Technical resources
Whitepapers and webinars from the people who machine, polish, coat, and inspect precision glass, ceramic, sapphire, and optical components.
Practical technical guidance on manufacturability, optical performance, materials, tolerances, and the decisions that affect successful production.
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- Technical whitepapers
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- On-demand webinars
- Free, no gate
- Since 1982
- Manufacturing experience
Whitepapers and webinars
Each paper explores a manufacturing decision that is relatively easy and inexpensive to change on a drawing, but can become difficult and costly once a component reaches production. Use these resources to understand the tradeoffs earlier, before they become manufacturing problems.
Whitepaper5 Design Mistakes in Super Hard Components
Legacy technical paper. Company-profile details may be outdated; use current site pages for IRD facts. Design considerations that affect manufacturability, yield, and finished performance in hard materials.
Legacy PDF
WhitepaperCustom Optical Homogenizers vs. Stock Components
Legacy technical paper. Company-profile details may be outdated; use current site pages for IRD facts. When a custom light pipe or homogenizer can fit performance and commercial requirements better than a catalog part.
Legacy PDF
WhitepaperFabricating High Damage Threshold Optics
Legacy technical paper. Company-profile details may be outdated; use current site pages for IRD facts. Fabrication and coating considerations for optics exposed to high laser energy.
Legacy PDFWebinarSynthetic Sapphire: Properties, Use and Selection
Legacy technical paper. Company-profile details may be outdated; use current site pages for IRD facts. How sapphire's hardness, transmission, and thermal behavior drive material selection and what that means for the finished component.
Legacy PDF
WebinarWriting an RFQ That Delivers the Right Product at the Right Price
Legacy technical paper. Company-profile details may be outdated; use current site pages for IRD facts. What to include on the print and in the request so the quote reflects the part you need.
Legacy PDFHave a challenging part?
Our technical resources explain the materials, processes, tolerances, and manufacturing considerations behind precision optical, glass, and ceramic components. Because IRD is a build-to-print manufacturer, actual manufacturability depends on the complete requirements of your application, including the drawing, material, tolerances, wavelength or operating environment, inspection requirements, quantity, and schedule.
Send us your drawing and application requirements. An IRD applications expert can review the details, discuss manufacturability, and help identify a practical path from print to production.
Ready to send a drawing for review?
Share the print and the application details. The team will identify the manufacturing decisions that matter before production.
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