Technical milestones 

1950
First practice-oriented photoelectric switches on the autocollimator principle for industrial automation.

1951
The NT 1 close-range scanner: printed mark control device for the packaging industry.
First light curtain for accident prevention on production machines.

1952
Static accident prevention light curtain with hollow mirror, without mirror wheel.

1956
First optical-electronic flue gas monitor on the autocollimator principle.

1957
First fog warning measurement device on motorways.

1959
First rapid optical counter with display and integrated target value definition for quick detection of small objects.

1960
First weft winder monitor for very thin knitting thread (autocollimator principle).

1962
First optical height scanner for regulating filling levels.

1964
First curve control device for guiding a duplicating milling machine according to a construction diagram – predecessor of today's NC milling machine.

1967
Bar-code identification of packing lists, folding boxes, tins, tubes, etc. in the pharmaceutical industry.

1970
First luminescence scanner for detecting luminophores in objects.

1973
Fibre-optic cable for detecting small objects when space is tight.

1975
Introduction of the semi-conductor diode for the transmitter beam in photoelectric switches and proximity switches.
First safety grid curtain for controlling protective hoods on eccentric presses.
First colour ring code reader for detecting coloured ring codes on ampoules.

1976
First area scanner with V-shaped, rotating beam and special reflector in safety category 2 for safeguarding hazardous areas.

1978
First photoelectric switch for detecting the position of a reflector by means of a four-fold reception element.
First in-situ gas measurement device for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide (filter correlator).

1982
First volume flow measurement device based on the ultrasound time-of-flight process.

1985
First photoelectric switches with second, "two-eyed" receiver for detecting an object in front of a light background (interfering surfaces are suppressed).
First use of printed code characters that can be scanned by a laser scanner.

1986
First in-situ diode array spectrometer for sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide, and ammonia.

1989
First distance determination with laser light on the time-of-flight of pulses principle.

1991
First use of area scanners for building security (e.g. at the entrance and exit inside and outside sluices).

1993
First scanning area scanner in safety category 3 for safeguarding hazardous areas.

1995
First colour sensor.

1996
First time-of-flight product for the positioning in high bay rackings.
First photoelectric switch with background suppression.
First miniature photoelectric switch with background suppression.
First application of a proximity laser scanner for volume measurement.
First Luminescence Scanner in the industrial automation with UV-LED.

1997
The SICK modular advanced recognition technology (SMART) makes it possible to identify damaged bar codes.
First contrast scanner with dynamic teach-in and high switching frequency.

1998
First photoelectric proximity switch which is insensitive to ambient light sources.

1999
First photoelectric switch for detecting light sections of a laser line on a 32 x 32 pixel field for determining the shape and position of objects.
First cheap and small type of a photoelectric proximity switch based on time-of-flight technology.
First photoelectric switch with teflon-coated housing for the electronic and process industry.
First bar code reader with integrated autofocus based on time-of-flight technology.
Smallest fully extrusion-coated magnet sensor.

2000
Miniature cylinder sensor.
Safety bus system.

2001
High-speed 2-D code reader.
Teach-in vision sensor.

2002
Proximity laser scanner with dynamic protective field switching for automated guided systems.

2003
New generation of photoelectric switches: sensor array with place- and time-triggered measurement of both the object to be detected and, especially, the environment.

2004
3-D camera sensor.
First camera-based safety system of high security level for presses.

2005
IO-Link:Continuous communication through innovative sensor/actuator interface.
RFID systems realise identification without visual contact between reader and object to be identified.

2006
Smallest safety laser scanner S300.

2007 
High-end CCD sensor with integrated illumination.

2009 
Navigation based on natural landmarks.

2010
Color Ranger E: the world's first high-speed 3D camera with high-performance color measurements.