SPDT for prototype optics and mold-insert finishing.
Diamond turning lives in the same building as the press floor, so the surface that proves a design also runs the program. Use it for prototypes before steel, low-volume freeform, and the optical inserts that decide how the molded part performs.
Two SPDT platforms, sized for prototype and insert-finishing work.
SPDT platforms — representative specifications; per-program tolerances confirmed in scoping.
| Machine / capability | Specification |
|---|---|
| Moore Nanotech 350FG | 4-axis ultra-precision lathe with freeform/toric and slow-tool-servo; prototypes, freeform surfaces, optical-insert generation |
| Nanotech 250UPL | 2-axis revolution-symmetric; high-throughput blanks, mirror substrates, rotationally symmetric inserts |
| Maximum part envelope | ⌀ 250 mm (350FG), ⌀ 150 mm (250UPL) |
| Maximum sag | 25 mm |
| Environment | Temperature- and vibration-controlled SPDT bay, separate from molding floor |
Polymer and metal substrates the SPDT bay sees regularly.
- PMMA
- PC
- COP / COC
- Polystyrene
- Electroless nickel (mold-insert finishing)
- 6061 aluminum
- Brass
- OFHC copper
Typical achievable — on the right material and geometry.
Surface roughness and form-error envelope by material (best-case; measured per part)
| Material | Surface roughness (Ra) | Form error envelope |
|---|---|---|
| PMMA | < 5 nm | < 1 µm PV across a 50 mm aperture on best-case parts |
| PC | < 8 nm | < 1.5 µm PV at full envelope |
| Electroless nickel (insert finishing) | < 10 nm | < 250 nm PV on small-aperture inserts |
| COP / COC, PS, 6061 aluminum, brass, OFHC copper | Tracked per program | Tracked per program |
Every part is measured on the interferometer or profilometer; a per-part metrology report is available on request and is part of the release evidence when a customer's program requires it.
The five places programs reach for the lathe instead of the press.
- Prototype before tooling
- The fastest path from prescription to optical evidence on a real surface — without committing tool steel.
- Low-volume freeform
- Programs where ramping a mold is the wrong economics; SPDT replaces the cavity for low to mid volumes.
- Mold-insert finishing
- Optical inserts cut and polished in our SPDT bay, then handed straight to our injection-molding floor.
- Mirror substrates
- Electroless-nickel mirror blanks and figured aluminum substrates for reflective optics and pickoff mirrors.
- Wavefront-class parts where ramp economics fail
- Defense and aerospace programs that need an optical surface but cannot justify mold ramp — we run SPDT to net shape.
Related capabilities
- manufacture Polymer Injection Molding Six all-electric presses, ISO Class 8 cleanroom, closed-loop hold and pack on every cavity.
- 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.
Bring us the prescription and the volume profile.
We will tell you whether the right move is SPDT to net shape, an SPDT insert into the press floor, or a hybrid path through both.