Title: Controllable fabrication of freeform optics

Authors: X.D. Zhang; Q.C. Wang; F.Z. Fang; X.L. Liu

Addresses: State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology & Instruments, Centre of MicroNano Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University, 300072, China ' State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology & Instruments, Centre of MicroNano Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University, 300072, China ' State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology & Instruments, Centre of MicroNano Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University, 300072, China ' State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology & Instruments, Centre of MicroNano Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University, 300072, China

Abstract: Freeform optics is the next-generation optics to be used widely in advanced optical systems. The approach of trial and error loops is always employed to achieve the required form accuracy. Controllable fabrication based on on-machining measurement is proposed in this study. The laser probe is mounted on an ultra-precision turning machine to measure the freeform in the spiral path. A unit decomposition algorithm (UDA) is proposed to supply the proper arrangement of measuring data for the filtering and composition. A modified robust weight function (MRWF) is also presented to improve the performance of the 3D robust Gaussian filtering (RGF). Simulation experiments and case studies are carried out to verify the validity of the controllable fabrication method.

Keywords: ultra-precision machining; on-machine measuring; robust filtering; freeform optics; advanced optical systems; ultra-precision turning; laser probes; unit decomposition algorithm; metrology; robust weight function; Gaussian filtering; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPTECH.2013.057054

International Journal of Precision Technology, 2013 Vol.3 No.3, pp.277 - 289

Published online: 06 Oct 2013 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article