| |
| The beginnings of modern optical instrument design |
| |
| (Original appeared in 1996 in a publication issued by the Regional Center for Political Education, Thuringia. Reproduced here with the kind permission of the authors: Wolfgang Mühlfriedel and Edith Hellmuth.) |
| |
The microscopes produced using Abbe’s theory soon enjoyed the recognition of the international professional world. In 1876, Abbe became a dormant partner in the Optical Workshop.
The growing market for the observation instruments produced in Jena prompted Abbe, who was increasingly growing into his role as the head of the company, to fundamentally change the conditions of production. A new, much more spacious production facility was found under his direction on the outskirts of Jena in the early 1880s. The Optical Workshop had now finally lost its small, cozy image. At the end of the 1880s, the Zeiss workforce totaled 360 people.
Of special importance for the Optical Workshop was that the glass chemist OTTO SCHOTT in Jena simultaneously succeeded, with the assistance of Zeiss and Abbe, in producing optical glass using a scientifically substantiated technique. The Schott & Gen. glassworks started operations in September 1884. Without the quality of the new optical glass, it would not have been possible to fully utilize the benefits of Abbe’s theory in the Zeiss instruments.
| |
|