Optical Lens Assemblies

Optical lens assemblies are composed of a number of lenses mounted for a particular imaging function. There are many types of optical lens assemblies. Examples include objective lenses, collimator lenses, and gauging lenses. An objective lens is a lens or system of lenses in a telescope or microscope that is nearest the object being viewed. A collimator is used to filter a stream of rays so that only the rays traveling parallel to each other in a certain direction are permitted. A gauging lens is used for machine vision applications involving significant space limitations. Other types of optical lens assemblies are also available. Optical manufacturers produce lenses, prisms, mirrors, flats, windows, achromat doublets, and optical glass. An optical lens manufacturer can also produce custom made lenses.

Optical lens assemblies differ in terms of performance specifications. Optical sub assemblies are designed for semiconductor, industrial, biotech/medical, commercial and research applications. An optical sub assembly includes a combination of optical components including aspheric and spherical lenses, diffractive elements, coatings, and optical design ability. An optical sub assembly can be single, dual, or three-field-of-view lenses in addition to zoom lenses, in the 3 to 5µ and 8 to 12µ range. Objective lenses gathers light from a sample and forms an image. An objective lens should be well corrected for aberrations, as any image defect cannot be removed by elements later in the light path, but only magnified further. Collimators are optical devices that consist of a tube containing a convex achromatic lens at one end and a slit at the other with the slit at the focus of the lens. With a collimator, the light rays leave the slit as a parallel beam. Gauging lenses are available with a variety of specifications including the performance of less than 0.5-degree chief ray angle over the entire object field which enables precise gauging of 3-dimensional (3D) objects. A gauging lens also has a variety of base and attachment lenses that cover most applications. A gauging lens should have low distortion to provide accurate images. Like other optical lens assemblies, gauging lenses are available with both C-mount and F-mount base lenses.

Optical lens assemblies are designed and manufactured to meet most industry specifications. They are also used in many applications. Examples optical lens assembly applications include use in the medical and scientific fields. A collimator is used with radiation detectors in nuclear power stations for monitoring sources of radioactivity. Optical lens assembliesa should be inspected, weighed, and measured after completion in order to verify alignment and conformance to specifications.

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