Umicore offers new solutions for high volume production of infrared optical system

During many years high volume commercial applications of infrared optics have been slowed down by several cost factors. The development of focal plan arrays and uncooled detectors has allowed to greatly reduce the cost of infrared detectors. In the meantime, Umicore IR Glass has developed an industrial process to manufacture low cost chalcogenide glasses with well controlled properties. These glasses called GASIR 1 and GASIR 2 are transparent in the NEAR and FAR infrared atmospheric windows and are mouldable into high quality finished spherical, aspherical and diffractive lenses. The moulding process allows high volume production of cost effective infrared optics. After the development of several optics in GASIR for medium volume series, Umicore is opening the first high volume factory entirely dedicated to GASIR optics for driving vision enhancement (DVE). This new facility will have a capacity of several tens of thousands of optics per year.