(719) 570-1150

About SOMOS IWT

The SOMOS IWT business profile and history

Equipment technology

SOMOS IWT is a manufacturer of industry-leading equipment & technologies for critical surface preparation and material slicing to high technology industries. Our equipment technologies include:

  • Double-side lapping, fine grinding and polishing
  • Single-side lapping, fine grinding and polishing
  • Single and multi-wire diamond wire slicing

Locations

Colorado Springs, Colorado

SOMOS IWT Headquarters
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
  • Operations include - Manufacturing, R&D, process & product development; technical support, sales, administration

  • Site – 3,000 m2 (34,000 sqft) 

Poitiers, France headquarter's building
SOMOS SAS, Headquarters for European Market
Poitiers, France
  • Operations Include - Manufacturing, R&D, process & product development; technical support; sales, administration

  • Site – 4,500 m2 (44,000 sqft)

SOMOS IWT location in Chambery, France
SOMOS SAS
Chambéry, France
  • Operations Include -  Technical support; sales, administration

  • Site – 200 m2 (2,200 sqft)

Headquarters location at La Chaux de Fonds
SOMOS Nanotec CH and SOMTEC CH
La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland
  • Operations Include – Manufacturing; R&D, Process Development technical support; sales, administration

  • Site – 3,000m2 (33,000 sqft)

Dalian, China
Nanotec Dalian
Dalian, China
  • Operations Include – Manufacturing of machine mechanicals; China - technical support; sales, administration

  • Site – 3,000m2 (33,000 sqft)

Applications and Materials

SOMOS IWT turnkey solutions support our customer's most demanding and advancing requirements in high-precision surfacing and slicing applications. 

Applications:

  • Aerospace
  • Automotive
  • Data Storage
  • Medical Horology
  • Military and Defense
  • Precision Optics
  • Semiconductor 
  • Telecom

Materials:

  • Alumina
  • BBO
  • Ceramics
  • CdTe
  • CZT
  • Ferrite
  • GaAs
  • GaN
  • Germanium
  • Gold
  • InP
  • LBO
  • LYSO
  • Magnets
  • Metals
  • Platinum
  • Quartz
  • Sapphire
  • SiC
  • Sintered Materials and Carbides
  • Silicon
  • Stainless Steel
  • Steel
  • YAG

Company history

SOMOS IWT's "Born in Optics" history began in Paris, France. Our optics lineage started in 1901 as a precision optics machine manufacturer called the Machines Charlot company.

In 1958, the Silvestre family acquired Machines Charlot and the company began designing, developing and manufacturing machines to precision optics and high-tech customers. The SOMOS-Group was formed and evolved in other high-tech markets to produce equipment technologies that are market-leading in each segment for both surface processing and diamond wire saw. 

Aside from U.S. Headquarters, European activities are grouped in three sites: 1) A factory in Chambery (Savoie), 2) a factory near Futuroscope, and 3) the process branch in La Chaux de Fonds (Switzerland). The U.S. SOMOS-Group operates globally on an area of 12,500m² and brings together more than 150 people. 

1901

Founded

Eiffel tower of Paris, France

Machines Charlot founded in Paris as Precision Optics over-arm, flat & spherical machine manufacturer.

1901

1958

Expansion

Precision optic products

Joseph Silvestre (family of current ownership) purchased the company which becomes Silvestre & Co.

1968

IWT Founded

Diamond wire cutting

IWT founding company to design and develop core core technology for diamond wire saw process.

1968

1971

René Silvestre becomes CEO

SOMOS company logo

René Silvestre (founder's son) becomes CEO. Revised company name to become - SOMOS (Silvestre Machines and Tools for Optics).

1972

First double-sided machine

First double-sided lapping and polishing machine by SOMOS

Introduction of MDF400 and MDF600. Design and production of first double-side polishing machine. Double side machines at this time are a minor part of the business.

1972

1984

Introduced large size machines

First large size machine, the MDF100S and MDF1200S

Introduction of MDF1000 and MDF1200.

Design and production of first “large” machine in SOMOS series. 1000mm (40”) and 1200mm (42”). Starting an evolution of machines that are robust, powerful and electronically driven with load cell, temperature-controlled plates and all parts in contact with the process are rustproof. Thus, creating SOMOS Double-side architecture to become the major part of our business activity.

1995

Introduced fully automated machines

MDF500c détouré

Design and Production. Two fully automated cells - Single-side & double-side lap & polish, cleaning and control system MDF1000 and MDF1200. Application - Production of fuel injector parts at 140,000 units / day.

1995

2001

Introduced the MDF 1600

MDF1600 built in 2001

Design and production MDF 1600 (63”) plate diameter for lapping, polishing of precision optics components. 

2006

Introduced the TPM 2300 & TPM 2500

MDF2500 built in 2006

Design and production of worlds largest double side machines. 2300mm (90”) and 2500 (100”) plate diameter. Application is for industry leading precision optics.

2006

2021

Purchased Innov Wire Tech (IWT)

IWT facility in Colorado Springs

SOMOS Group acquires Colorado Springs, Colorado based Innov Wire Tech (IWT) to become SOMOS IWT, Inc. 

2021 - Present

U.S. Headquarters

Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

SOMOS IWT, Inc. establishes US Headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

2021 - Present

Man in laboratory inspecting semiconductor wafer
Hard drive storage disk
Four surface preparation examples
Single-side polishing machine
Large boule being cut by a diamond wire
Smooth material example cuts
SOMOS-IWT logo

Flag of the United States  Our products are designed and manufactured in North America.

3525 North Stone Avenue, Ste 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80907, USA
(719) 570-1150
FINE GRINDING, LAPPING & POLISHING
DIAMOND WIRE SAWS