Free form mirrors are ultra-precise

Working with glass, plastics and metals, Kaleido Technology is able to produce free-form mirrors (up to 600mm diameter) with a surface roughness of less than 10nm RMS and a slope accuracy of better than 70urad.

These capabilities have come about through the customisation of an ultra-precision machining centre with sensors to track its long-term temperature stability.

With this information, and with in-house developed machine control software to directly control hardware features, the enhanced system can generate extremely smooth surfaces and complex geometries.

Using its ultra-precision machining centre, Kaleido Technology is able to take a CAD file directly from a customer to produce prototype and production quantity free-form mirrors to the high degree of accuracy and surface finish.

A customer involved with the automotive industry sought a novel aspheric mirror to create a high-performance head up display module that is significantly more compact than other products currently on the market.

Kaleido was selected over other suppliers because it was able to meet the capabilities, cost and schedule constraints of the programme.

Ultra precise surfaces that are not only incredibly smooth but also have the correct shape desired at levels approaching atomic magnitude are also increasingly in demand for a new generation of ground and space based defence systems.

A European defence contractor has turned to Kaleido for the manufacture of a very optically challenging free-form mirror for an imaging application.

The ability to manufacture complex aspheric geometries in the material of their choice with leading edge accuracy and smoothness have been key selection criteria for this customer.

Kaleido Technology is a European manufacturer of OEM discrete and integrated optical components and sub-systems.

Through innovative production methods the company seeks to provide high precision optics and optical systems at competitive prices.