Precision Machining Service For Optics

United Lens Company offers precision molding and machining services for optics used for a wide variety of applications. From industrial to medical, aerospace to telecom, and a variety of other fields, we maintain the industry’s largest inventory of annealed optical glass, fused silica, and quartz, and maintain a generous supply of filter glass and low expansion glass in stock at all times to ensure the material you need is always available when you require it to meet your molding and machining specifications. We can also machine customer-provided materials, and mold optical glasses, Borofloat®/Supermax, and filters with precision and accuracy.

Whether cylindrical, flat, prism, spherical, rectangular, or a custom/irregular shape, we can accommodate almost any optic type. With our extensive machining equipment, we can also achieve virtually any configuration: beveled, curved, holed, or angled. Our extensive inventory, coupled with materials supplied by you, allows us to do it all when it comes to machining: prism and curve generating; wire saw and band saw slicing, centerless and fine grinding, core drilling, and Waterjet cutting. Our equipment capabilities, which include CAD/CAM, multi-axis, CNC, and multi-spindle, not only enable us to be your one-stop-shop for molding and machining projects; they also allow for production quantities ranging from single pieces to hundreds of thousands, in sizes that vary from 4 mm to 600 mm in diameter.

Let us show you how our expertise can be put to work for you. Please see below for additional details on our capabilities, or contact United Lens Company.

Precision Machining Capabilities of Optical Blanks

Optic Type

Cylinders
Flats
Prisms
Spheres
Rectangles
Odd Shapes

Machining Processes

Prism Generating
- Up to 5.9" Diagonal
- 5' Angle
- ±.002"

Curve Generating
- ±5 Microns w/ Supplied Master

Wire Saw Slicing
- Flat Within .002"
- Tighter Upon Request

Centerless Grinding
Core Drilling
Fine Polishing of Rods
Band Saw Slicing
Waterjet Cutting

CNC Machining Capabilities

Holes
Curves
Slots
Pockets

Equipment Capabilities

CAD / CAM
Multi-Axis
CNC Controlled
Multi-Spindle

Glass Materials Machining

Fused Silica
Fused Quartz
Ceramic
Optical Glass
Filter Glass

Low Expansion Glass
- Zerodur®
- ULE®
- Borofloat®
- Clearceram®

Customer Supplied

Glass Materials, Molding

Optical Glasses
Borofloat®/Supermax
Filters
Customer Supplied Materials

Shape Configurations, Molding

Bevels
Curves
Angles

Diameter Molded

.250 to 24 in

Diamond Edging

.030 to 42 in

Blanchard Grinding Diameter

Up to 42 in

Blanchard Grinding Thickness

Up to 18 in

Precision Machined Prisms

Up to 5.9 in (Diagonal) or Up to 22 in (Diagonal) CNC

Wiresaw Slicing

Up to 12in Diameter or Square

Wiresaw Slicing Thickness

As Thin as .011 in

Wafer I.D. Slicing Diameter

Up to 8 in

Wafer I.D. Slicing Square

Up to 7.5 in

Wafer I.D. Slicing Thickness

Down to .011 in

Centerless Grinding Diameter

Up to 4 in

Precision Curve Generating Diameter

1 to 36 in

Diamond Core Drilling Diameter

Down to .040 in

Diamond Core Drilling Length

Up to 9 in

Fine Polishing of Rods Length

4 to 36 in

Fine Polishing of Rods Diameter

.250 to 6.000 in

Diamond Band Saw Slicing Height

Up to 30 in

Water Jet Cutting Length

Up to 144 in

Water Jet Cutting Width

Up to 72 in

Flatness

.001 in (Dependent on Size and Configuration)

Parallelism

.001 in (Dependent on Size and Configuration)

Tolerance (+/-)

.001 in (Dependent on Size and Configuration)

Finish

RMS as Fine as 16 Micro-Inch
Down to 15 micron
Parenthetical (1200 grit)
Diamond Machined Edges
Commercial Polish

Metrology

Laser
Probe
Camera
Non Contact
Mechanical

Measurement Accuracy

.0005 in (Dependent on Operation)

Melt Data / Material Certification

MIL-G-174 Class 1

Annealing Temperature Control

.1° / hr

Annealing Index Control

Nd ± .0002
Vd ± .2%

Testing

Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM)

Typical Products

Centerless Ground Rods
CNC Machined Blanks
Cored Rods
Curve Generated Blanks
Cylinder Blanks
Laser Debris Shields
Laser Flow Tubes Lens Blanks
Mirrors
Polished Rods
Prism Blanks
Telescope Blanks
Wafer Blanks
Wire Saw Blanks

Production Volume

1 to Millions of Units

Typical Lead Time

2 weeks
Rush Services Available
Annealing: 3 to 4 weeks