Fibre sensing firm buys Bragg grating developerRichard BallInsensys, the optical fibre sensing company, has bought Indigo Photonics, a Birmingham-based firm developing fibre Bragg grating components.
The value of the all-share deal was not disclosed, but the combination brings significant benefits, said the firms. "Insensys has structural expertise, and Indigo was the leading provider of the sensing technology," said Mark Volanthen, a director at Insensys.
Fibre Bragg gratings developed by Indigo are used by Insensys to measure strain and temperature in marine, aerospace, wind power and the oil industries.
"The technology we developed was one of the key components to their sensing technology," said Kate Sugden, technical director at Indigo.
The gratings can be used as sensors as they change the wavelength of light they reflect when heated or stretched.
Sugden said Indigo's design alters the wavelength by one picometre for one microstrain, or a 1ppm extension. Strain gauges can be made with resolutions down to three microstrains, claimed Sugden.
Insensys said it will not push the Indigo technology into other markets. "We're not considering directly marketing to telecoms manufacturers," said Volanthen, although it will support existing customers.
Indigo Photonics was set up in 2001 to commercialise photonics research from Aston University.