| OPTIMAX NEWSLETTER
Q2 2010 |
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Optimax
continues to grow through education and technological advancements.
- Optimax Leads
the Way:
Optimax has recently finished the production of our new
promotional video - "Optimax Leads the Way".
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| - Optimax's New SBIR:
Optimax was recently awarded a Phase I SBIR from
NASA on the topic of "Removing Mid-Spatial Frequency Errors with
VIBE".
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Optimax
has planned updates and enhancements for the web site this year. For
the latest on Optimax, please visit the Optimax
Web Site
regularly.
Cheers,
| Rick
Plympton |
Optimax
Systems, Inc.
| | VP Sales |
6367
Dean Parkway
| | Optimax
Systems, Inc. |
Ontario,
NY 14519-8939
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An
innovative manufacturer of precision optics.
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Optimax
Leads the Way
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Optimax
has recently finished the production of our new promotional video. The
video highlights our 40,000 square feet high-tech facility and lean
manufacturing cells. Also highlighted is the fact that our opticians are
trained quality inspectors that
have the skill and know-how to make prototype optics in one week.
Through collaboration with industrial partners and academic
institutions, Optimax has become a leader in metrology and sits on task
forces to develop new optical standards. With ISO standard processes
and a lock-down ITAR facility, we are equipped for just about anything.
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An
innovative manufacturer of precision optics.
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On-Board
with Advanced Manufacturing
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Optimax
is passionate about workforce development. Career days, job fairs,
school presentations, and tours of our facility have opened the door
for many promising students to join our team. From administrative
support to the manufacturing floor to R&D, Optimax has had the
privilege of working with students and seeing them realize their full
potential. This is the story of Jon Watson, Coating Manager, who began
his career with us during his college days and has since become a key
player.
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When Jon
graduated from Williamson High School he immediately enrolled at the
University of Rochester's Institute of Optics. He heard about Optimax
through a friend's mom while working at Orbaker's Drive-In, a local
burger and ice cream restaurant. Being an optics student, he was
immediately interested and was soon able to begin an internship at
Optimax with the QA department. Here Jon worked closely with Joe Pinto,
friend and mentor, before transitioning to the coating department where
he worked on design and engineering. In 2003, he completed his masters
and joined Optimax on a full-time basis.
It was
during the years of Jon's internship that he discovered how much he
enjoys the advanced manufacturing environment. Even more, this
experience gave him a solid appreciation for the leadership and
empowerment Optimax |
offered
him. The time and support that was given to Jon as
he pursued the development of his career was invaluable. Through
weeklong courses, conferences, new technologies and training by
industry leaders, Jon continues to gain the knowledge needed to
position Optimax as a world leader for coated optical components. In
return, coating and the challenges associated with it have become his
passion.
It is
success stories like this that cause Optimax to remain dedicated to
finding the young and gifted students and to provide them with the
foundation they need to thrive. Our desire is that every young student
is given the opportunity to realize the promising careers available in
advanced manufacturing. Internships and mentoring programs are a great
way to show students what life is ike at modern manufacturing
facilities.
Optimax works closely with FAME
and Finger
Lakes WIRED to build the workforce and bring students into
our facility. Click here to view a video on our
websitie about our
region's workforce development activities. Optimax is featured at 8
minutes and 13 minutes.
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An
innovative manufacturer of precision optics.
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Evolution
of Concentric Dome Manufacturing at Optimax
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| Optimax
is one of
the premier concentric window manufacturers in the United States. Our
unique capabilities have evolved to enable us to manufacture hard
ceramic domes. Optical domes are regularly manufactured out of materials
such as Fused Silica, ALON™, CeraLumina™, Sapphire, and Spinel and are
used in a variety of imaging applications, including security cameras,
deep water exploration, and defense. |
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 | Optimax's
first domes
were made from optical glass and fused silica. Recognizing the
need for a test artifact, Optimax created the OptiDome in 2009 for
metrology companies to correlate their transmitted
wavefront instruments. Now, Optimax routinely manufactures thin
concentric spherical ceramic and crystalline domes to customer
specifications. These domes are up to 300mm in diameter and are
typically less than 5mm thick. |
ALON,
Spinel, and sapphire have good transmission from visible to IR and are
good for multispectral imaging systems. Recently, Optimax has
successfully manufactured a dome made of CeraLumina polycrystalline
alumina material in less than two weeks!
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Optimax
continues to
work on improving the process to reduce fabrication time and to
manufacture concentric windows made of hard optical ceramic materials.
Being able to extend our value proposition of small volulme, high
quality, and quick delivery to domes is important to Optimax. Doing so enables
us to be a part of these projects that benefit our society. We are
excited to continue on this path of great improvement and success. |
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An
innovative manufacturer of precision optics.
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Optimax's
New SBIR
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Optimax
was recently awarded a Phase I SBIR from NASA on the topic of "Removing
Mid-Spatial Frequency Errors with VIBE." The VIBE process is a
full-aperture, conformal polishing process incorporating high frequency
motion that rapidly removes sub-surface damage in a VIBE pre-polish
step and eliminates mid-spatial frequency (MSF) errors created by
deterministic polishing in a VIBE finishing step. This Phase I study
will focus on the VIBE finishing step to remove MSF errors while at the
same time maintaining the desired low spatial frequency form accuracy.
If
you're interested in learning more about our commercialization of this
project, please contact Rick
Plympton.
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An
innovative manufacturer of precision optics.
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Optimax
Gives Research Grants to Universities
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| In
1997, Optimax presented the first University Research Grants to winning
applicants from The
Institute of Optics, CREOL,
and The College
of
Optical Sciences. The grant issuing process is always interesting to be a part of. As proposals from research come in to qualify for
the grant we get to see some really unique and challenging projects.
These projects are evaluated for innovation, optical component
requirements, and the preparation of the proposal. We made our offer
again in 2009 and were pleased to present the winners with their
certificates. |
| Dr.
Ayman Abouraddy
is the recipient of this year's University
Research
Grant to CREOL. The project he is working on consists of three prisms
designed to invert an image in a Mach-Zender Interferometer. During
this experiment, one prism will be used at 410nm and two will be used
at 820nm. The goal of the project is for it to be applied in quantum
information processing. Optimax awarded the $10,000 grant when visiting
CREOL in early February, 2010.
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| Professor
Tom Milster has been awarded the grant presented to the University of
Arizona, The College of Optical Sciences. Tom and his colleagues are
working on Solid Immersion Lithography to develop an NA=2.0
Microscope Objective Lens. This project has uses for multiple
applications, including lithography, imaging for biomedical
instruments,
testing of semiconductor wafer and masks, and Blu-Ray discs. The
$10,000
University Research Grant was awarded to Tom in March 2010. | |
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grant for the University of Rochester has not yet been awarded. Many
interesting projects have been reviewed thus far and the decision on
the winning proposal will be made in the near future. We look forward
to presenting the participants at The Institute of Optics with the
awarded funds. They also will be receiving $10,000 toward the
manufacture of optical components.
The
privilege of working with scholars and professors in academia is
important to Optimax. As we build these relationships we get the mutual
benefit of staying on the cutting-edge of optics manufacturing and the
unique applications the optics are designed for. As
we are challenged to increase our manufacturing capabilites and
know-how, we look forward to working with the universities to help
their projects be successful. |
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An
innovative manufacturer of precision optics.
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