Ross Optical Blog: The Latest News & Research

Penn Optical Coatings is a partner of Ross Optical. Ross does a number of coatings in-house, but when our customers have more complex or custom project, we know we can rely on Penn’s expertise and attention to quality.

I attend the SPIE Optics + Photonics conference every year, mostly just to walk the show. Compared to other shows, O+P is a pretty laid back event, perhaps because it is at the end of summer or perhaps because it is in Southern California. Because it is a slower conference, you really need to plan ahead if you want to get the most out of it.

There's nothing wrong with sourcing optical parts from overseas. We frequently do it ourselves. However, working with vendors on another continent has its risks, and when things go wrong, they tend to go really wrong. Problems include:

SPIE Optics + Photonics (O+P) is coming up in San Diego, California, the week of August 6. The optics industry changes quickly, and O+P is a prime place to catch up on the latest developments across the field, with an even mix of technological innovations and applications.

Innovative optical technology arises from fresh design concepts. Those designs often hinge on the performance of a specific optical element, but sometimes that component can be hard to find. Perhaps the part is only available in limited quantities. Perhaps it has been discontinued. Perhaps the optical element exists, but the specifications are out of line with the design tolerances. Regardless of the reason, absence of a specific part can kill some projects.

Ross Optical is the investigator to hire when you’re looking for something no one else can find. Here’s why:

Delivering on Quality

Ross is the premier source for high quality, hard-to-find optics. Far from being just a vendor, Ross Optical has the capability to polish optics to meet your requirements. We also offer a full range of optical coatings (from 250 to 2400 in-house), as well as assembly services for multi-element optical systems and subassemblies.

Do offshore vendors scare you? Time zones and languages! Shipping schedules and quality control! International Customs and ITAR regulations! Worrying about all of those factors can make you want to avoid offshore suppliers completely, regardless of cost benefits. Rather than hiding under a blanket and hoping these fears go away, maybe you just need someone to turn on a light. Offshore vendor management is one of Ross’s key services. Here’s how we make it work.

The annual SPIE Photonics West conference in San Francisco set new attendance records. More than 22,000 people met to discuss the latest in light-based science and engineering, and the exhibition hall, featuring 1,345 companies, sold out months in advance. The BiOS, LASE, and OPTO conferences were the place to learn about the latest photonics R&D.