Infrared optics supplier invests for "best in class" productivity
Laser Beam Products (Bedfordshire, England), which calls itself the UK's largest manufacturer of infrared mirrors, reports that it has invested more than £100,000 to meet increased customer demand on infrared-optics product specifications.
"Our team have always ensured that our infrared mirrors are delivered to the highest standard, in fact our products have always been more durable than our competitors due to the fact that we polish and gold plate the mirrors by traditional polishing methods. To ensure that we maintain this 'best in class' standard however we felt it vital to invest in the latest technology to guarantee the continuation of this high specification which our customers have come to expect," says Laser Beam Products' managing director Mark Wilkinson.
Among other efforts, the company has completed a factory overhaul and installed several new pieces of test equipment: A second phase-shifting interferometer measures flatness to 1/10 of a wavelength for military customers requiring test results for every individual part: for surface quality a measuring microscope with custom designed illumination for highly reflective surfaces, and to ensure products arrive in top quality a Class 100 laminar flow booth for inspection and packing.
"One military customer now issues our deliveries straight to their assembly teams, confident that mirrors are within specification and fully documented," reports Laser Beam Products. This saves the customer inspection time, unnecessary handling of delicate parts, and lowers their inventory.
Founded in 1990, Laser Beam Products is a manufacturer of infrared optics, and particularly well known for its metal CO2 laser mirrors, that works with universities and research institutes worldwide. The company performs nearly all fabrication, polishing, and coating in house in order to maintain complete control. "Our unique manufacturing methods allow us to offer small numbers of custom made optics economically, and to cope with large volume orders," the company says.
Barbara Gefvert | Editor-in-Chief, BioOptics World (2008-2020)
Barbara G. Gefvert has been a science and technology editor and writer since 1987, and served as editor in chief on multiple publications, including Sensors magazine for nearly a decade.