Beyond the Star Wars and sci-fi fascination of them all, lasers have become ubiquitous in many industries. Since their invention in 1958, lasers and laser optics have become invaluable tools in a variety of real-world applications ranging from seismological to astronomical. Lasers are used as visual effects in concert performances, in cosmetic and soft tissue surgery, for various welding, drilling, and engraving projects, in military weaponry to help guide the human eye and missile targeting, and even for gravity wave detection to measure tiny distortions of spacetime.
At the annual SPIE Photonics West, the world’s largest photonics and technologies event being held in San Francisco from January 30th through February 1st, 1,300 companies will open up their inventory to allow people to peruse their portfolio of products and services. It’s a forum to find top suppliers, explore product and company capabilities, and build partnerships.
TPC will have a strong presence at the SPIE conference, with representatives from Fotofab, Lattice Materials, and Optiforms interacting with the public at Booth #1457.
TPC’s advanced manufacturing centers are premier fabricators of optics and component parts used in laser devices. The consortium’s precision parts have become essential components used in a wide range of technology spanning numerous industries. Rapid production cycles and on-time delivery make TPC members a valuable asset in the world of optics and lasers.
Lattice Materials
Since its inception in 1989, Montana-based Lattice Materials has evolved into the most capable and experienced company providing custom-grown silicon and germanium, curved lenses, mirrors, and witness samples. Lattice Materials is a trusted name with the top systems integrators, infrared device companies, academic institutions, and national labs across the globe.
Lattice Materials is the company that the leading laser manufacturers turn to when they need a silicon mirror that they know will perform to top-notch specifications. The company has been associated with some of the most advanced projects ever to use silicon mirrors, including deformable mirrors, space-based lasers, and aircraft laser systems. Applications for these include medical, industrial, cutting, welding, scanning, research, astronomy, and CO2 lasers. Lattice can also produce x-ray beam steering mirrors to meet any specification.
Optiforms
In business since 1984, California-based Optiforms is a global leader in optical electroforming, deep-dish optical coatings, and IR imaging, serving customers in the aerospace, medical, semiconductor, specialty lighting, and industrial markets. Company professionals are experts in substrate design engineering, development, manufacturing, optical coating, and mounting.
Optiforms representatives will be on hand to share new insights about manufacturing electroformed optics and enhanced surface finishes. Recent advancements in technical capabilities have opened new opportunities to create precision optical components with low scatter and high reflectivity. The company’s technical experts will be on hand to discuss how the electroforming process yields high-quality optics and how its various in-house capabilities provide a one-stop, vertical solution for optical component manufacturing.
Fotofab
For over 55 years, Chicago-based Fotofab has provided a wide range of high-precision metal fabricating services to produce components with geometries from simple to very complex. Appropriately enough, the company also provides premium laser-cutting services for flat metal parts.
There are many common components that Fotofab etches for the photonics and optics industry including light diffusion screens, equipment faceplates, laser mounting components, optical fiber components for communication networks, consumer electronics components, and 5G wireless network components. The company also produces optical encoder discs and rotary encoders that can be used in aerospace, textile, printing, mobile equipment applications, and beyond.
Inside SPIE Photonics West Exhibition
Top optics and photonics suppliers from across the globe will assemble at SPIE Photonics West at the Moscone Center in San Francisco between January 30th and February 1st, 2024. They will interface with current and prospective clients about the products and capabilities and share the latest cutting-edge research in biomedical optics, biophotonics, industrial lasers, optoelectronics, microfabrication, quantum technologies, and more. Attendees will also pick from nearly 30 plenary speakers and select advanced training from almost 60 courses.
