Economic Optical Molding

Economic Optical Molding

The injection molding process is ideal for producing large volumes of parts economically.

Multicavity optical molds allow a low-cost manufacturing process, Injection-molded optical elements are formed in steel molds that contain machined cavities with surfaces polished to an optical quality (top). The molten raw material is forced under pressure into the temperature-controlled mold (bottom). After cooling, the parts are removed from the gates and runners and require no further finishing process.

to be combined with comparatively inexpensive raw materials to create a powerful economic advantage for large production volumes. By carefully sizing the mold for required production volume, the break-even cost, compared to the glass alternative, can be surprisingly low,

Integral Mounting: The molding process permits mounting and assembly features such as mounting brackets,holes, slots and flanges to be integral with the optical element.

The result is a single-piece design that eliminates mounting hardware and simplifies assembly and alignment. Assembly costs often are more than that of the optic itself,

so the benefits of using imaginative configurations are obvious. Furthermore, multiple elements can be combined in unique optical configurations such as transceiver lenses for transmitting and receiving simultaneously. demonstrate special designs incorporating both multiple elements and integral mounting. is a multielement lens with a special edge configuration; that aligns and centers the elements; this design is economically beneficial for high production volume applications.