Mona Okroy-Hellweg
Senior Manager Marketing and Communications
IVAM Microtechnology Network
Nov. 6, 2019
IVAM InSide
Mona Okroy-Hellweg
Senior Manager Marketing and Communications
IVAM Microtechnology Network

4 questions for Matthias Lorenz, IVAM Member of the Executive Board

Since the board election on April 4, 2019, Dr. Lutz Aschke of TRUMPF Photonic Components as chairman, Dominique Bouwes of Micronit as deputy chairman, Matthias Lorenz of AEMtec GmbH, Bärbel Schilling of Plan Optik AG and Dr. Hans van den Vlekkert of LioniX BV have been members of the five-member board of IVAM Fachverband für Mikrotechnik.

Background: IVAM Microtechnology Network: Changes after Board Elections

Which technologies are particularly close to your heart and why? 

After completing my studies of precision engineering (today microsystems technology) in 1992, I finally found my way back into this industry after a few professional detours in 2001, which I have not regretted to this day.

For nearly 20 years now in sales, field application engineering and business development in this segment, I have seen how the technologies for the production of electronic and opto-electronic modules and systems have continued to evolve.

Miniaturization, system integration and the interplay of optical, electronic, mechanical and fluid influences are leading to a multitude of new and exciting applications that I would like to continue to accompany and further develop as a professional as well as a member of the IVAM board.

Where do you see the greatest potential for the future?

Various applications already have been implemented and improved or are conceivable in the future. These come from all the areas that IVAM has been supporting and promoting for many years.

Industries such as photonics, sensor technology, diagnostics, imaging processes and also the development and processing of new materials and surfaces will benefit from this in the long term.

Which technological innovation is most impressive for you personally?

Among a multitude of impressive developments my personal top 2 are ...
 

3D printing of organic and non-organic material:

The possibility of transferring shapes developed in CAD into a CAM process by means of 3D printing, while at the same time connecting the most diverse materials in a dimensionally stable and reliable manner by means of appropriate joining processes and parameters, for me personally is the #1 of technological developments, if not revolutions.

Along with this technology, I'm also extremely impressed with the possibility of not only connecting iron / non-ferrous metals or plastics with each other, but that this technology will also revolutionize medical technology in the future. And not only in the field of reproduction of bones and cartilage for plastic or surgical medicine, but also in the field of organ reproduction. A technology that gives hope, but whose ethical aspects should not be lost sight of.

Personalized medication through miniaturized lab-on-a-chip diagnostics

We all know - a universal remedy, a Theriak, does not exist. Neither for different people with the same clinical picture from the same culture, nor interculturally.

Lab-on-a-chip diagnostics, miniaturized and designed for patient comfort, help the practitioner to put together the right formula, tailored to the patient's image.

This improves the chances of a patient's recovery while at the same time reducing side effects. A technology that is unfortunately still used far too seldom, as medicine is still being distributed across the board for the benefit of the pharmaceutical lobby.  

From your point of view as an entrepreneur: What advantages does a network like IVAM offer in times when theoretically everything can be found online at any time?

I myself am a passionate XING or LinkedIn user. Worldwide and immediate access to information of any kind is and remains more than fascinating to me. The collected information, however, always reflects only a snapshot and the opinion of the author or a group.

A serious dialogue on bilateral opinion-forming with such media is usually excluded. But this is exactly the possibility that a membership such as IVAM e.V. can offer.

No virtual network in the world can do the following ...

  1. project-specific dialogue with like-minded people
  2. interdisciplinary discussion with potential participants for knowledge enhancement
  3. targeted networking of knowledge
  4. providing these platforms through symposia, conferences, trade fairs or specialist groups

This requires a network that acts as a support, provides the platforms and adapts them to the constant changes.