About US

Over 90 Years of Experience

Our business idea

Luma - your specialist for high tech, thin metal wire solutions

  • With a flexible and service-orientated organization develop, produce and supply global markets with top-quality, innovative thin and ultra-thin metal precision wires meeting the complex and demanding requirements of our client’s high-tech applications.

  • In Luma´s ”micro(n)world” everything starts with the customer. Developing long-lasting ”sustainable” customer relationships for recurring business lies in our nature as it often takes a long time and high engagement to design the best client solutions for complex applications or devices and to transfer the original idea into a consistently working application.
About us

The future isn’t wire – less!

Est 1931

Luma has over 90 years of experience in producing fine wire products in tungsten and molybdenum. We also have over 50 years experience in gold plating tungsten and molybdenum wires.

Luma today also uses fine and super fine wires in other materials such as copper, beryllium copper, brass, stainless steel, silver and monel for plating purposes. More, see “History”.

Headquarter and Production Plant: Kalmar, Sweden

Founded: 1931

Ownership:
 Private

Quality Assurance:
ISO Certificate 9001 and ISO Certificate 14001

Luma Wire Tech
About us

Vision 2030

  • To become the specialist to-go-to for high-tech and complex client applications seeking the strongest, thinnest metal wires or unique technical functionalities, reaching far beyond the boundaries of any regular metals.
  • Based on our 90 year old history, to become the globally leading manufacturer of  ultra-thin (5 to 30 microns) and thin (30 to 200 microns) Tungsten, Molybdenum and Tungsten Rhenium metal wires, as well as being able to work with other specialty wires such as Silver, Gold, Copper, Stainless Steel and other materials needed by various industries.
  • Using innovative process technology to achieve the best possible results for our client’s high-tech application functionalities, quality, environment and people.
  • Based on the high technology needs of our customers building long term business partnerships and becoming the natural No.1 choice for supply and development of thin precious metal wires, coating technology and other finishing services.
  • Corresponding ALWAYS to the high Swedish track record for quality standards in manufacturing whilst taking responsibility for ESG.

    Luma – Made in Sweden.

Targeting Medical, Research and Space applications

Since then the target markets for Luma have changed a lot.

After the classical light bulbs were banned and replaced by LED technology Luma had to find other application areas. During the last 8-10 years following application areas expanded a lot:

  • Electronics: condcuctors and connectors, integrated circuit testing
  • Spacial communication technology: deployable antennas
  • Detectors used in security areas at airports, harbours….
  • Medical: Guide Wires for balloon dilators, X ray contrast wires
  • Particle accelarators such implemented by CERN

     

These are only some examples. Luma supports and works together with a large number of Research institutes and labs all over the world. Universities are in touch with Luma nearly every day and sometimes can give leads to interesting projects.

Thus Luma focussed even more on plating technology and Ultra Fine Wire drawing, even though some of Luma´s traditional customers f.ex. in the application areas of micro bulbs, printing or heating (automotive) are still active. Also the market for musical strings is stable and some of the leading producers of musical strings for violas, violins, harps and others can be found among Luma´s customers. These require Tungsten wire in rather strong dimensions whereas other growing application areas such as medical and antennas need more finer and often gold plated wires.

Customizing has become a core competence at Luma. As a very specialized small company with much Know How involved our highly educated employees can assist our customers in developing and designing their products.

Luma is certificated according to ISO standards 9001 and 14001. Apart from that Luma provides all kind of certification required by customers for sensitive areas such as medical or space use.

Lots of testing is done by Luma itself. Luma has a well equiped high tech  laboratory which provides analyzing services for any kind of material.

For the years to come Luma expects a further push in the areas of medical applications, research and communication technology in space.

The Major Applications And Characteristics For Satellite Antennas In Space Are:

Earth Observation (low earth orbit)

  • Diameters from about 5-20 meters for radiometry and radar; rather low frequency bands: (L-band 1-2 GHz, C-band 4-8 GHz, X-band 8-12 GHz). A frequency around 1.4 GHz is needed to measure soil moisture. Measurements in the 5-10 GHz range are needed to estimate vegetation biomass once the the soil mousutre contribution is known.
  • Compact stowed configuration
  • High gain advantage for active payloads

Telecommunication

  • K-KU-band (12-18 GHz), KA-band (26-40 GHz)
  • Rigid up to about 3 meters, deployable from about 3 to 7 meters in diameter
  • The future: Internet in Space

Science and Interplanetary

  • Large scope of diameters, frequencies and orbits
  • Only few launches
  • Science needs are very different. For deep space comms X and KA bands are needed with diameters between 2 and 4 meters. Data Relay for Science Missions: X and KA band with 5-18 meters in diameter. For Planeteray Radar S and KU band with diameters around 4 meters. For Radio Astronomy band widths of P,L,C,K and diameters between 8 and 25 meters. Lunar Surface Communications X and KA band with large antenna diameters between 5 and 25 meters.

Our Commitment to Long-Term Space Collaborations

V-band frequency is very high with 40-75 GHz. The higher frequencies are used the finer the mesh must be, the number of OPI (openings per inch) must be higher.

Large satellites (weight over 50 kgs) represent about a quarter of all satellites build and cover over 90 % of the generated turnover. Earth Observation is the most important field of use with approximately 50 % followed by telecom with 30-40 %. The business potential is huge and quickly growing.

USA is the worldwide leading player for Satellite Antenna systems in Space. But Europe is investing heavily trying to reach an independency in Space Activities.

EC co-funded activity on LEA (Large European Antenna), followed by LEOB (Large European Antenna for Earth Observation) in H2020 Program was the starting point for the development of the complete LDRS subsystem, cumulating in the selection of LDRS as reflector solution for the CIMR mission (EU Copernicus program) which will last until 2026-2028.

There is a trend to higher frequencies like KA band (30-40 GHZ) or even V-Band. Not so much X-band any longer.

Expectations: 7-14 reflectors over 4 m / year for the next 10 years, worldwide . The european share: 2 reflector sales per year for reflectors < 9 meters and 1 reflector every 2 years.

Development cost and time including in-orbit testing for larger antennas are enormous and take minimum 4-5 years, for smaller foldable reflector targeting Ka band: 3 years.

This means that LUMA have to be very consistant in quality in order to build and beware longterm business relationships with the major players all over the world.

Most of the orders for mesh wire come from institutional side or from companies working strongly related to governments. But the part of the private investors is increasing, e.g.: