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Optical Tooling

Whether you need one piece, a few hundred, or millions, FTI can take your preliminary optical design through prototyping and testing to production. We offer single-point diamond turning and machining, CNC machining, injection and compression mold manufacturing, and tooling for specialized optical surface finishes.

 
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Optical-Tooling-Molding-FresnelProducts

Diamond Turning and Machining

Our diamond machining is ideal for the production of prototype optics and the manufacture of high-quality optical molds. We offer small-volume production of directly machined optics in a variety of diamond-machinable substrates, such as IR and visible transmitting crystals, non-ferrous metals, and polymeric materials.

Our state-of-the-art diamond-turning machines include dual-axis ultraprecision lathes and two four-axis ultraprecision freeform surface generating machines, all fitted with on-machine measuring and compensation devices. Diameters of nearly 28" (710 mm) can be turned.

The picture above shows the diamond machining of an electroless nickel mold insert. This insert was measured to have a surface finish of 2 nm Ra. The insert was measured to have a form error of 44 nm peak to valley, excluding a 100 nm feature in the center due to tool centering. This accuracy was achieved over a 50 mm workpiece diameter without on-machine error compensation.

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Mold Production

FTI has extensive experience designing and building molds for lenses and arrays of lenses, from single cavity to high-volume multicavity molds. We have developed many specialized techniques, unique to our company, to permit the molding of high-precision, highly reproducible molded optics. We are very skilled and experienced in the production of molds for flat and curved parqueted arrays of lenses. FTI has the expertise necessary to produce molded optics with submicron features.

An example is the mold for our CM0.77GIV3 lens array, shown in the picture above.

CNC Machining

Our facility is also home to a world-class all-CNC machine shop. Our advanced machines are capable of micron-level accuracy. The primary focus of this facility is the building of injection and compression molds for our own and our customers' products. We offer high-precision lathe turning; high-precision 3- and 5-axis milling; and form, wire, and small-hole EDM.

Metrology

FTI has a comprehensive in-house metrology lab, staffed by skilled scientists and technicians. This enables the assessment of quality and verification of compliance with customer specifications throughout the production of prototypes, molds, and molded optics.

Specialized Optical Surfaces

Another area of FTI's optical tooling expertise is the texturing of mold surfaces to produce a variety of desired optical effects, including gaussian distribution diffusers. These methods are commonly used in illumination optics and passive infrared lens arrays.

Our machining facility enables us to produce prototypes and molds for unusual items, including those lacking rotational symmetry.

The FTI team’s expertise in ultraprecision machining and other optical specialties makes our facilities ideal for producing your optical components.

Have more questions about our optical tooling capabilities? 

  • Items with linear symmetry—lenticular arrays, arrays of prisms, diffraction gratings, and cylindrical and acylindrical Fresnel lenses.
  • Fresnel lenses, with conical and aspheric contoured grooves, in diameters > 24" (61 cm).
  • Toroidal Fresnel lenses and anamorphic continuous-surface lenses and domes.
  • Zernike phase plates.
  • Curved acylindrical Fresnel lens arrays of very fast lenslets.
  • Fast, continuous-surface aspheric lenses.
  • Rectangular and hexagonal microlens arrays in large sizes.

How can we make your project more successful?

We know the importance of having a supply chain partner who can make the process collaborative and successful. Learn  how we fit into your project

Fresnel Technologies

Fresnel Technologies, Inc. specializes in the design and manufacturing of molded plastic Fresnel lenses, molded polymer optics in general, and infrared-transmitting optical materials. We offer design assistance, diamond machining, prototyping, tooling, and production. Stock or custom, we’re your optics partner.

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Contact Us

101 W. Morningside Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76110

Phone: (817) 926-7474
info@fresneltech.com