Sapphire Optics

A wide range of custom manufactured sapphire optics that protect cameras, detectors and sensors from blowing dirt and sand in hostile environments are available from Meller Optics Inc. They can be custom manufactured as windows, lenses and domes in a variety of sizes and configurations with varying thicknesses, mounting holes, slots, wedges, edge treatments, elliptical edge shaping and anti-reflective coatings. Featuring Mohs 9 hardness, sapphire is an ideal material for front surface optics to protect against fast moving particles and chemicals. Ideally suited for missiles, aircraft and drones, the optics are impervious to water, most acids, alkalis, blowing dirt and sand, chemicals to 1,000 C, and pressures to 10,000 psi. Available in sizes from 1/4- to 10-inch diameter and 1/2 mm to 1-inch thick, surface finishes range from 60-40 to 40-20 scratch-dig, and windows can be fabricated with flatness held to 0.5 fringes of HeNe and parallelism from 20 to 2 arc/secs. For more information call (800) 821-0180 or visit www.melleroptics.com.