On January 14, 2026, students and staff members of the Adaptive Lighting and Visual Processing (ALSVV) research group at TU Darmstadt had the opportunity to take part in an exciting industrial excursion to Adolf Schuch GmbH in Worms. The company is internationally renowned for its high-quality industrial and explosion-protected lighting solutions.

The event began at 9:30 a.m. with a warm welcome by Managing Director Mr. Carlo Wolf, who provided an overview of the company’s history and its key technological focus areas. This was followed by a company presentation featuring impressive demonstrations on dust explosions, highlighting the strict safety requirements in the field of industrial lighting.

This was followed by a comprehensive workshop and factory tour. During the visit, the students were able to explore the complete in-house production chain at the Worms site — ranging from automated sheet metal bending, punching, and coating processes to plastic forming and final luminaire assembly. Particularly impressive was the insight into the manufacturing of explosion-protected luminaires, which are used, among other applications, in nuclear power plants and chemical industry facilities.

After a shared lunch break, the group continued with a visit to the company’s testing and lighting laboratories. A special highlight was the demonstration of one of the few LMT robotic goniophotometers worldwide. Through detailed explanations of LDC measurements (light distribution curves), the participants gained an in-depth understanding of professional photometric characterization methods. In addition, the testing laboratories for luminaires and electronic components were presented, where thermal, electrical, and safety-related tests are conducted.

In the afternoon program, practical planning examples for street lighting using RELUX were presented. Furthermore, the students gained insights into the modular design of modern street luminaires, consisting of LED modules and optical systems. Additional technical topics included high-temperature luminaires, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), aging tests, and the influence of harmful gases — all key aspects for lighting applications in demanding environments.

The excursion concluded with a final discussion round at around 3:00 p.m., providing space for open exchange and discussion.

Overall, the excursion to Adolf Schuch GmbH offered a comprehensive and practice-oriented insight into modern industrial lighting technology — from high-precision photometric measurement systems and extensive testing laboratories to fully integrated in-house manufacturing processes. We would like to sincerely thank the entire Adolf Schuch GmbH team for the excellent organization, the profound technical insights, and the inspiring exchange between academia and industry.