United Lens Company has been building custom optics for over a century with customers from medical to aerospace, and in the past ten years has seen a marked increase in the desire for material testing and traceability.  Initially, internal efforts to dispose of  raw materials, long un-used and untraceable, were met with some skepticism from our financial leadership; but, as…

At United Lens Company, we are continuously committed to improving our capabilities to ensure everyone’s success. This means strengthening our capabilities by investing in the right equipment and continuing to drive efficiencies in every step of the manufacturing process. Our newest capability includes Magneto-Rheological Finishing (MRF), a newer technology that involves polishing slurry being magnetically controlled in real time—the finished…

At United Lens Company, we are dedicated to shared success. When we’re successful, our customers are successful, and we are continuously committed to improving our capabilities to ensure everyone success. This means strengthening our capabilities by investing in the right equipment and continuing to drive efficiencies in every step of the manufacturing process. Our six wiresaw machines are a large…

ULC is the one-stop solution for precision optics products since 1916. Over the decades, rapid advancements in laser technology have led to the proliferation of laser products in the commercial and industrial markets. Laser equipment provides manufacturers with notable capabilities; however, laser optical components are very sensitive and prone to frequent damage. Processes such as laser welding, cutting and drilling…

The annealing process is critical to the durability of glass. Among the variety of issues for improperly annealed glass is the probability of the glass to crack or shatter from just a slight temperature change. When glass is not annealed correctly, the thermal stress can significantly decrease the overall strength of the glass. The Annealing Point and Heat Soaking Annealing…

As laser technology advances and becomes more cost effective, more and more industrial manufacturers are incorporating them into production processes. Industrial lasers today are used everywhere from the aerospace and military/defense industries to telecommunications and a variety of other industrial manufacturing sectors. The unsung heroes of laser processing are mirrors, specifically high power laser mirrors. When used inside the resonator,…

United Lens Company (ULC) is celebrating 100 years of business, a considerable milestone. Over the past century, we lead the industry in the manufacture of precise, high quality test plates and mirror blanks. Test plates and mirror blanks are the first step in producing industrial quality mirrors, which are most commonly found in imaging equipment, such as telescopes, microscopes, laser…

While lens quality, illumination level and aperture size are all important considerations in designing a machine vision system, colored filters can be instrumental in achieving the highest contrast images possible. Though seemingly insubstantial, colored filters are essential for achieving excellent image contrast and improving the overall performance of machine vision systems. They offer impressive individual benefits, only minimally impact other…

Laser technology is constantly and quickly advancing. As laser processing technologies improve, its uses also diversify. Today, lasers are regularly used in a multitude of industries, from aerospace and industrial manufacturing, to medical and military. State-of-the-art laser optical components drive all modern laser processing systems. The workhorses that make it all possible, optical components, are also incredibly sensitive—even the smallest…

United Lens Company (ULC) has been a leading manufacturer of optics since our founding 100 years ago. Today, ULC is one of the optical industry’s only vertically integrated companies. We offer a range of services, including a number of optical manufacturing processes performed in our Class 1000 Cleanroom. Thin Film Coating at ULC Depending on the industry or application for…

At United Lens Company, we are proud to offer consumers our unparalleled hand-molding services. Our experienced molders are dedicated to ensuring that customers receive only the finest industry-compliant glass molds available. The optical industry calls for intricate and specific requirements, ranging from complexly made compact specs to quick, convenient shipping and delivery. As the world’s oldest converter of raw optical…

At United Lens Company, we offer precision machining services for optics. We have the capacity to produce a variety of different optical shapes, including cylindrical, flat, prism, spherical and rectangular optics, as well as asymmetrical and uniquely shaped optics. We machine several different optical materials, including fused silica, fused quartz, ceramic, optical glass, filter glass and low expansion glass, including…

United Lens Company (ULC) is a one-stop solution for polishing, grinding and finishing custom optics. We boast high speed polishing capabilities for single sided, double sided, spherical and cylindrical lenses on a range of different materials, including fused silica, fused quartz, ceramic, optical glass, filter glass and low expansion glass, including ZERODUR®, ULE®, BOROFLOAT® and CLEARCERAM®. Our highly trained staff…