A high-speed molding technology that can form optical components from glass taken directly from a furnace – without polishing or grinding – has been developed by !%Docter Optics%! of Neustadt an der Orla, Germany. With funding in part by the European Union, the company said this initial process will be further enhanced to demonstrate that sophisticated optical components can be economically produced using an in-line molding process. High-volume applications also include light pipes, which are required in modern concentrated photovoltaic systems, LED illumination technology and wherever secondary optical elements of glass are called for.