There are many manufacturers that benefit from outsourcing some of their work to a plastics contract manufacturing company. Plastic molding companies specialize in creating the molds and processes that are crucial for manufacturing parts and products for fields such as medical and surgery, electronics, transportation, optoelectronics, and more. One large branch of the optoelectronic field of manufacturing includes construction of the optical components that are used in so many other products today. Optical components are frequently constructed using either bioresorbable, commodity, or attenuate resin. These resins are shaped and designed using microlens array moldings and precision machining to create various types of integrated lenses. These components are often constructed of bioresorbable or commodity resins.
The Importance of Optics
What good is an expensive camera if it does not come with a high-quality, crystal clear lens? What good are reading glasses if they are imperfect and do not allow clear, unblemished vision? Lenses are a big part of the manufacturing industry. From camcorders to eyeglasses, fiber optic, optoelectronic, and other optical processes need to be designed with functionality, high quality, and perfect molding in mind.
The Process
The process to machine optical components is very specific. It has extremely tight requirements for lens-to-lens centricity for fiber optic lenses. A professional plastic molding company should work hard to understand the lens requirements and then design a mold and process that will meet these standards.
The process to make optical components often uses materials made of bioresorbable or commodity resins. The resin is thoroughly mixed and then fed down a heated barrel. At the end of the barrel, the resin is put into a microlens array molding and set aside to harden. Once the resin has completely hardened, additional precision-machined components may be added. The lens may also be coated with IR, AR, or other reflective coatings for protection of the eye or the lens. After precision machining and coating is completed, one of two things happen. The lens is either packaged and shipped out for use at another manufacturing company, or it can be assembled at the factory. Basic assembly may include coupling integrated lenses into their housing.
Products
Plastics contract manufacturing of optical components is used to machine several types of products. These include glasses lenses, fiber optic lenses, camera/camcorder lenses, and more. The molding process takes into account symmetry and centricity requirements for the manufacturing of lenses.
There are a few measurements that must be taken into account during the manufacturing process for optical components. These involve lens profile and surface. A skilled company should be able to replicate a lens profile within a quarter of a wave and finish the lens surface within fifty angstroms.
