Recent design methods and software advances make it much easier to design aspheric surfaces that actually work in production and test by considering manufacturability issues at the earliest possible stage in the design process.

Optimax Systems, Inc., a leader in quick delivery prototype optics, has been manufacturing aspheric lenses for more than 20 years. Along the way, we have learned many lessons and provide takeaways for other manufacturers and designers.

Optimax improved the reliability of asphere polishing platforms at a demonstrated level. Download our technical paper today to learn about our results.

Testing and correcting the aspheric lens as it is used in transmission addresses some of the shortcomings of traditional 3D surface metrology.

In an effort to reduce variation and improve predictability, Optimax integrated magnetorheological finishing into its aspheric lens manufacturing process.

Optimax Systems uses this MRF process to correct aspheric lenses in transmission to subwavelength errors.

The similarities and differences between tolerancing, manufacturing, and measuring spherical and aspheric surfaces are important.

A basic survey of specifying aspheric forms, function and manufacturing and testing.

There are many topics to consider during aspheric lens design, including geometrical restrictions that hinder producing particular aspheric shapes. Understanding these restrictions will help drive costs. 

The evolution of the manufacturing technology for a specific aspheric glass lens can provide significant image quality improvement, reduction of the number of lens elements, smaller size, and lower weight. 

There are numerous metrology options for aspheres, including how they work, requirements, and what is specified with each method in an effort to tolerance aspheres.