The Current Situation and Development of Optical Component Processing

Release time:

2023-08-15

1、 The demand for optical components has become increasingly widespread with the development of modern science and technology, from childhood to the mobile phones that we all have, to the televisions and computers in daily life, to aerospace
More and more precision instruments have been applied to new technologies that combine opto electromechanical technology, promoting the increasingly strict requirements of multifunctional, high-performance, and low-cost, and promoting the development of traditional optical component production technology and the transformation of processing technology. This transformation has driven the development of optical craftsmanship technology in two different directions.
Firstly, develop towards efficient processing that is small, lightweight, and affordable. The rapid development of optical plastics and glass die-casting technology has led to a significant decrease in the cost of aspherical lenses, and a significant increase in supply has become possible. More and more various optical systems are beginning to adopt them. For example, the thin zoom lens has been widely used in mobile phones. It is precisely because these small, lightweight, and inexpensive optical components continue to expand in various fields, driving the rapid development of optical efficient processing technology.
Secondly, developing towards ultra precision machining. The technological progress in the field of cutting-edge science and technology, especially in industry, has put forward new requirements for ultra precision optical components.
For example, optical systems for manned spaceflight, laser weapons, fiber optic communication components, and micro optical components in optical integrated circuits are all ultra precision optical components. The machining accuracy of these optical components has even reached the nanometer level. The processing of these parts cannot be achieved using traditional methods and must be achieved through ultra precision machining technology.
The traditional processing methods for optical components have a history of over a hundred years and can be easily understood as "a handful of sand and a handful of water". The new method of processing optical components began in the 1970s, and non civilian optical systems expanded from white light to infrared and laser systems. It also put forward arduous requirements for optical components to have good imaging quality, small volume, light weight, and simple structure. Subsequently, the optical processing industry underwent large-scale technological revolution and innovation activities, and new optical component processing methods continued to emerge. At present, the commonly used optical component processing technologies include CNC single point diamond processing technology, CNC grinding and polishing technology, optical lens molding technology, optical plastic molding technology, magnetorheological polishing technology, electroforming technology, and traditional grinding and polishing technology.
2、 Basic Principles of Ultra Precision Machining Technology
1. CNC single point diamond machining technology
CNC single point diamond machining technology is a type of aspheric optical component machining technology. It uses natural single crystal diamond cutting tools on ultra precision CNC lathes to produce aspheric optical parts through single point turning using diamond cutting tools under precise control conditions in specific machining environments. This technology is mainly used for optical components of small and medium-sized infrared crystals and metal materials.
2. CNC grinding and polishing technology
CNC grinding and polishing technology is an optical component manufacturing technology that uses CNC precision machine tools to grind the surface of a workpiece into the desired shape, and then uses flexible polishing molds to polish the workpiece to meet the technical requirements. The principle of this technology is closest to classical optical processing technology, mainly achieving precision machining of optical components through digital precision control of machine tools.
3. Optical lens molding technology
The optical lens molding technology involves placing softened glass into high-precision molds and directly molding optical components that meet the requirements of use under heating, pressure, and oxygen free conditions. It can be said that the widespread promotion and application of optical lens molding technology is a significant revolution in the processing technology of optical glass parts. This technology has epoch-making significance in reducing the cost and increasing production of aspherical glass parts.
3、 The Application Range of Ultraprecision Machining Technology for Optical Parts
1. CNC single point diamond machining technology
At present, diamond turning technology can directly process materials that meet the optical surface quality requirements, mainly including non-ferrous metals, germanium, plastics, and infrared optical crystals. However, the processing of glass cannot meet the optical surface quality requirements yet, and further grinding, polishing, and correction are needed. Another main use of CNC single point diamond machining technology is to process precision molds required for various molding processes.
2. CNC grinding and polishing technology
The main processing material of CNC grinding and polishing technology is glass, which makes up for the shortcomings of CNC single point diamond processing technology that cannot directly process finished optical glass parts. This technology is mainly used for processing spherical and aspheric optical parts, and is the main technology that replaces the traditional classical optical glass processing method. It has the advantages of high accuracy and high processing efficiency. At present, the development history of this technology in the market is relatively long, and mature equipment is relatively comprehensive. German companies such as Satisloh, Optotech, and Schneider have launched different types of milling and polishing machines, and China has also conducted a large number of research on CNC technology.
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