Optical Fabrication Facility

The optics shop processes bulk optical materials, cuts them to rough blanks, generates the required surface figure and grinds and polishes the item to achieve the final figure and finish.

Optical glass, glass ceramics, metals, low expansion materials and advanced materials such as silicon carbide and composites are types of materials worked.

Equipment includes curve generators, spindle grinders/ polishers, a Blanchard, an edger and a 48 inch continuous polisher.

A computer controlled mandrel polisher, precision surface generator, and a computer controlled roller polisher are custom built equipment for fabricating optics of unusual geometrics such as x-ray mirrors.