Precision polymer molding for optical components.
Optical molding is a different discipline from commodity polymer molding: cavity pressure, hold-pack profile, and thermal stability live in the wavefront, not just the dimension. Our press floor is built around closing the loop on those parameters from T0 through SOP.
What the press floor can do — and what we instrument it to prove.
Optical molding press fleet — capabilities and instrumentation.
| Capability | Specification |
|---|---|
| Press fleet | Six all-electric injection presses, 30–220 metric tons clamp force |
| Vertical-clamp presses | Two presses for insert and over-mold work (window-in-housing, sensor cover-bonding prep) |
| Cavity-pressure control | Transducers and closed-loop hold/pack on every press |
| Mold-temperature control | ±0.5 °C, hot-runner systems where geometry justifies |
| Shot weight range | 0.05 g (micro-optics) to 250 g (large lighting elements) |
| Part handling | Automated handling with vision pickup-inspection on critical programs |
| Cleanroom | ISO Class 8 (Fed Std 209E Class 100,000), ±1 °C / 40 ± 5 % RH; ISO Class 7 sub-cell for critical assembly and coating prep |
DOE before the program ramps; SPC and gauge R&R while it runs.
Optical programs that drift in production drift on parameters that nobody bothered to instrument: hold-pack timing, melt temperature stability, mold-temperature delta across the cavity. We pin those down with a DOE during process development and watch them with SPC during SOP.
The DOE covers gating, hold, pack, and cooling at minimum; where the part has a coating or assembly downstream, we extend it to capture the conditions that drive AR-stack shift or bond-line warp. SPC bands ride alongside the press instrumentation (cavity pressure and melt temperature; see the press list above), with control limits set on what the optical metrology and the assembly downstream can absorb — not a generic dimensional band.
Gauge R&R is part of the program plan, not an audit response. Where automotive PPAP applies, MSA studies travel with the part on the release record; where medical-device customers need design-controls evidence, the same data populates their DHF.
The polymer envelope, vetted for optical work.
- PMMA
- PC
- COC
- COP (Zeonex E48R, F52R)
- Topas (5013, 6013)
- OKP (OKP-1, OKP-4)
- Polysulfone
- Polystyrene
- TPX
Cross-reference the Common Polymers reference for typical optical properties and the failure modes each resin family is prone to under the validation envelopes our programs face.
A typical optical molding program, week by week.
- Step 01 T0 / Kickoff Prescription, validation matrix, and program constraints reviewed by molding, design, and quality together. Weeks 0–3.
- Step 02 Mold-flow & tolerance Mold-flow with stress overlay on the optical aperture; tolerance budget tied to optical metrology. Weeks 3–5.
- Step 03 Tool build Steel cut, polished, and instrumented; SPDT inserts finished in-house where the surface call demands it. Weeks 6–14.
- Step 04 T0 shots First parts off the production cavity; dimensional and optical capture against the prescription. Week 14.
- Step 05 Process dev DOE on gating, hold, pack, and cooling; SPC bands and gauge R&R on the critical-to-function dimensions and surfaces. Weeks 14–18.
- Step 06 PPAP Dimensional CMM, wavefront, MTF, and environmental data submitted on the release record. Weeks 18–22.
Fast-track prototype and AIAG-aligned automotive PPAP variants are common. Timeline shifts left or right based on tool complexity, material lead time, and the program's qualification matrix.
Steel partners outside; optical insert finishing inside.
We partner with vetted US-based precision mold builders for steel cutting and core/cavity construction. The conversation starts during DFM, not after the order is placed; we route mold-flow predictions, gate position, and clear-aperture conflicts to the toolmaker so the cavity that arrives is the one the prescription assumed.
Diamond-turned optical inserts are finished in-house on our SPDT bay. The closed loop between mold-flow prediction, insert geometry, and first-shot validation lives in one building — the same engineers who own the optical metrology also own the insert finish.
Related capabilities
- manufacture Single Point Diamond Turning Moore Nanotech 350FG and 250UPL — prototypes, freeform surfaces, and mold-insert finishing in one bay.
- design Optical & Mechanical Design Imaging and illumination optics designed for manufacturability — DFM lives in the prescription, not the review meeting.
- finish Metrology & Testing Interferometry, profilometry, spectrophotometry, MTF, and environmental — every part has a number behind it.
Send us the prescription and the program constraints.
We will tell you what we instrument from T0, what the press fleet can deliver against your envelope, and what evidence the release record will carry through SOP.