Ultrasonic Processing of Hard Materials for Conformal Optics

Hard ceramic optical materials such as sapphire, ALON, Spinel, or PCA can present a significant challenge in manufacturing precision optical components due to their tough mechanical properties. These are also the same mechanical properties that make them desirable materials when used in harsh environments. Tool wear and tool loading conditions during the grinding process for these materials can be especially problematic. Because of this, frequent dressing and reshaping of grinding wheels is often required. OptiPro systems is developing an ultrasonic grinding process called OptiSonic to minimize the forces during grinding and make the grinding process more efficient. The ultrasonic vibration of the grinding wheel allows for a grinding process that has the capacity for longer tool life and reduced tool wear for a more deterministic process. This presentation will discuss the OptiSonic process and present current results.