We are celebrating 70 years!

When Schäfter+Kirchhoff was started by the two optical engineers Paul Schäfter and Kurt Kirchhoff in 1955, the company excelled in specialized lenses such as optics for cinematic use or high-quality binoculars, some of which can still be viewed in museums today. With the change of company ownership to Gregor Federau in 1976, the focus gradually started shifting from individual and often commissioned products towards product lines, establishing, e.g., our still prevailing multicube system or a line scan panorama camera. The company remained in private ownership until 2016. At this point, it was transferred to the Gregor Federau Stiftung, a charitable foundation created by the former company owner to support child and youth welfare.

In the meantime, the high optical expertise has been passed down generations and the company’s product portfolio has much expanded. As important examples of our products today, one could name our laser beam couplers, which are used for coupling into polarization-maintaining fibers and achieve outstanding coupling efficiencies with long-term stability. Moreover, our fiber optic products have been part of quantum experiments for over two decades and can be combined, for example, with acousto-optic modulators for frequency and power modulation.

Our successful optomechanics is nowadays also employed in the field of machine vision, enabling us to provide industrial and research-grade system solutions, such as laser line generators as well as inspection systems for filiform corrosion and adhesive failure.

Based on the winning combination of high optical and mechanical precision, originating in a small optics engineering company in 1955, our components have grown to be integral to key technologies that drive the global economy and are part of cutting-edge research on vital topics worldwide. We are proud of what we have become and we remain highly dedicated to carrying our legacy of quality, stability, and technical expertise into the future.