Optical Prototyping And Manufacturing

Access precision optical manufacturing services for custom optical prototypes and production components. Accelerate product launches, reduce development risks, and optimize workflows with scalable on-demand solutions at competitive pricing.

Trusted by Teams in These Optical Sectors

Industrial Laser Systems
Defense & FLIR Imaging
Medical & Life Sciences
LiDAR & Autonomous Vehicles
Astronomy & Telescope
Machine Vision
Semiconductor Lithography
Fiber Optics & Photonics

What Optical Components Can We Manufacture for You?

The optics industry demands precision-engineered components crafted from high-performance materials to ensure clarity, durability, and compliance with rigorous industry standards. Our expertise spans optical solutions for consumer electronics, medical devices, aerospace systems, and laser technologies. Key requirements we address include:

Lens Barrels & Cells

Single and multi-element lens barrels, objective cells, relay lens tubes. Threaded and press-fit options. Concentricity ±0.005 mm.

Mirror Mounts & Cells

Plane, concave, and off-axis parabolic mirror cells. 3-point kinematic mounting pads, flexure-blade retention rings.

Prism Housings

Dove, Porro, Penta, roof-prism housings with precision V-groove or optical cement bond seats. Anti-reflection feature reliefs.

Beam-Splitter Cubes & Plates

Cage-mounted and post-mounted cube housings, plate holders, polarizing BS mounts with rotation adjustment.

Microscope Stage Components

XY translation stages, objective turrets, condenser carriers, coarse/fine focus rack-and-pinion bodies.

LiDAR Scan Mirror Brackets

High-speed scan mirror yokes, MEMS mirror mounts, galvo scanner brackets with precision alignment pins.

Laser Cavity & Beam Delivery

Resonator end-mirror mounts, Brewster-angle plate holders, laser head housings, beam expander tubes.

Filter Wheels & Turrets

Multi-position filter wheels, emission filter cubes, bandpass-filter slide cassettes for fluorescence systems.

Camera Adapter & C-Mount Bodies

C-mount, CS-mount, M42, M72, F-mount camera adapters machined to ±0.01 mm flange-focal-distance spec.

Fiber Optic Connectors & V-Grooves

SMA, FC, SC ferrule holders; V-groove arrays for fiber array alignment; single-mode alignment sleeves.

Kinematic & Flexure Mounts

3-ball kinematic platforms, notch-type flexure mounts, piezo actuator brackets for active alignment systems.

Custom Opto-Mech Assemblies

Full assemblies with alignment-verified component stacks, AR-coated glass install, and final QC report.

Why Choose SAMSHION ?

Optical systems are unforgiving — a 10 µm error in a lens seat can destroy image quality. Our workflow is engineered around that reality.

Sub-Micron Bore Control

5-axis machining centers bore lens seats and barrel IDs to ±0.005 mm concentricity. Thermal compensation routines run throughout the cycle. Final bores are verified on a Renishaw OMP60 touch probe and CMM before any component leaves.

Optical-Grade Surface Finish

Mounting seats and reference datums are finished to Ra 0.4 µm (N5) or Ra 0.8 µm as standard. Critical sealing grooves for sealed optics can reach Ra 0.2 µm with our diamond-turning toolpath strategy.

Thermal Stability Materials

We routinely machine Invar 36 and Super Invar for athermal mounts, alongside 6061-T651, 7075-T651, Ti Grade 5, and Zerodur-compatible structural parts — choosing the right material for your thermal environment.

Opto-Mechanical Geometry

V-grooves for fiber alignment, kinematic mount pads, flexure slits, and precision dowel holes for optical table bolt patterns — we understand opto-mechanical design language and can machine features that general shops avoid.

Contamination-Free Handling

All optical-grade parts are deburred, ultrasonically cleaned, bagged individually, and shipped with desiccant. Clean-room packaging available on request. No machining chips, coolant residue, or fingerprints on critical surfaces.

Complete Traceable Documentation

Material certs, dimensional inspection reports with actual values, surface roughness traces (Mitutoyo SJ-210), and certificates of conformance provided as standard. First Article Inspection (FAI) packages for production orders.

Materials for Optical & Photonic Applications

Opto-mechanical design demands materials with low CTE, high stiffness, excellent machinability, and compatibility with vacuum or clean environments.

Material	Grade / Spec	CTE (×10⁻⁶/°C)	Density (g/cm³)	Machinability	Best For
Aluminum	6061-T651	23.6	2.7	Excellent	General opto-mech structures, lightweight systems, anodize-compatible
Aluminum	7075-T651	23.4	2.81	Good	High-load lens barrels, aircraft-grade stiffness requirements
Titanium	Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V)	8.6	4.43	Moderate	CTE bridge between Al and glass; high-precision flexure mounts
Invar 36	UNS K93600	1.2	8.05	Moderate	Athermal mounts; cryogenic instruments; zero-drift mirror cells
Super Invar	Fe-Ni-Co	0.5	8.12	Moderate	Ultra-low CTE where Invar 36 is insufficient; UVOIR telescope structures
Stainless Steel	303 / 316L	17.2	7.93	Good	Corrosion-resistant housings, clean-room compatible mounts
Copper / CuBe	C17200 BeCu	17.8	8.25	Good	Flexure springs, thermal-conductor mirror substrates
Delrin / POM	Black POM-C	100	1.41	Excellent	Low-cost baffles, spacer rings, non-conductive lens retainers
PEEK	450G	47	1.32	Good	Vacuum-compatible fiber holders, autoclave-sterilizable components
Zerodur-Compat	Structural parts	0.05	2.53	Specialist	Ultra-stable telescope and interferometer structures (machined complementary parts)

Athermal Design

When operating across −40 °C to +80 °C, mismatched CTE between mount and optic causes defocus. Invar 36 mounts paired with borosilicate glass (CTE 3.3) or Zerodur (CTE ~0) nearly eliminate thermally-induced alignment drift.

Weight vs. Stiffness

6061-T651 at 2.7 g/cm³ gives excellent specific stiffness (E/ρ ≈ 26 GPa·cm³/g). For space and airborne systems where vibration is a concern, we model stiffness-to-weight ratios before recommending wall thicknesses.

Vacuum Compatibility

POM, PEEK, and anodized aluminum outgas at acceptable rates for most instrument vacuums. We can supply SRIM-cleaned parts for high-vacuum applications and avoid materials with high vapor pressures.

Surface Treatments for Optical Hardware

Surface finish selection in optical systems affects stray light, corrosion resistance, thermal emissivity, and dimensional stability.

Finish	Process	Thickness	Appearance	Typical Use in Optics	Dimensional Impact
Clear Anodize Type II	Sulfuric acid anodize	8–12 µm	Silver-gray matte	General aluminum lens barrels, filter wheels	Adds 8–12 µm; bore shrinks ~4–6 µm per side
Black Anodize Type II	Sulfuric + dye	8–12 µm	Matte black	Stray-light suppression in lens tubes, baffles	Same as clear; verify on bore fits
Hard Coat Anodize III	Hard anodize	25–50 µm	Dark gray / black	High-wear turrets, filter slides, focusing helicoids	25–50 µm total; pre-machine accordingly
Electroless Nickel (ENi)	Autocatalytic Ni-P	5–25 µm	Silver, slight sheen	Stainless steel mounts needing uniform coating; vacuum-compatible	Uniform ±1 µm — predictable for tight bores
Black Oxide	Chemical conversion	0.5–2 µm	Black, low-luster	Steel kinematic mounts, screws, spacer rings	Negligible — safe for tight fits
Alodine / Chem Film	Chromate conversion	0.5–2 µm	Gold-yellow or clear	Electrical-ground paths; base coat before paint	Negligible dimensional change
PTFE Impregnated ENi	Ni-P + PTFE	15–25 µm	Gray matte, low-friction	Focus mechanism threads, sliding zoom barrels	15–25 µm; specify pre-machine
Vacuum Black Paint	Carbon-loaded primer	10–30 µm	Deep matte black	Telescope baffles, low-scatter internal walls	10–30 µm; mask optical surfaces

Stray Light Control: The Black Anodize & Baffling Strategy

For imaging systems, stray light entering a lens barrel can reduce contrast (veiling glare) by scattering off smooth internal walls. Matte black anodize (Type II, dyed black) achieves reflectance < 5% at visible wavelengths. Pair this with machined internal baffles (knife-edge ridges) at 60° to the optical axis — we can machine these directly into the barrel bore on a single 5-axis setup, eliminating assembly steps and alignment errors.

Tolerances & Standards

Optical systems require tolerances that go well beyond standard machining specs. Here’s what Samshion achieves on opto-mechanical features.

Feature	Standard	Tight	Ultra-Tight
Lens bore diameter	±0.02 mm	±0.01 mm	±0.005 mm
Bore concentricity	0.02 mm TIR	0.01 mm TIR	0.005 mm TIR
Flange-focal distance	±0.05 mm	±0.02 mm	±0.01 mm
Thread pitch accuracy	ISO 6H/6g	ISO 5H/5g	Custom fit
Perpendicularity (bore to flange)	0.02/100	0.01/100	0.005/100
Surface roughness (mount seat)	Ra 1.6 µm	Ra 0.8 µm	Ra 0.4 µm
Parallelism (reference flats)	0.01 mm	0.005 mm	0.002 mm
Positional (hole pattern)	±0.05 mm	±0.02 mm	±0.01 mm

GD&T for Optical Assemblies

Circularity

Lens bore roundness

≤ 0.005 mm

Concentricity

Bore to datum axis

≤ 0.008 mm TIR

Perpendicularity

Flange to optical axis

0.005/100 mm

Parallelism

Reference flats

0.002 mm

Flatness

Mirror cell seating

0.005 mm

True Position

Dowel pin holes

±0.010 mm

Design for Optical Manufacturability

Specify concentricity as TIR on the drawing, not as position — they read differently on a CMM report
Keep lens seat depth ≥ 0.3 mm to ensure adequate axial constraint without over-constraining
Add a relief groove at the bottom of blind bore lens seats — allows adhesive to escape during press-fit
Avoid specifying Ra on internal threaded surfaces — thread class specifies this implicitly
Where thermal drift matters, call out Invar or Ti and reference your temperature range in the notes

Quality Assurance

Every optical component is produced under our ISO 9001:2015 quality management system — not as paperwork overhead, but as the backbone of our manufacturing process.

Documentation Deliverables

6-Step Optical Part Quality Flow

0 1

Drawing Review

GD&T parsed; critical features flagged before setup

0 2

First-Off Verification

First part CMM-verified before batch runs

0 3

In-Process Probing

Renishaw OMP60 checks bore diameter during machining

0 4

Final CMM Report

All critical features measured with actual values

0 5

Surface Roughness

Mitutoyo SJ-210 trace on all Ra-specified surfaces

0 6

Clean & Package

Ultrasonic clean → individual bag → inspection report enclosed

Frequently Asked Questions — Optical Manufacturing

Q: What's the tightest bore tolerance you can hold for a lens cell?

We routinely hold lens bore diameters to ±0.005 mm (5 µm) with concentricity ≤ 0.005 mm TIR on our 5-axis machining centers. For ultra-critical assemblies (e.g. single-mode fiber coupling mounts), we can discuss sub-5 µm targets with engineering review of your application.

Q: Can you machine Invar 36 or Super Invar for athermal mounts?

Yes. We machine both Invar 36 (UNS K93600) and Super Invar regularly for telescope structures, interferometer frames, and precision instrument mounts. These materials work-harden and require specialist tooling and conservative cutting parameters — our team has the experience. Lead time is typically 5–10 days depending on material availability.

Q: Do you supply complete opto-mechanical assemblies, or just machined parts?

Both. We can supply individual machined components, or provide sub-assembly services where we press, thread, and bond components together (with optical adhesive such as Norland NOA or equivalent) and deliver a dimensionally verified assembly. Final optical alignment is not within scope — we deliver mechanically assembled structures ready for your optical team to align.

Q: How do you handle stray-light control inside lens barrels?

We offer black anodize Type II (dyed black, reflectance < 5% visible) as standard, and can machine internal baffles (knife-edge rings) directly into the barrel bore on a single 5-axis setup. Baffle geometry, spacing, and angle are determined by the lens system’s field of view and the marginal ray diagram — share your optical design data and we’ll propose a baffle layout.

Q: What surface finishes are safe for vacuum environments?

Black anodize Type II, electroless nickel (Ni-P), clear anodize, and Alodine 1200 all have low outgassing rates suitable for most instrument vacuums (10⁻⁶ to 10⁻⁸ Torr). For ultra-high vacuum (UHV), baked PEEK, clean-room grade 316L SS, and Invar are preferred. We can provide SRIM (sequential rinse in methanol) cleaning on request and ship under dry nitrogen purge.

Q: Do you have experience with military / defense optical programs?

Yes. We supply lens housings, mirror mounts, and gimbal components for defense imaging and rangefinder programs. All defense inquiries are handled with NDA in place before any file review. We are aware of ITAR/EAR export control requirements — please discuss controlled-technology classification with us before uploading ITAR-controlled data.

Q: What file formats do you accept for quoting?

We accept STEP (.stp/.step), IGES, Parasolid (.x_t), and Solidworks (.sldprt) 3D files, plus PDF / DXF / DWG 2D drawings. For optical components, please include the critical tolerances, surface finish requirements, and any GD&T callouts in your 2D drawing — do not rely solely on 3D model dimensions for these features.

Q: What's the typical lead time for a prototype optical mount?

Standard prototypes (5-axis CNC + anodize): 5–7 working days. Rush 48-hour service is available for simple geometries without complex coatings. Invar and Super Invar parts typically need 7–12 days due to material procurement. Production orders (50–500 pcs) are typically 15–25 days depending on complexity and finish.

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