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We’ve reached a crossroads in our discussion of the concepts in light and optics.  Previously, we learned that optical materials are manufactured to have very specific refractive and dispersive properties, and it is these characteristics that optical designers rely upon to manipulate light to a desired purpose.  We’ve also discussed that material properties such as stress, fluorescence, coefficient of thermal expansion and homogeneity play a large role in how an optic behaves when incorporated into a fully integrated system.  But once an appropriate material has been chosen, whether for use as a lens, window, prism, or mirror (among others), how...

Save the Date! The 17th annual Western NY Optics Golf Tournament is scheduled for Thursday July 20th, 2017 in Rochester, NY. Registration information will be posted soon. Esco Optics is proud to be a leading sponsor of this charitable event which has grown to be the largest annual optics golf event in the United States. All proceeds benefit the newly constructed Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester, NY. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital.aspx Last year, the event raised $36K for a cumulative total of more than $300K. Pictured: Ron, Amanda and Diane Schulmerich with Danielle Bechtold of Optipro Systems

Esco Optics exhibited once again at 2017 SPIE Photonics West - the premier show for optical components supporting the areas of biomedical optics and biophotonics, industrial lasers and laser sources, optoelectronics devices and materials, nano-photonics and MEOMS-MEMs. Here’s a recap of this year’s record breaking convention: By the numbers, this was the largest turnout for SPIE, at just over 23,000 scientists, researchers, engineers, students and others attended. Of that, 6,500 were conference attendees, 9,000 exhibition-only visitors, 7,600 exhibitor representatives and more than 1,380 exhibiting companies from around the globe. In addition to the attendance numbers, over 200 new product launches...

In our previous article, we discussed how an optical material is principally defined by its specific refractive index (n) and dispersive (Vd) properties. Material manufacturers go to great lengths to control these aspects of their products. But while these two fundamental characteristics are generally the first an optical designer considers, they are by no means the only aspects that are important. Homogeneity When a glass is manufactured, it’s not only the percentage of specific ingredients that are important to its final properties but also how well those ingredients are mixed together. Consider for a moment a polished lens with a...