Capabilities
Ingenuity Reflects
Every aspect of our manufacturing takes place in-house, allowing us to deliver quality optical components on time.
Our world class 62,000 square foot facility houses leading edge technology used to design, engineer, machine, and measure precision optics and performance driven optical coatings. Our highly skilled teams will partner with you to take your design from concept to a finished optical component or assembly.
Our standard product lines fit most optical design requirements, but in those unique cases where specific tooling, a modification or fixtures are necessary, we have the in-house capability to assist you in your specialized projects. Our ISO 9001 certified standards drive continual improvement throughout our engagement.
Our manufacturing capabilities range from single parts to volume orders with consistently excellent product quality and high production yield rates. We can easily scale to handle greater capacity and expand manufacturing.
Feel confident in our industry leading on-time delivery and fast turnaround times.
Our Core Capabilities:
Electroforming - How We Bend Light
Our unique electroforming process affords the production of exotic and complex shapes at substantial cost savings over other conventional manufacturing processes. Dozens of independent plating cells gives us the capacity to generate thousands of electroformed components each month. And this advanced fabrication method ensures precise reproduction of surface detail to your desired thickness and performance requirements.
Electroforming allows Optiforms to consistently replicate complex forms using a single master tool. With both reusable and disposable mandrels, and materials such as nickel and copper, we can accurately replicate thin or thick walled substrates, as well as single or multi-layered substrates at a substantial cost saving over other conventional manufacturing methods.
Benefits of Electroforming over other manufacturing techniques:
- Low Cost Per Part - Exact Replicas
- Precise reproduction of surface detail
- Optical Accuracy to ±2 Arc Minutes Slope
- Production of complex shaped components
- Production of thin-walled components
- Thickness ranging 0.001 inch to 0.25 inch
- Extensive range of manufactured sizes
- Capable of electroforming components as large as 36 inches in diameter
- 66 Electroforming cells to help meet customers demands
- ISO 9001 certified
Optical Coatings - How We Sort Light
Our thin film laboratory is a leader in electro and vacuum deposited optical coatings where maximum performance is a priority. We specialize in coating highly concave shapes that other companies cannot coat effectively. Various coating materials are available for electroformed optics that can reflect a specific portion of the spectrum in one direction while directing a different spectral band in another direction. Our optical coating specialists will work with you to satisfy your desired requirements.
Our unique gold and metallic coatings have been used in industries including aerospace, military, medical and many more applications requiring infrared reflectance.
Using our unique manufacturing abilities, we can:
- Provide uniform coating for deep-dish surface of revolution components up to 46 inches / 1168 millimeters in diameter
- Provide Electrodeposited Coatings and Vacuum Deposited Coatings
- Offer 6 coating chambers to accommodate small to large runs
- Provide Standard Coating Solutions and Customized Coating Solutions
- Measure the performance of our coatings using IRAD & Photo Spectrometry Technology
- Provide Coating Performance Graphs/Reflectivity Scans
Infrared (IR) Imaging
Optiforms experience in electroforming enables us to manufacture precision components for infrared imaging applications including thermal imaging cameras, heat signature, counter-measures, MWIR / LWIR and warm shields. Optiforms manufactures cold shield reflectors to your exact material, form factor, and coating specifications to guarantee the thermal performance required in IR Focal Plane Arrays and IR cameras.
Using our advanced fabrication techniques, we can:
- Produce thin walled (0.002) complex form factor components from a variety of materials including Nickel (Ni) and Copper (Cu)
- Guarantee thermal performance required in IR Focal Plane Arrays and IR Cameras utilizing IR reflectance and IR absorber coatings designed to your specification
- Create rugged, lightweight, ultra-low mass coldshields that provide near instantaneous cooling
- Control wall thickness resulting in better cooling characteristics and infrared micro-imaging spectrometer signal-to-noise performance
Electrodeposition
Optiforms primarily uses electroplating to enhance the reflectance of optical components like reflectors, CPCs and troughs, based on desired spectrum, visible or Infrared (IR).
Our electrodeposited plating facility offers you:
- Plating unique components of various complex geometries
- Components over 20 inches (508 millimeter) in diameter
- Multiple electrodeposited platings available
- Performance measurement of our platings using spectrophotometric & interferometric technology
In-House Services
Optiforms continues its commitment to our customers by a continual expansion of our comprehensive in-house capabilities.
Mechanical Design and Engineering
- CAD/CAM programming
- Laser marking and cutting
Machining
- CNC 3,4, and 5th axis vertical mills
- CNC lathes
- Electro-discharge machining (EDM)
Metrology
- Optical/Touch-probe CMM - The portable CMM is a measuring arm used throughout our quality control process. The arm increases our ability to inspect and verify a multitude of mechanical characteristics accurately and efficiently. Providing accuracy to within +/-0.0002", the CMM finds any discrepancies created by the manufacturing process. One of the major advantages of using the portable CMM is mobility. The CMM can be used on the granite flat or mounted directly onto the CNC equipment. This makes "in process" measurements possible and ensures our customers desired outcome.
- Zygo Interferometer - Surface Roughness Measurement (RMS)
- Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
- Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS)
- Hemispherical Directional Reflectance (HDR)
- Thermal Handheld Emissometer (ET100)
- Agilent Spectrophotometer
- Video & Touch Probe Inspection - Capable of video inspection as well as touch probe measurement, this automated inspection device eliminates costly inspection errors by automating repetitive inspection tasks. The unit has optical and CNC measuring capability. This measuring device captures measurement data and ensures the accuracy of your component. It represents another example of Optiforms uncompromising commitment to quality and customer service.
For your benefit, our approach is to include these value added capabilities into our operation. By incorporating these services along with our extensive product line we can offer substantial savings to our customers.
Our experienced staff can assist our customers in creating and obtaining the highest quality, ready-for-use optical components. We are your optical solutions partner.
