Employee Profile: Niko Stenke

12 July 2023 · 3 min read

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Niko Stenke

Name: Niko Stenke

Position: Application Engineer Years with the company: 2

1) What was your childhood like?

My interest in technology began at a very early age. Like many children, it started with Lego bricks. My childhood was well protected. With my older sister there were often quarrels, which helped me a lot to learn that compromises help us come to a positive result. I grew up and went to school in a small town near Hamburg.

2) Who was a hero to you growing up? Why?

In my memory, there is no one who was really inspiring or anything. Sure, parents are always role models, but calling someone a hero is hard for me.

3) What are your hobbies?

There is often not so much time for hobbies. Family and, of course, playing with my little 1½-year-old son are at the top of the list of leisure activities. Otherwise, I’m interested in everything that has to do with technology. If time permits, I sometimes get out the motorcycle and go for a spin.

4) How did you end up in metrology? Did you go to school for it?

When I graduated from high school, I was looking for an apprenticeship in the technical field. In the end, I got an apprenticeship as a surveying technician and that was the foundation stone. The path then continued for a few more years until my studies were also completed in October 2013.

5) How did you come to be at API?

What is the best way to describe that? I’ve known Jan-Hendrik Lott (GM for the EMEA region) for many years, as we’ve always run into each other at events such as Control Show. When I was looking for a new job, I got in touch with Jan. After a few conversations, and the exchange of documents, the contract was signed, and I’ve been happy at API ever since!

6) What are your roles and responsibilities with API?

As an application engineer in service, I carry out measurement services for our customers. I always say there’s nothing we can’t measure. In the end, a solution can always be developed with the customer. Most of the time the services are done with our Radian Laser Trackers. In addition, I am often the most experienced contact person for our customers for machine tool calibration (MTC) inquiries.

7) What sets API apart from other metrology companies in your mind?

The decision paths are very short. API is a company that has offices worldwide, so we have a strong network that we can fall back on at any time. In addition, many innovations have been developed at API and made ready for series production. API is a very family-run company, where interpersonal relationships also count and are given space.

8) What API Product or Service are you most excited to tell people about?

I don’t have a specific service here, but I rave about the different insights we get through our services. Be it automotive, aerospace, hydropower and many more. We get to go places that “most” people don’t get to see and get insight beyond our fantastic measurement technology.

9) What about API’s future excites you?

In many industries, a lot is changing and API is often a part of it. It is great to actively shape the future through our services and measurement systems.

10) What does “Nothing Beyond Measure” mean to you?

For me, “Nothing Beyond Measure” means that we can measure everything. There is always a solution to a problem if you just think hard enough and have the right team on your side.

– Radar

Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) emits microwave pulses and measures the time for echoes to return. Because radio waves have long wavelengths, radar devices can detect objects at great distances and through fog, rain or dust. They are widely used in aviation, weather monitoring and speed‑enforcement. Radar systems provide a long range but lower spatial resolution compared with LiDAR . This lower resolution arises from the larger wavelength and beam divergence; as a result radar cannot pinpoint features smaller than several centimetres.

(source:wevolver.com)

– LiDAR

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses pulsed laser light to measure distance. Because it operates at optical wavelengths, LiDAR can produce very high‑resolution 3D point clouds. It is the backbone of autonomous vehicles and aerial mapping. LiDAR systems generally have a shorter to medium range but offer high spatial resolution, enabling detailed 3D mapping

LiDAR’s ability to capture millions of points quickly makes it ideal for applications such as autonomous driving and surveying. For manufacturing metrology, LiDAR is useful for creating digital twins of large objects or structures. However, typical LiDAR accuracy (millimetre to sub‑millimetre) is not sufficient for tight‑tolerance inspections that require micron‑level precision. Therefore, LiDAR still falls short for high‑precision metrology in aerospace and automotive manufacturing.

– Laser Radar

Laser radar is often used to describe high‑precision laser time‑of‑flight systems. It uses a narrow, focused laser beam and measures not only the time of flight but also the angles of the incoming beam to compute precise coordinates. Laser radar systems can achieve micron‑level precision but typically operate over shorter ranges and at slower scanning speeds compared with LiDAR. Laser radar system steers a focused beam, reading the return signal directly from the object without a retroreflector, and is engineered to provide precise, industrial measurements with tolerances of thousandths or even tenths of thousandths of an inch. However, the speed of data collection is sacrificed for resolution—laser radar scans smaller areas more slowly to achieve high accuracy

(source:eastcoastmetrology.com)

– LADAR (Dynamic 9D LADAR by API)

LADAR (Laser Detection And Ranging) is sometimes used interchangeably with LiDAR, but API’s Dynamic 9D LADAR is a novel system that blends interferometry with laser scanning. LADAR is an interferometry‑based non‑contact measurement system that provides fast and accurate data acquisition. It overcomes several limitations of conventional measurement methods by delivering micron‑level resolution and eliminating issues such as limited accuracy, slow data acquisition speeds and sensitivity to surface reflectivity. LADAR technology uses fast data acquisition to deliver rapid, real‑time data collection, significantly reducing measurement and analysis time compared with traditional methods. It also functions effectively in noisy production environments and at various incident angles. The technology delivers rapid, real‑time data collection, making it suitable for in‑line production measurements where conventional laser radar is too slow.

To learn more about how LADAR can preform in line inspection, click here.

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