Trioptics presented its innovative MultiCentric Cementing Station for the first time at the SPIE Photonics West 2015. This device aligns and cements lens pairs quickly and precise. It is a further development of the well-established OptiCentric systems.
Compared to the conventional method, the MultiCentric Cementing Station reduces the cycle time of the lens alignment and cementing process significantly to less than 10s. This significant improvement in measurement speed is achieved thanks to the innovative measurement head with three integrated, simultaneously measuring autocollimators. With the short cycle time the MultiCentric Cementing achieves a significant increase in efficiency in the high-precision and automated alignment cementing of lenses.
In addition to the high measurement speed, the advantages of the system are in its alignment accuracy of 2 µm. When aligning with the MultiCentric Cementing Station, the lower lens is first fixed with a vacuum. Then the upper lens is aligned to the optical axis of the lower lens – and not to a third mechanical axis. Therefore the process is unaffected by the precision of the lens holder. After alignment cementing, the cemented element can be clamped and processed in the alignment turning machine with the bell-clamping method.