For the past year, we’ve been letting you know about all the ways Olympus helps keep people safe.
Helping ensure safety is one of our core missions, and we’ve been at it for a long time. In fact, October 2019 marks our 100th anniversary! We’ve committed to a safer global society by delivering smart, innovative solutions.
To celebrate our 100-year anniversary, today’s blog will share four Olympus innovations that demonstrate our commitment to helping make the world a safer place.
1. Creating High-Quality Microscopes
The microscope is an innovative tool that has contributed to improving people’s lives—but these instruments haven’t always been readily available.
In 1919, microscopes were mainly imported to Japan from overseas, and they were expensive. This made it difficult for Japanese physicians and researchers to buy them. Takeshi Yamashita, the founder of Olympus, dreamed of launching a business that brought affordable and high-quality microscopes to Japan.
He brought that vision to life on October 12, 1919 by establishing Takachiho Seisakusho (now Olympus) and launching our first microscope—the Asahi—just six months later. Made of gunmetal, the Asahi microscope featured a clean design with a single position for one objective.
The Asahi microscope was just the beginning for Olympus. By continuing to mass produce microscopes in Japan and bringing these optical solutions to a global society, we helped make microscopes more accessible.
Since the Asahi, we have continued to innovate our microscope technology to meet challenging demands. We’re constantly striving to make our microscopes more sensitive, ergonomic, and automated.
Today, our industrial microscope systems are critical tools to help ensure the safety of society. Some of the ways they’re used include inspecting brake pads and circuits, checking that steel meet the proper nodularity requirements, and helping ensure that critical machined parts meet international cleanliness standards.
2. Developing Practical Remote Visual Inspection Tools
Did you know that our industrial videoscopes are borne out of scopes we developed for medical applications? In 1950, Olympus experienced a breakthrough when it developed the gastrocamera—an invention that benefitted clinical medicine by enabling physicians to look inside a patient’s stomach. This instrument featured a photographic lens located at the tip of a flexible tube.
As we continued to perfect the gastrocamera to improve the patient’s comfort and its imaging capabilities, the device became widely accepted and, eventually, some of our customers started asking if we could produce one for industrial applications.
By using the technological development from our endoscope medical business, we launched the IFS industrial fiberscope in 1968. This product marked the beginning of our nondestructive testing (NDT) business.
The fiberscope was widely used by customers for inspection applications in aerospace, power plants, and plant facilities—enabling them to detect defects in difficult-to-access areas. Our remote visual inspection (RVI) systems continue to play an invaluable role in keeping people safe.
For instance, inspectors at airlines can use RVI to quickly and accurately check a jet engine, helping ensure that it’s working correctly. Meanwhile, personnel at nuclear power plants can carry out RVI in high-radiation areas to reduce their radiation exposure and identify potential problems faster.
3. The Launch of Ultrasonic and Eddy Current Testing Devices
In 1973, we launched the Model 5221—the world’s first commercial ultrasonic thickness gage with multi-mode measurement and swing-set velocity calibration. This instrument enabled inspectors to nondestructively measure different materials.
Olympus ultrasonic thickness gages are used by inspectors in many ways. For example, these instruments can quickly and nondestructively verify if insulating materials on high-voltage power lines meet the required amount of thickness for safety. You can read more about this topic in our blog post, How NDT Helps Keep High-Voltage Power Line Safety Current.
Then in 1984, we developed the world’s first portable, all digital flaw detector—the EPOCH® 2002. This tool enabled inspectors to nondestructively locate discontinuities and other flaws in welds, forgings, turbines, and other structural components.
Today, we continue to develop precise flaw detection tools that help inspectors find cracks and other flaws in roller coasters, trains, and other critical infrastructure.
4. Identifying Dangerous Contaminants with Handheld XRF
In 2001, we launched our first portable X-ray florescence (XRF) analyzer—the XT. This instrument gave inspectors a portable solution to check the material chemistry of a sample, helping them identify and separate samples with impurities or dangerous contaminants.
Consider this example: In the recycling process, inspectors can use handheld XRF analyzers to separate safe, recyclable glass from unsafe materials—like lead. Unless sorted, contaminated materials can harm our health or cause damage to glass furnaces and cutting systems.
This important sorting process can even be automated with high-speed, in-line systems like our X-STREAM™ in-line X-ray fluorescence analyzer so dangerous contaminants can be reliably and efficiently separated.
Reflecting on Our 100-Year Commitment to Make Your World Safer
Today, Olympus holds approximately 20,000 patents worldwide. While that number is impressive, we're not slowing down. We plan to continue our progress over the next 100 years by developing new innovations that fulfill our vision of keeping society safe. Join us on this journey by subscribing to the Insight Blog.
To learn other ways Olympus makes your world safer and to discover more milestones in our 100-year history, check out the following resources:
