Edmund Optics expands manufacturing, plans new thin-films lab

Barrington, NJ--Optical-components provider Edmund Optics (EO) plans to expand its coating and asphere manufacturing operations.

The company announced today (Oct. 11, 2012) that it will further invest in its domestic manufacturing operations, consolidating its Pennsburg, PA facility into its corporate headquarters location in Barrington. This is combined with manufacturing expansions in the EO Singapore facility and EO Akita, Japan. Robert Edmund, chief executive officer, notes that EO's customers have been requesting more capabilities despite the current economic environment.

"Manufacturing in the United States is a challenging proposition, it is therefore critical to bring these resources closer to the heart of our engineering operation," says Samuel Sadoulet, EO's chief operating officer. "Positioning our manufacturing engineers alongside our technical sales, product management, and supply-chain teams will ultimately deliver a better experience to the customer -- more engineering talent dedicated to every project."

Edmund Optics will invest in additional coating and metrology equipment at both the Singapore and Akita plants, including the installation of a coater by Shincron (Tokyo, Japan) -- a three-chamber machine with lock-and-load capabilities for cost-efficient precision coatings in volume. Optical metrology equipment previously used at EO Pennsburg will be relocated to Singapore and Akita.

High-precision thin-films lab
Domestic operations in Barrington, NJ will focus on both asphere and coating technology and process development, including the creation of a high-precision thin-films lab. Sales director Anthony Artigliere notes that EO's substrate inventory is in Barrington, making it the best location for quick modification of standard parts.

After this consolidation, Edmund Optics plans to have a global manufacturing footprint of just over 137,000 square feet (12,700 m²) in 2013, up 15% from 2007.