SPIE Optifab 2023, North America’s largest optical manufacturing conference and exhibition, will be held Oct. 16-19 at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, N.Y. The biennial event is organized jointly by SPIE and APOMA (American Precision Optics Manufacturers Association). The conference, with co-chairs Jessica DeGroote Nelson of Edmund Optics and Blair Unger of N2 Imaging Systems LLC, will focus on the latest in optical fabrication technologies and will feature expert-led presentations. Attendees will also be able to attend a multiday industry exhibition and courses. This year’s conference features 12 sessions, including novel approaches to optical fabrication and testing, materials and thin films, finishing methods, materials for high-position optics, off-axis and freeform optics, and more. A poster session is also included in this year’s program. Optifab’s 2023 Tuesday, Oct. 17, plenary is titled “Building the Precision Optics Industry, One Technician at a Time.” The event co-chairs will deliver the session, and additional event speakers include Frank Wolfs of OptiPro Systems, who will present “Advances in Freeform Manufacturing”; Christian Brock of OPTOCRAFT GmbH, who will discuss “Wavefront Testing of Optical Windows and Mirrors”; and Tianyi Wang of Brookhaven National Laboratory, who will give a talk on position-velocity-time motion scheduling’s aptitude for computer-controlled optical surfacing. The event’s 11 courses target researchers and optical manufacturing professionals. Highlights include a four-hour course taught by John P. Schaefer of Raytheon EO Innovations titled “Fundamentals of Single Point Diamond Turning.” Other courses cover topics such as optics surface inspection, precision glass molded optics, and computer-generated holograms for optical testing. The conference’s optical fabrication exhibition from Oct. 17-19 will showcase more than 180 companies from around the world and offer in-person opportunities to meet and explore companies exhibiting their latest products and innovations. The three 2023 exhibition chairs are Jonathan Sydor of Sydor Optics Inc., Justin Mahanna of Universal Photonics Inc., and Michael DeMarco of QED Optics. Featured technologies at the exhibition include optical fabrication equipment; optical components, materials, and systems; optomechanical components and devices; laser system components; optical thin-film coatings; optical metrology and testing equipment; cleanroom equipment; and software, adhesives, glass, and consumables. Companies confirmed to attend include Optimax, Corning, Teledyne FLIR, LaCroix Precision Optics, Santec USA Corp., and Bühler Inc. SPIE Optifab 2023 runs Oct. 16-19. The exhibition runs Oct. 17-19. Information and registration can be accessed via www.spie.org.
