Total Error Freeforms
Innovative Challenges & Solutions
Engineers must be able to identify measurement uncertainties quickly and expedite solutions for minimizing the impact of uncertainties. Total accuracy and control are critical when fabricating precision freeforms.
The Challenge
Being able to make precision freeforms not only with irregularity but also with being able to know where that surface is in respect to a global coordinate system.
Solution Delivered
Our solution to the requirement of total error freeforms is to drive for greater precision, both in alignment and final testing. Spherical optics can be readily corrected using interferometry, but freeform optics are more challenging. It is extremely difficult to align a freeform and maintain its coordination to a global system. The Optimax research and development team developed a process to use a coordinate measuring machine geared specifically towards surface profiling with higher resolution surface measurements, including (stitching, CGH, high-resolution profilometry, or UA3P).