Ross Optical Blog: The Latest News & Research

Optical assembly is an important step in the production of an optical system—as well as a major cost driver. As we’ve previously discussed, designing optics with assembly in mind can ease the transition from prototype to final product and save money in the long run. But beyond design, the “who” and “where” of assembly can also affect price.

Generally speaking, a "large" optic is anything with dimensions exceeding 10 cm. Designing a large optical system is not intrinsically harder than designing a smaller system, but the stakes are higher. The classic example of a large optics project gone wrong is the Hubble Space Telescope, in which an error in metrology resulted in a mirror that was made "exactly wrong" to very high precision.

Keep in mind that, when designing a system that includes large optical elements, the effects of the usual cost factors increase and some new factors appear. The following design points will help.

Over the last several years, Ross Optical has worked closely with the engineering and purchasing team at Microtrac to provide custom optics that support their particle analysis instruments.

Opto-mechanics refers to the mechanical design of optical systems. Opto-mechanical design is sometimes dismissed as little more than "wrapping metal" around the optics, but that perspective is detrimental to building the best operating optical instrument.

Kanban, a method used to visualize and optimize workflows, has long been a key part of Ross' processes. Kanban has 5 core properties: (1) visualize workflow, (2) limit work-in-progress, (3) manage flow, (4) make process policies explicit, and (5) improve collaboratively. At Ross, we help you with 3–5 so that you can focus on 1 and 2. When managing and delivering optics inventory to customers, we aim to:

Erika has been with Ross Optical for 7 years. From our quality management system to our thorough optical inspection process, Erika helps ensure that our products meet customer requirements as well as our own high quality standards.

For years, Ross Optical has been supplying catalog cylinders and optical cylinder sets to customers in laser diode, measurement instrumentation, and other industries. While cylinders are used in a broad range of applications, we are seeing the most recent demand for their use in line generators.

Regardless of whether a business works directly or indirectly with the US government, it is critical to follow ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations). As we noted in a previous article, ITAR is a moving target, and it is inarguably frustrating to keep abreast of the latest developments. That said, we have noticed that maintaining our ITAR compliance has had a "ripple effect" on other aspects of our business practices. Here are four indirect business improvements we have seen because of ITAR compliance.

Sonia is the newest member of the Ross Optical team. Although she’s only been here a month, she has embraced her role in the customer service department, making sure that customers are well taken care of and that any issues they have are resolved quickly and completely.

As CTO at Ross Optical, Lisa Yang provides design and technical support services to customers. She designs and recommends lens systems, coatings, and mechanical systems that maximize performance and ensure customer satisfaction. In this interview, she shares insight from her current projects and experiences.