Adjustable integration molds for X-ray optics with cold shaping: requirements and conceptual design

The cold shaping of thin substrates is a worthwhile process for the realization of x-ray optics. The technique is based on the usage of integration molds to keep the substrate in the theoretical shape while it is fixed to a structure, which will limit at the desired level the residual spring back of the plate after the release of the constrain. Since some years, this process is in use at INAF/OAB to realize Slumped Glass Optics mirror modules by means of interfacing ribs. In principle, the optical design at a given focal length of each mirror shell is different for each radius and therefore several integration molds are necessary for an assembly of plates. Depending on the optical design of the mirror module to be realized and on the desired optical performances of the system, some simplifications can be introduced in order to reduce the number of integration molds to be realized. Nevertheless the most cost-efficient solution to the problem is to realize an adjustable integration mold pair that can be shaped to the different theoretical configurations needed for the plates. This is advantageous not only in terms of number of molds and parts to be realized but also for the reduction of integration time thanks to the simplification of the process procedure. In this paper we describe the conceptual design of the system, describing its optical design, analysing its requirements and we report on the achieved results.