PW10: Variety at Edmund Optics

Laura S. Marshall

Flexibility was a recurring theme among exhibitors at SPIE Photonics West this year, and Edmund Optics (EO) was no exception: The Barrington, N.J.-based company had a large number of new and recent products on display, including hands-on demonstrations designed to show attendees the various ways in which EO components can be combined.

Project Manager Adam Bublitz noted that Edmund has been focusing on biotech optics, investing in new asphere technology and developing hybrid and plastic aspheres for biophotonic applications.

From C-Mount components for dental imaging systems to reflective objectives that use mirrors instead of lenses, Edmund showed off its products and their wide range of uses.

EO’s TechSpec adjustable ReflX objectives are the company’s “best new product,” according to Kirsten Bjork-Jones, marketing manager. “This is a very unique product for us.” The objectives cut out chromatic aberration and material absorption problems found with standard microscope objectives, making them useful for UV or IR applications such as FTIR spectroscopy, semiconductor inspection, ellipsometry and photolithography. “Everybody services the visible,” said David Henz, product manager for anchor optics. “We’re focusing on the IR.”

Recent releases, TechSpec Hard-Coated Bandpass Interference Filters also made an appearance at the show. These filters come in center wavelengths from 405 to 980 nm and offer a 10 nm bandwidth. High-precision applications for these filters include biotech, biomedical and quantitative chemical applications such as clinical chemistry, environmental testing, colorimetry, elemental and laser line separation, flame photometry, fluorescence and immunoassays, and more. Their dense coating prevents filter degradation, Henz noted.

Also available for demonstration were F-Theta Scanning Lenses, designed for Nd:YAG (1064 nm, 532 nm and 355 nm) and CO2 (10.6 µm) laser sources. Laser marking, engraving and cutting systems are some of their intended applications.

Laura S. Marshall
laura.marshall@photonics.com