We manufacture your ideas
Step 1: You’ve got a great idea
At Millpond Optics we value the communication with our clients. Together we clarify all the details and the context of each job. The written documentation is supported by communication via phone or video conferencing.
We assess the formal specification of the optics to ensure we have understood precisely what the final optics must fulfil. Finally we arrive at a mutually agreed 3D or a mathematical description of the optics to be made.
View our productsStep 2: We’ve got the know-how
Selecting the appropriate raw material for the optics is an important step. It is pre-requisite in making an optics preform including all the correct holes, edges, surface treatment, chamfers, engraving of text and serial numbers. Often aluminium is applied as a base material, but other metallic substances or polymers may suit the purpose well.
Thorough preparation is half the battle
Having created a good preform is not enough. It still takes a skilled expert to generate the necessary SW code and to do the mechanical set-up and precise alignment of tool and preform before machining of the optical surface itself can begin. Several machine parameters need to be decided upon and simulations of the processing may reveal issues that are better dealt with up-front.
Step 3: We’ve got the technology
Diamond turning and milling are the key technologies behind Millpond Optics high-end optical devices. By spinning and controlling the motion of the object and the diamond tool in multiple directions, thin layers of substrate are removed achieving the desired shape of the optical surface.
CNC controlled diamond processing
Using deterministic CNC controlled diamond processing ensures that every single point of the mirror surface is treated to reach the specified curvature and smoothness. Millpond Optics optical devices feature fractional wavelength form accuracies and a micro roughness in the nanometer range.
Step 4: The right coating is key
Various coatings are applied to maximise the reflectivity at a specified wavelength or in a broadband window in the VIS, NIR or FIR wavelength band. Typical coatings are made by applying thin layers of Aluminium, Silver or Gold with or without a protective oxide layer on top.
Custom made coatings
Coatings may also be custom made to specific angles-of-incidence, polarisation and ability to withstand high levels of optical power.
Additionally, coatings may be optimised for reflecting only one—or maybe two—wavelengths. Alternatively, it is feasible also to design coatings for a broader wavelength range.
Step 5: Safe delivery guaranteed
Whether the final product is a single unique optical device or several identical optical devices, our QA team inspects and characterises those parameters crucial to the agreed performance of the final optics.
We generate a 1-page test report occasionally supported by additional verification tests from our own lab and—if requested—from independent certified test laboratories.
Your mirror is handled with care
The finished optics are packed carefully in specially designed packaging and shipped safely to destinations across the globe. Our partners in transportation ensure delivery in just 1-2 days inside the EU and world-wide within a week.
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