by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
What are Optical Homogenizers, and What Applications do they Serve? Homogenizers, also known as ‘light pipes’, are examples of optical waveguides that are designed to combine and integrate a number of sources – and power levels – of light, including lasers; even out a...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
It all started in the 1800’s. (Optical coatings have been around for a while.) Scientists of that century developed chemical processes for depositing silver on either the front or back surface of a piece of glass. “Silvering” the back of the glass improved the quality...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
One of the first Earth science facts that most people learn is how a diamond forms when carbon is placed under high pressure. While they may have learned the lesson from a superhero squeezing a lump of coal rather than in the classroom, the fact that materials change...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
Elon Musk, the madman-genius-engineer behind Palo Alto-based automaker Tesla, made big waves when he declared that “Anyone relying on lidar [for self-driving cars] is doomed. Doomed.” Tesla’s current vehicles use radar, GPS, maps, ultrasonic...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
A Chinese device called the ZKZM-500 laser assault rifle is purported to emit a high-power laser beam that can incinerate you from over a mile away. Ouch! In 2015, the Chinese government dedicated 2 billion yuan to researching and developing compact laser devices of...
by stephen | Dec 17, 2021 | Blog
After the recent 25% Chinese import tariff, OEMs in numerous industries are looking for ways to stabilize their supply chains and cut production costs. If you have traditionally sourced precision glass, ceramic or optical components from China, USA sources may now be...