Ball lenses are highly transparent spheres made with optical glass. Some of the earliest microscope lenses — developed by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek — relied on surface tension to form small spheres from melted glass. These lenses achieved magnifications as large as 275x and were as small as 1.5 mm in diameter.1 However, since ball lenses can cause spherical aberrations and typically have to be apertured to exclude non-paraxial rays when used for imaging, they are often replaced with different geometries, such as aspheric lenses, in microscopes today. Modern technologies involve using ball lenses to couple light between optical fibers or to focus light from a diode laser into a fiber optic. Ball lenses are commonly used in barcode scanning, optical sensing, and endoscopy.
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In the fast-moving industry of optics, there are often problems that arise and need to be dealt with immediately in order to keep production running smoothly and on schedule. Whether they occur in the design, manufacturing, or assembly stage, problems can prove to be catastrophic if not handled properly. Below, we touch upon a few real issues in all three of these stages of optics and give some advice on how to keep your operation running efficiently.
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There are some critical steps needed in order to create an effective optical design. Whether a basic design or complex, it is important to find a supplier that can produce your product in a quick, cost-effective way. Ross Optical is a reliable partner known to improve time to market and optimize your product performance.
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Nestor Sigala joined Ross Optical earlier this year to help with Optomechanical Design and Sales. We sat down with Nestor to discover more about his background and contributions to Ross Optical.
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When creating an optical system, there are many challenges an engineer faces when choosing how to design a lens. Choosing the correct lens without the right tools can prove to be very difficult and costly. Zemax, a ray-tracing optical design software program, provides designs and analyses for imaging and illumination systems. This allows for the user to view the way different lenses work while providing analysis diagrams documenting a variety of data sets. Zemax is a great tool to improve performance, shorten time to market, and reduce production costs.
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El Paso, TX, July 9, 2019 Ross Optical Industries, Inc (Ross Optical), a provider of custom, precision engineered solutions for the optical market, announced today that it has been acquired by Precision Optics Corporation, Inc. (OTCQB: PEYE) (“Precision Optics”). Precision Optics is a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced optical instruments for the medical and defense industries.
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Unlike a conventional spherical lens, a "cylinder lens" has curvature along only one axis. The figure shows an example of a plano-convex cylindrical lens, which brings parallel rays to a line focus.
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The price increase is still in effect due to the continued tariffs. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and will keep our customers informed of any changes.
In order to give our employees well-deserved time with their families during the summer season, our Summer Hours will begin on Monday, June 3rd, 2019. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, September 2, 2019.
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The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) exist to control access to sensitive, defense-related technology. It is obvious that companies working directly in the defense industry must understand ITAR, but it is equally important for companies that supply or subcontract sub-components, software, or services to defense-related products. Keeping up with ITAR is challenging for small companies with limited resources, because the regulations are dynamic and can change over time.
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