Blog

Learn more about Design for Manufacturability (DFM) in precision optics to ensure that performance-driven designs can be produced efficiently, cost-effectively, and at scale.  Easy lessons for optics procurement professionals or optical engineers that will transform strong optical concepts into reliable, repeatable products ready for real-world applications.

With 70+ years of precision optics manufacturing SPIE Photonics West 2026 was the prefect place to connect with customer, vendors and friends. 

Hear from our CEO, Lee Steneken about Esco leading the charge in precision optics while navigating workforce development, supply chain struggles and the balance of work and family. 

Esco Optics began in the 1955s as a small mail-order telescope kit business and evolved into a trusted supplier of precision optical components. Over the past 70 years, the company has grown into a U.S.-based manufacturer offering both custom and catalog optics across industries such as aerospace, medical, semiconductor, and defense.

This article highlights the importance of flatness in precision optics, beyond just surface quality. Learn how aspect ratio—the relationship between an optic’s size and thickness—directly impacts stability, with high ratios making flatness harder to maintain. It also describes the “potato chip effect,” a common warping deformation in thin optics that can degrade system performance at even nanometer scales.