G-S Plastic Optics and HP develop next-gen document scanners

Rochester, NY--Optics manufacturing company G-S Plastic Optics has been working with HP Company (Palo Alto, CA) for more than six years to develop the next generation of professional flatbed or document scanner products. Specifically, G-S is developing the molded scanning optic used in the latest generation of workgroup enterprise document scanners. HP’s Scanjet Enterprise 7500 is capable of scan resolutions up to 600 X 600 dpi and can scan up to 3,000 pages per day.

The injection-molded optic combines an array of aluminum coated spherical and aspheric optics as well as an aperture--all of which are held to within micron tolerances. This new type of scanner bridges the gap between systems with traditional contact image sensor (CIS)-type optics and higher cost systems using bulkier reduction optics.

The G-S scanner optic is a very cost effective way to reduce the footprint of the scanner system and at the same time provide high resolution performance. Will Beich, director of New Business Development said, "Simply put, this is a product enabler. This new scanner would not be a feasible product without the injection molded polymer scanner optic. This product illustrates our unique capacity to work closely with our client’s engineering team to bring new products to life. This type of array required a great deal of manufacturing design to make it viable for production." Beich went on to say, "G-S has been manufacturing polymer optics for over 30 years and our engineering team has unparalleled experience in customizing designs for injection molding."

Founded in 1916, G-S Plastic Optics produces injection-molded aspheric imaging optics and mirrors from 170 mm to less than 2 mm in diameter. In addition, the company has in-house capability to provide custom-designed diamond turned and injection molded prototypes, thin film and reflective coatings, and integrated optical solutions to meet a wide range of military, medical, commercial, and consumer markets. G-S Plastic Optics is fully ITAR compliant.

SOURCE: G-S Plastic Optics; www.gsoptics.com/images/GSPO_HPwork.pdf