Optical Engineering Services

We routinely provide limited engineering services to our customers in support of their component design needs. For more sophisticated projects, Archer OpTx provides contract engineering services at a reasonable rate.

---

Precision Machined Aspheres

Archer OpTx offers precision machined aspheres and acylinders in diameters ranging from 4mm to 600mm. Each asphere (toroids and acylinders as well!) is customized to your application s unique specifications, using a precision machining process to create the desired surface figure. Precision machined optics offer a number of advantages over precision molded optics:

- Offered in sizes and form factors that are not possible by molding

- Cost-effective alternative for design prototyping prior to committing to production of high-volume of molds

 

- Permit the use of materials otherwise unsuitable for molding, such as fused silica

 

Though they may look like ordinary grind-and-polish optics, precision machined optics perform in extraordinary ways to create new application opportunities. Precision machined optics provide optical precision for optimal outcomes.

Traditional Optics

Beyond aspherical optics, Archer offers the same high level of performance for a wide variety of optical components. Axicons, cylinders, mirrors, prisms, windows, fiber pigtails (single or multiple, regular or PM fiber) and other specialty components are all available in a range of sizes and materials.

Whether you need to generate a line, circularize a diode beam, reflect, disperse, or transmit light, Archer's specialty components will put you on the path to the optimal solution.

Whether you need prototype quantities or a million units, Archer OpTx is the supplier of choice.

Archer OpTx can provide a full range of traditional optical components with spherical, cylindrical, flat and toroidal surfaces. Components are available in diameters of a few millimeters to support miniature cameras through several hundred millimeters for your large-scale projects.

 

Precision molded aspheres are the ideal solution when:

- Medium to large volumes of the same lens are needed to support your product

 

-Modest NRE charges are acceptable

 

- The glass type selected has been qualified for molding

 

Precision molded aspheres can be delivered in 12 weeks. 

Precision Molded Aspheres

Archer OpTx offers precision molded aspheres in a variety of diameters from a few millimeters to several tens of millimeters in diameter. These aspheres are manufactured by pressing glass preforms in carefully prepared molds. Archer OpTx offers lenses manufactured with both hard and soft molds. Hard molds have a lifetime of 100,000+ parts and are cost-effective for volumes of 1000+; soft molds have a lifetime of about 1000 parts and are most economical for 100-500 piece quantities. With these two molding technologies, Archer OpTx can provide the most cost-effective production solution for your requirements.

 

Typical peak-to-valley figure errors are less than 1.0 µm. Center thickness and diameter control of 20 µm are typical. Manufacturability is determined by local radii and tooling limitations as well as the flow properties of the glass, which is quite viscous.

 

Optical Filters

Optical filters provide the essential ability to selectively accept or reject different wavelengths of light. Archer OpTx has experienced coating engineers available to design and manufacture optical filters that meet your specifications. We specialize in providing a high-quality, cost-effective solution to your filter requirements. We typically manufacture components to OEM specifications.

We can make custom interference, short-wave or long wave pass, neutral density or other filters to your specifications.

Or, you may find that one of these filters (not catalog items, but manufactured on a regular basis) in a wide range of specifictions.

Interference Filters

Neutral Density Filter

Reflective Filter