Making Lenses- VERY accurately. Pics.

[ImanCarrot]

Ahhh.. you seem to be at the other end of the spectrum from myself, I measure very short distances- like +/- 0.03 micrometers.

I think you are in the "laser rangefinder" area- a google search on this should get you what you want.

I make optics for rangefinders as well... although I aint allowed to say a lot about that cos they're usualy on large things that want to rangefind other large things. I know nothing about this...

[ImanCarrot]

Well I finished the project and it's off to coating.. it's Friday and 1120 pm and.. well here's some piccies. The title of the piccies should say what they mean and my gf is giving me grief.

1. That's the machine that a previous poster asked for a piccy of.

2. Another piccy of the machine.

3. Some of the stuff that is manualy adjustable (most is hidden on the other sides).

4. Some of the software variables.

5. *coughs* my improvised extraction c'mon! I'm working to a deadline lol

6. First Off Perfect lens (three before that weren't). Profile across it's whole aperture less than half a wavelength of light at 633 nm.

Oops wont allow me any more attachments... will need to make another post. Sorry Admins and Mods. Am tired, tell me if I'm not allowed.. just proud of what I do and no one knows.

I think I didn't wait for the Upload of Piccies.. soz.. I was impatient

[ImanCarrot]

Attachements 1-6 (hopefuly (sorry am knackered).

Iain.

[ImanCarrot]

Ok, morepiccies, cos I am drunk and my missus is moanong bout me being on the PC here but I gotta post them off my mem stick thingy before I forget... here's the rest. Project complete apart from coating. Will do that on Monday.

7. First off Perfect. Soz was using a mobile phone cam.

7(inc)-11 First off after checking stuff you cant see but I like the Ans = one ).. wish I had a proper camera stead of a mobile thingy phone.

[ImanCarrot]

12, 13, 14. Finished Product. Exceptionaly good form, Exceptionaly GOOD Aspheric design and sub nanaometre roughness. Less than a wavelength of light on form error across the whole appertutre (2 fringes) at 633 nm. not IR (10.6um) as others seem so keen to quote- which is more than a factor of ten what I got here *yum*

(Oh cos 633nm= 0.6um and 10.6um is a bit more.. really)

All done and dusted. I love it :::MUahahaahaa:::

I bet they fook it up in the coating *frowns* will need to get photos of that too on Monday. In fact... I shall follow the lenses into coating and get photos .

Soz Admins and Mods for the many photos... I like me job. I make things.

[DennisCNC]

Are those glass?

[ImanCarrot]

No, they're high index polymer (plastic). Glass has an index of around 1.53, the plastic I use actualy has a higher index of about 1.66.

[MIKE JEFFERS]

so what do they coat them with and is it purley for protection?
mike

[ImanCarrot]

I coat them with a Hard Coat to minimise scratches (squadies in the field tend to clean them with their berret lol) and an antireflection coating which improves light transmission (like spectacles, but more accurate).

We can optimise coatings for any wavelength, or multispectrum or narrow bandwidth.

This lets more light in the system and is of particualr value in low light applications.

[Adobe Machine]

Wow, have followed your posts here and on the other forums...I 'm just impressed with the kind of accuarcy you must deal with..Just some more pictures and info ?

Thanks

Adobe (old as dirt )

[K&Y]

12, 13, 14. Finished Product. Exceptionaly good form, Exceptionaly GOOD Aspheric design and sub nanaometre roughness. Less than a wavelength of light on form error across the whole appertutre (2 fringes) at 633 nm. not IR (10.6um) as others seem so keen to quote- which is more than a factor of ten what I got here *yum*

(Oh cos 633nm= 0.6um and 10.6um is a bit more.. really)

All done and dusted. I love it :::MUahahaahaa:::

I bet they fook it up in the coating *frowns* will need to get photos of that too on Monday. In fact... I shall follow the lenses into coating and get photos .

Soz Admins and Mods for the many photos... I like me job. I make things.

Very impressive work Iman.

[NEATman]

Iman-
Very impressive work!

You should see some of Precitech's newer machines (Pneumo has merged with Precitech). www.precitech.com
They are downright amazing. My favorite is the Piezo-electric tool holder that is servo controlled and can move in the Z direction to create optical grade microstructures on the surface of the part. They time the tool movements to the spindle encoder so it's almost like having live tooling.
For anyone wondering, all of the pictures are of parts as the come off the machine - No polishing afterward.
http://www.precitech.com/FTSr405.pdf

As far as making a telescope mirror, I wanted to make an 8" one myself, but I didn't get around to it before I left Precitech several years ago. The machines are ideal for that sort of thing. I remember one machine that was capable of turning mirrors a meter in diameter.

NEATman