ophthalmic lens manufacturer, strengthening our presence in strategic markets overseas.
The surveying instruments business of Nikon-Trimble Co., Ltd. — a joint venture between Nikon and U.S.-based Trimble Navigation Ltd. — offers solutions to the urgent need for tools that reduce labor and improve efficiency of surveying at civil work, land survey and other construction sites where Nikon’s high-precision surveying instruments prove essential.
Through Trimble Navigation’s worldwide network, Nikon-Trimble provides easy-to-use solutions such as Nikon-branded Total Stations that feature long-life batteries and large LCDs and various other surveying instruments to meet the demands of the global market.
