Idex Corp. of Lake Forest, Ill., has acquired optical components maker Precision Photonics Corp. (PPC) for $20 million in cash. PPC was founded in Boulder, Colo., in 2000 by scientists-turned-engineers from the neighboring NIST and JILA research institutions. It specializes in optical components and coatings for scientific research, aerospace, telecommunications and electronics manufacturing applications. PPC will operate in Idex’s Optics and Photonics platform within the Health and Science Technologies segment, joining Semrock and AT Films, which were acquired in January 2011, and CVI Melles Griot, which Idex bought in June 2011.