Plastic Optics Provide Precision
Polymer optics are taking everyday applications by storm, thanks to advances that make plastic more and more competitive with glass. Polymer optics have long been known for being inexpensive and low in optical quality. The ease of high-volume, low-cost manufacturing meant that just a few decades ago, consumers would find them primarily in disposable toys, diffraction-grating glasses and $5 film cameras. As materials, engineering design and tooling improved between the mid-1990s and the middle...
Photonics Spectra, December 2012