Manufacturing of Aspherical Lenses

Introduction to Aspherical Lenses
A spherical lens has a fixed curvature from its center to its edge, whereas an aspherical lens features a curvature that continuously varies from the center to the edge. In optical systems, correcting aberrations is critical to ensuring performance. If only spherical lenses are used for correction, the design would require a complex combination of multiple lenses. The curvature radius of an aspherical lens changes along its central axis, significantly reducing the number of optical components needed and lowering design costs.

With their unique optical properties and superior imaging performance, aspherical optical components have become indispensable in military, civilian, and aerospace applications.

Aspherical Lens Manufacturing
The manufacturing process for aspherical lenses consists of four main stages: blank fabrication, grinding and shaping, polishing, and inspection at each step.

First, a spherical blank is produced according to design specifications. Based on the blank’s dimensions, appropriate fixtures are selected. Subsequent steps include rough grinding, fine grinding, and polishing. After aspherical grinding, a profilometer is used to inspect the surface profile, and corrections are made based on deviations detected. Following repeated testing and adjustments, the critical polishing stage ensures surface profile accuracy to meet optical quality standards.

Traditional manufacturing methods for aspherical lenses struggle to meet modern market demands in terms of efficiency and cost, given the widespread use of optical components across industries. However, advancements in ultra-precision machining technology, combined with high-precision equipment and computer-aided techniques, have led to groundbreaking progress in aspherical optical component manufacturing.

This technology employs ultra-precision grinding machines to shape optical blanks. Computer-simulated polishing then determines optimal parameters, calculates motion trajectories, and establishes dwell-time equations. This approach ensures surface profile accuracy while minimizing surface roughness, achieving stringent optical quality requirements.

We offer both polished aspherical lenses and molded glass aspherical lenses suitable for mass production. For inquiries, please contact us!