In previous posts we have offered advice on designing optical systems for ease of assembly, performance, and manufacturability. Incorporating cost considerations into optical design is another important part of the process. The topic of cost optimization could fill an entire course (like Rich Youngworth’s), but for starters, here are four critical design traps that will always increase your system cost.

Four Factors that Increase Optical System Cost

1. Over-Tight Tolerances

Proper tolerancing is so important in optical system design. Component cost increases exponentially as tolerances tighten. We devoted an entire blog post to tolerancing, and you can also download our free eBook to learn how to avoid overspecification. The engineers at Ross have the design experience to help you set system tolerances that optimize both performance and price.

2. Infrequently Manufactured Materials

Optical glass production is intrinsically time consuming. Different glass types require different raw materials, different manufacturing processes, and different handling. For these reasons, production runs of rarely-used glasses are done at infrequent intervals. Optical glass manufacturers lay in a stock of such glass types based on estimated demand. If demand suddenly increases, then so does the price. Ross can help you identify potential rare materials and adjust either your production timing or your design to ensure that sufficient materials are available when you need them.

3. “Difficult” Materials

Brittleness, hardness, softness, or toxicity makes some optical materials difficult to work with. Such materials require special equipment and handling. There is also often a higher failure rate in these materials, meaning fabricators must over-produce to ensure that there are enough optical elements that pass quality tests. All of these factors affect the cost of an optical element. As with infrequent glass melts, timing is an issue. Ross can help you account for such realities in your optical design.

4. Unnecessary Optics

We have previously written about both the benefits and challenges of aspheric optical elements. Aspheres can reduce part count and improve performance in some complex systems, but often the more cost-effective traditional optics suffice. Balancing performance and cost for optical systems requires a deep understanding of both the capabilities and costs of aspheric and conventional optics. Ross can help you make those design choices, and our extensive catalog of optical components ensures that we can support whatever design works best for your system.

If you don’t have a lens design engineer, Ross’s experienced engineering team can create the design for you. We are uniquely capable of helping you optimize your design for cost and performance, and by working with us early in the design process, we can ensure that your critical components are on hand when you are ready to begin production. Call one of our engineers to learn how our knowledge and capabilities can benefit your optics program.

Our free guide includes cost considerations for optical systems, mechanical and coating design, and designing with specialty optics. Download it now!