asphericon GmbH

What asphericon GmbH does

asphericon GmbH is a privately held German precision optics manufacturer founded in 2001 in Jena, specializing in the development, automated production, and sale of aspherical lenses, mirrors, axicons, acylinders, freeform optics, and complete optical systems for photonics applications. The company's core technology centers on proprietary, 100% digitalized asphere manufacturing processes that deliver precision across all wavelengths, materials, and focal lengths, supporting both stock webshop products and custom-engineered optical assemblies. Its BeamTuning platform provides modular laser beam shaping components including TopShape, AiryShape, and SqAiryShape beam shapers, beam expanders, fiber couplers, and optomechanical mounts, complemented by in-house services for optical design, coatings (UV/VIS/IR), metrology, assembly, and characterization.

The company serves more than 750 customers across nine vertical markets including life science, laser applications, aerospace and defense, semiconductor, automotive, metrology, industrial engineering, security, and imaging and display. Revenue is generated through a hybrid go-to-market: direct enterprise sales for custom optical systems and quote-based specialty optics, combined with an e-commerce webshop offering transparently priced standard components ranging from $53 adapters to $8,199 high-end TopShape LDX beam shapers. Operations span three countries — Jena (HQ and primary manufacturing), Sarasota, USA (sales), and Jeřmanice, Czech Republic (manufacturing via wholly owned subsidiary asphericon s.r.o.) — with 101-250 employees globally. In October 2025, co-founder Sven R. Kiontke stepped down after 25 years, with Alexander W. Zschäbitz continuing as Managing Director to lead the next phase of operations.

Name

asphericon GmbH

Legal name

asphericon GmbH

Website

https://asphericon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

asphericon GmbH is a German precision optics manufacturer founded in 2001, specializing in aspherical lenses, freeform optics, and modular BeamTuning laser beam shaping components for life science, semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, and laser application customers across 750+ accounts globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Optics Manufacturing

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Optics & Laser/Light Engine Components (Lenses, Galvos, Laser Modules, UV Engines) (IMAAAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lenses & Optical Accessories (Lenses, Filters, Adapters, Teleconverters) (CRACAPAF), Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Aspherical lens manufacturing
• Precision optics
• Optical coatings
• Beam shaping optics
• Optical metrology

Headquarters

HQ city

Jena

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Optical Components: Custom-designed and manufactured aspherical lenses, axicons, acylinders, optical mirrors (aspherical, spherical, laser mirrors), and spherical lenses for specific customer applications.
2. Optical Systems: Complete optical systems and objectives designed and manufactured to customer specifications.
3. BeamTuning Products: Standard beam expansion, fiber coupling, beam shaping products and optomechanical components sold via webshop and quote requests.
4. Optical Services: Services including optical design, optical coating (UV/VIS/IR), metrology, optical assembly, optical characterization, and refinement.
5. Optomechanical Components: Standard optomechanical components including mounts, adapters, and holders sold via webshop with prices ranging from $53 to $333 per unit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

asphericon manufactures high-precision aspherical lenses, mirrors, beam-shaping components, and complete optical systems. It complements these products with optical design, coating, metrology, and assembly services for demanding photonics applications.

Product overview

asphericon GmbH is a precision optics manufacturer and technology leader in asphere manufacturing. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of optical components and systems, centered on aspherical lenses and mirrors for photonics applications. The product portfolio includes: (1) Core optical components - aspheric lenses in High-NA, Low-NA, and FusedSilica variants, plus axicons, acylinders, spherical lenses, freeform optics, mirrors (aspherical, spherical, laser), and complete optical systems; (2) BeamTuning platform - a modular laser beam shaping system including a|TopShape, a|AiryShape, a|SqAiryShape beam shapers, a|BeamExpander, AspheriColl, and optomechanical components (a|Adapter, a|VariMount); (3) Comprehensive services - optical design, optical coatings (UV/VIS/IR with AR and V-coatings), metrology, optical assembly, characterization, and refinement. The company operates production facilities in Jena (Germany), Sarasota (USA), and Jeřmanice (Czech Republic), serving over 750 customers globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aspheric Lenses High-precision aspherical lenses manufactured for photonics and optical applications across life science, laser, aerospace, semiconductor, and industrial sectors.
• Mirrors Precision optical mirrors for beam manipulation and optical system integration.
• Beam Shaping Products Beam-shaping optical components used to control and transform laser beam profiles.
• Optical Systems Complete assembled optical systems combining lenses, mirrors, and other components for customer applications.
• Optical Design Service Optical design engineering service supporting custom aspheric and system development for customers.
• Optical Coatings Application of optical coatings on lenses and mirrors to meet specific performance requirements.
• Metrology Services Precision measurement and metrology of optical components to verify surface quality and specifications.
• Assembly Services Assembly of optical components into finished optical modules and systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 750 customers served globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Thorlabs: Thorlabs is a direct peer: it manufactures and distributes a broad catalogue of photonics components including aspheric lenses, beam shapers, optomechanics, and laser accessories, sold via webshop and direct sales. Comparable on product breadth, channel mix, and customer-base overlap in research and industrial laser markets.
• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics is a direct peer offering an extensive catalogue of optical components including aspheric lenses, mirrors, filters, and beam shaping optics. It competes head-to-head on standard optics sold through e-commerce and on custom optical assemblies for industrial, life science, and semiconductor customers.
• LightPath Technologies: LightPath Technologies is a direct peer specializing in molded and finished aspheric optics, with similar go-to-market across laser, defense, and industrial imaging applications. Comparable on aspheric lens specialization and mid-market industrial laser customer overlap.
• Sill Optics: Sill Optics is a German direct peer manufacturing precision optical components including aspheres, cylindrical lenses, and laser optics. Comparable size, region, and product specialization in precision and laser-grade optics for industrial and research customers.
• OptoSigma Corporation: OptoSigma manufactures and distributes optical components, optomechanics, and laser optics with a webshop and direct sales model. Comparable on catalog-plus-custom optics portfolio and target customers in research and industrial laser applications.

Broad incumbents

• ZEISS (Carl Zeiss AG): ZEISS is a broad incumbent in precision optics with operations spanning semiconductor manufacturing optics, medical technology, and industrial quality. It competes with asphericon on high-end precision optical components and metrology, particularly in semiconductor lithography and life sciences, but at much larger scale and across a much broader portfolio.
• Jenoptik: Jenoptik is a German-based broad incumbent in photonics and optical systems, with divisions covering laser material processing optics, semiconductor equipment, and industrial metrology. Comparable on country of origin, customer verticals, and precision optical manufacturing capabilities, though much larger and more diversified.
• II-VI / Coherent (laser optics): Coherent (formerly II-VI) is a broad incumbent in laser and photonics components, including precision optics, coatings, and beam shaping subassemblies. Asphericon competes with its laser optics business on beam shaping and fiber coupling components serving industrial laser system builders.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Hamamatsu Photonics is a broad incumbent in photonics detectors, light sources, and optical components used in life science, semiconductor, and industrial imaging. Comparable through its precision optics and beam shaping subassemblies serving similar end customers.

Regional players

• Berliner Glas (HGB Group): Berliner Glas / HGB Group is a German optics manufacturer producing precision optical components, assemblies, and coated optics for semiconductor, medical, and industrial applications. Comparable on precision optical manufacturing capabilities and German Mittelstand positioning, though it focuses on larger system assemblies rather than component-level catalog sales.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/asphericongmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about asphericon GmbH