Schott has introduced glass rods with diameters of less than 1mm and up to 1,000mm in length, in addition to its existing shapes, in order to support the miniaturisation of optical applications. In addition, developments aimed at being able to provide conical rods, prisms, tubes and right angle designs, as well as standardised round rods, are underway.
The products that are now being offered include rods made of optical glasses, like LASF 35, for instance, which has an extremely high index of refraction (nd = 2.02204; vd = 29.06), as well as low Tg glasses that are well suited for precision moulding processes. Other types of glasses are available upon request.
The length of the rods enables considerably higher yields, while the smaller diameter results in less loss of material during manufacturing of smaller components. The fire-polished surface of the rods is suitable for a variety of applications and the dimensions ensure easy processing considerably reducing the processing time.
Besides the new shapes, Schott has also expanded its portfolio of low Tg glasses that have low transformation temperatures. These can be precisely shaped at temperatures of below 550°C and thus enable mass production of extremely small optical components in an efficient manner.