What processing tolerances can you achieve for optical glass parts?

At Felix Glass, we maintain strict processing tolerances for all BK7 and K9 optical glass parts to ensure consistent quality and performance for your applications. Our tolerance standards cover three key areas: dimensional accuracy, surface quality, and optical performance.

For dimensional accuracy, we can achieve a typical tolerance of ±0.01mm for most standard optical glass parts. For high-precision applications, we can provide tighter tolerances down to ±0.005mm, depending on the complexity of the part and the material specifications. Our CNC machining equipment is calibrated regularly to ensure consistent accuracy across all production batches.

In terms of surface quality, we can achieve a surface roughness of up to Ra 0.005μm, which ensures high optical clarity and minimal light scattering. We also control surface flatness, with typical flatness tolerances up to λ/10 at 632.8nm for precision applications. For anti-reflective coated parts, we also ensure coating uniformity and adhesion to meet industry standards.

Optical performance tolerances include transmittance and refractive index consistency. Our BK7 and K9 optical glass parts are tested for visible light transmittance, with typical values above 91% for uncoated parts and above 98% for AR-coated parts. We also ensure consistent refractive index across all batches to avoid variations in optical performance.

All our processing tolerances are verified through rigorous quality control testing, including dimensional inspection with coordinate measuring machines (CMM), surface roughness testing, flatness measurement with interferometers, and optical transmittance testing with spectrophotometers. This comprehensive quality control process ensures that every optical glass part we produce meets the required specifications.

If you have specific tolerance requirements for your project, please contact us with your detailed specifications, and our engineering team will confirm our capabilities and provide you with a customized solution.