Deterministic form correction of extreme freeform optical surfaces

The blistering pace of recent technological advances has led lens designers to rely increasingly on freeform optical components as crucial pieces of their designs. As these freeform components increase in geometrical complexity and continue to deviate further from traditional optical designs, the optical manufacturing community must rethink their fabrication processes in order to keep pace. To meet these new demands, Optimax has developed a variety of new deterministic freeform manufacturing processes. Combining traditional optical fabrication techniques with cutting edge technological innovations has yielded a multifaceted manufacturing approach that can successfully handle even the most extreme freeform optical surfaces. In particular, Optimax has placed emphasis on refining the deterministic form correction process. By developing many of these procedures in house, changes can be implemented quickly and efficiently in order to rapidly converge on an optimal manufacturing method. Advances in metrology techniques allow for rapid identification and quantification of irregularities in freeform surfaces, while deterministic correction algorithms precisely target features on the part and drastically reduce overall correction time. Together, these improvements have yielded significant advances in the realm of freeform manufacturing. With further refinements to these and other aspects of the freeform manufacturing process, the production of increasingly radical freeform optical components is quickly becoming a reality.