FAQs: Optimize Your Optical Coating Process
How can I speed up the turnaround on coatings? Start with standard specifications rather than creating unique ones requiring the optical coater to reinvent the wheel. Penn Optical Coatings has several hundred standard recipes to choose from, specifically in anti-reflection coatings. Manufacturers should use optics that are in a common diameter for existing tooling. An […]
Optical Coating FAQs:
Optical coating science is not dark magic, but it is a highly specialized, and sometimes high-risk, part of the optical manufacturing process. This series will break it down and provide optics companies and optics buyers with practical considerations for choosing an optical coating partner. Catalog optics companies often need to coat small volumes of varying […]
AR Coatings: What it Means to be ITAR/MIL Certified
ITAR is a set of US government regulations that control the export and import of defense-related technology, designed to ensure that we can control which countries we sell this technology to. In essence, these regulations help ensure that we protect data and technology from unwanted eyes. Anti-reflection coatings are used in a variety of defense […]
Penn Optical Coatings Obtains ISO 9001:2015 Certification to Support Customers’ Quality Systems
Pennsburg, PA (May 1, 2023) — Penn Optical Coatings, an ITAR-registered provider of high-precision standard and custom optical thin film coatings, announced today that it has obtained the ISO 9001:2015 certification. Penn Optical Coatings is now one of a select few ITAR-registered and ISO-certified coaters that can provide robust testing and rigorous quality control, supporting […]
Outsourcing Optical Coatings: Uptick in Demand Anticipated
For decades, even the largest, most vertically integrated companies in the optics and photonics industry have outsourced their coatings. These market leaders recognize that coating is a unique and exacting science. Even more importantly, as a near-final step in the optical manufacturing process, optical coating is a high-risk process with real impact to the finished […]
Anti-Reflection Coatings: Frequently Asked Questions
Coatings are critical to optical system performance, and anti-reflection coatings are one of the most common in the industry. Learn more about proper selection, specification and maintenance of AR coatings for glass optics. What is an anti-reflection coating? An anti-reflection (AR) coating is applied to an optical surface to reduce the amount of reflectivity caused […]
Guide to Mirror Coatings
Metallic mirror coatings offer uniform reflectivity over a wide spectral range and minimize reflectivity losses with optimized coating designs and processes. Learn more about the different types of mirror coatings and their advantages.