Article Abstracts | September 2006
The complete article appears in the September 2006 issue of Photonics Spectra. If you do not have a copy of this issue,
e-mail us a request. Be sure to include your street address or fax number.
Improving Optical Free-Form Production
Combining steps on one machine enables precision production of free-form optics.
by Michael Thomas and Dr. Michael Sander, Satisloh GmbH
Production of free-form optics is one of the most challenging areas in the precision optics industry, creating continuously increasing demands on the machine manufacturers. Free-form optics include rotationally symmetric parts, such as aspheres and parabolic mirrors, which are common components in state-of-the-art optical instruments. Significantly greater challenges are presented by nonrotationally symmetric parts, such as complex beam-shaping elements or off-axis head-up display mirrors.
A unique seven-axis polishing solution combining pre- or fine-polishing with corrective polishing down to accuracies of better than
λ/10 significantly advances optical free-form production technology...
Start a discussion on this article or any photonics topic in the Photonics.com Community Forum