Optical fabrication and testing spans an enormous range of manufacturing procedures and optical test configurations. I. Glass blank manufacturing
- Batch mixing
- Pouring and casting techniques
- Annealing schedules and equipment
- Physical characterization techniques
- Index of refraction measurements and calculation of melt pedigree
II. Diamond shaping techniques
- Diamond wheel curve generation processes and equipment
- Diamond edging processes and equipment
III. Loose grit fabrication techniques:
- Rough grinding
- Fine grinding
- Polishing and figuring
IV. Single-point diamond turning processes and equipment V. Optical testing techniques
- Direct surface profile measurement
- Direct surface surveying (no intervening optics, for example Foucault, Ronchi, Caustic testing)
- Auxiliary optics (null correctors, computer generated holograms, etc.)
- Interferometric testing
See also
References
- Malacara, D., Optical Shop Testing - 2nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, 1992, ISBN 0-471-52232-5
Illustrations
- Virtual Lens Plant. Canon Camera Museum. Instructional videos of the processes, within a flash web interface.
