Willow Grove, PA and Clarksburg, WV – HEF Photonics today announced the acquisition of Evaporated Coatings, Inc. (ECI), a provider of advanced optical coating solutions based in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania (www.evaporatedcoatings.com).
Founded in 1960, ECI has built a strong reputation in precision optical thin film coatings, supporting customers across aerospace, defense, life sciences, semiconductor, and industrial markets. The company employs approximately 40 people and operates 16 coating systems supporting development, prototyping, and production activities.
The acquisition enhances HEF Photonics USA’s optical coating capabilities and strengthens its U.S. manufacturing footprint with coating operations on both the East and West Coasts. The expanded geographic reach improves customer access, reduces lead times, and increases production flexibility across aerospace, defense, medical, industrial, semiconductor, and advanced electronics markets.
HEF Photonics USA is part of the broader HEF Group Photonics Business Unit, which includes optical coating, precision optics manufacturing, and photolithography operations in both the United States and France. HEF Photonics USA has an established foundation in optical coatings through its Torrance, California operations. This acquisition expands and complements those capabilities with the addition of ion-beam sputtering (IBS) expertise for extremely complex optical filters, a capability not previously available within the Group. ECI also brings specialized expertise in coating polymer substrates for optical applications, further broadening the Group’s technical capabilities. ECI is ISO 9001 certified and ITAR registered. The addition of ECI’s 16 coating systems complements the Group’s existing optical coating infrastructure, bringing the total number of coating systems for optical applications across the organization to more than 50.
“Bringing ECI into HEF Photonics represents a significant step forward in our strategy to build a fully integrated optical solutions platform in North America,” said Jean-Noel Maran, President of HEF Photonics. “Their deep expertise in precision optical coatings complements our existing strengths and allows us to better serve customers with a broader range of advanced solutions, supported by a coast-to-coast manufacturing presence.”
Chantal Germain, Director of the HEF Photonics Business Unit, added, “We are very proud to welcome the ECI team to the HEF Photonics Business Unit. ECI is recognized throughout the photonics industry for its technical expertise, manufacturing excellence, and customer focus, and this acquisition further strengthens our ability to provide expanded capabilities, services, and production capacity to our customers.”
Kurt Stieritz, General Manager of ECI, added, “Joining HEF Photonics marks an exciting next chapter for our team. We share a strong commitment to technical excellence, quality, and customer collaboration. By combining our capabilities in complex thin film coatings with HEF Photonics’ resources and reach, we are well positioned to support increasingly demanding optical applications.”
Integration is underway, with operations continuing uninterrupted at the Willow Grove facility. Customers will benefit from expanded access to HEF Photonics’ U.S. operations, including optical coating expertise in Torrance, CA, glass fabrication in both Clarksburg, WV, and Santa Paula, CA, and glass fabrication and photolithography in Valencia, CA.
About HEF PhotonicsHEF Photonics delivers precision optical substrates and advanced thin film coatings for high-performance applications. Its vertically integrated capabilities include glass fabrication, CNC machining, thermal and chemical strengthening, precision cleaning, and vacuum deposition technologies. The company partners with OEMs and system integrators to deliver scalable, high-reliability solutions that improve optical performance, durability, and system integration across aerospace, defense, medical, industrial, automotive, and advanced electronics markets.
About Evaporated Coatings, Inc.Evaporated Coatings, Inc. provides high-precision optical thin film coatings engineered for demanding spectral and environmental requirements. The company designs and produces complex multilayer coatings, including optical filters, beamsplitters, anti-reflective coatings, and high-performance mirrors, with tight control of transmission, reflection, and wavelength characteristics. Utilizing both ion-beam sputtering (IBS) and advanced evaporation processes, ECI delivers coatings with exceptional uniformity, repeatability, and durability for mission-critical applications. The company supports customers from prototype through production, with a focus on precision optics for aerospace, defense, life sciences, semiconductor, and advanced instrumentation markets.