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The
Optics Division is the most recent addition to the Techmetals family of metal
finishing. It was officially opened in January of 1999 and is located in building 6. This division
is dedicated to metal finishing optical components such as a wide variety of
optical lens molds, x-ray incident grazing mirrors, and components used in space
telescopes. In addition, we finish large precision parts
up to 18" in diameter and
6 feet in length such as lenticular rolls. The Optics Division is constantly exploring
new coating possibilities. A direct result of such R&D is Optakoat. It is an
amorphous nickel alloy coating, which was specifically developed for the optics
and diamond turning industry. Diamond turning is the use of a single point diamond
tool on a precision lathe under very carefully controlled machine and environmental
conditions to fabricate high-precision components including reflective optics.
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C, Optakoat deposit
was tested by both Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Marshall Space
Flight Center. The conclusions were that Optakoat can outperform electroless
nickel phosphorus deposits by reducing wear and improving achievable as turned surface
finishes. In fact, a Talystep profile revealed that Optakoat was not as damaging
to the diamond tool as the electroless
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nickel phosphorus.
Numerous companies have measured the flatness and surface quality of deposits with
various interferometers. Typical results indicated a surface roughness of 9 angstroms.
After using conventional optical lapping techniques the surface roughness was reduced
to 2-3 angstroms. This is a finer surface roughness than electroless nickel phosphorus
can offer. Optakoat also overcomes electroless nickel phosphorus's limitations because it has a faster plating rate of 1 to 2 mils per hour, it can be plated to a thickness
of 0.050" or higher, its internal stress can be controlled allowing for electroforming,
it is denser, and it has a lower void volume which leads to fewer defects in coatings.
The Optics Division is now currently working with R&D to develop a new generation Optakoat.
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All of the metal finishing baths located in the Optics Division are monitored on
a regular basis for concentration, alloy composition, stress, and cathode efficiency.
Five highly trained staff are a part of the division and have a combined plating
experience and
knowledge of 60 years. As
with all the other divisions, the Optics
Division is dedicated to producing quality parts, competitive prices, and on time
delivery.
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