Aspheric lenses offer optical designers control of light-ray refraction over the whole lens surface, making it possible to produce optical systems with higher performance in more compact packages than is possible with more conventional lenses. The catch is that accurately fabricating aspherical surfaces requires specialised equipment and expertise, putting the technology out of reach for most optical-system designers. Edmund Optics has changed that situation by offering a line of high-performance aspheric optical components in the sizes most useful to optical system designers.
Edmund has the expertise and equipment to produce aspherical optical components from 10mm diameter to 200mm diameter with l/20 accuracy. Not only does Edmund offer customers access to this technology, the company has used it to fabricate a stock of reasonably priced Tech-Spec aspheric lenses with clear apertures from 15mm to 25mm and effective focal lengths from 11.25mm to 37.5mm. Because these lenses have aspheric surfaces, they can provide pin-sharp images at phenomenal optical speeds up to f/0.75. The company’s environmentally-controlled aspheric manufacturing facility houses advanced aspheric grinding and polishing equipment coupled with magnetorheological finishing (MRF) technology for super-accurate lens polishing. This facility produces high-departure aspheric geometries (>100µm departure) that can be manufactured rapidly and cost-effectively in glass, ceramic or crystalline materials.