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Products > OptiCentric® > Operation > OptiCentric® PRO > OptiCentric® Bonding Station

OptiCentric®

OptiCentric® Bonding Station

The TRIOPTICS Automatic Bonding Station extends the capabilities of the OptiCentric® System into automatic manufacturing processes of optical components and systems. Modern objective lenses rely more and more on glue bonded components which, besides the lower cost, save space and weight. The OptiCentric® Bonding Station includes all the devices necessary for the precise and automated centering and glue bonding of lenses into barrels and other optical subassemblies.

A glue dispenser is mounted on a motorized x-z stepper motor stage for the automatic positioning of the dispenser tip to the gluing position. The dispensing process is computer controlled and the glue can be dispensed continuously or segmented around the lens.

A second x-z stepper motor stage moves a precision piezoelectric manipulator to the edge of the lens to be centered. The piezo manipulator allows for a fine positioning of the sample lens with submicron step resolution and accuracy.

The centering process is controlled by the OptiCentric® System which relies on a high resolution CCD autocollimator and the precise sample rotation with an air bearing. High-precision centering results better than 2.5 microns are typically achieved in 2 min processing time including UV curing time. The UV curing of the glue after lens alignment is enabled by a computer controlled UV light source and several light guide outlets.

The complete bonding process is controlled by an integrated software program for all functions. A simple script language allows the flexible programming of the bonding process. The complete manufacturing cycle can be programmed with an easy teach-in procedure using the manual stage controls. Of course, different procedures for varying sample types can be saved in files for later use.

OptiCentric Bonding
OptiCentric® Bonding with three piezo manipulators for the fast alignment of lenses

OptiCentric® Alignment Turning

In alignment turning, optical units are processed by mechanical machining. The holder with the lens is first placed into a clamp, and the centering error measured. The clamp is then aligned in such a way that the optical axis and rotational axis coincide. The holder is then lathed away in a second process step.

The most important components in this fabrication process are the centering lathe with a high-precision axis, the OptiCentric® Alignment Turning System for precise measurement of the centering error, and the mechanically mechanically adjustable clamp. The axis of rotation ensures that the fabrication process is carried out stably and precisely. It is mounted on hydrostatic bearings and its radial deviation is less than 0.08 μm.

The OptiCentric® Alignment Turning System determines the orientation of the optical axis of the workpiece relative to the axis of rotation. The system is available in variants with one or two electronic autocollimators. If two autocollimators are used, both centers of curvature of the lens can be measured at the same time. With only a single autocollimator, two measurements are taken one after the other, and the position of the optical axis is determined using the MultiLens® algorithm.

The sample is then translated and tilted in the X and Y directions using the adjustment clamp in such a way that the optical axis of the sample coincides with the axis of rotation. Accuracy in the submillimeter range can be achieved in this way. The mechanical interlock on the adjustment clamp ensures that the position of the optical axis relative to the axis of rotation does not change while the holder is centered to the rated diameter. In addition, both flange surfaces of the holder are also machined.

An optical sensor that measures the distance between the flange surface and the vertex of the optical surface of the workpiece can optionally be used.

The specification of the alignment turning station is:

Centering accuracy: < 0.1 arcmin (tilt)
  < 2 μm (decenter)
Machining tolerances: < 2 μm
Flatness of plano surfaces: < 1 μm
Cylindricity of lens cell: < 1 μm

 

 
Read more about MTF measurement and autocollimators.
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