Pavilion, NY April 17, 2006

Syntec Technologies, the largest independent custom plastic optics manufacturer in the US, has added a state-of the-art Nanotech 250 Diamond Turning Lathe at its wholly owned subsidiary, Rochester Tool and Mold. Rochester Tool and Mold is one of very few facilities worldwide with expertise in both opaque and optical molds. As an integral part of delivering this expertise, it offers full single point diamond turning as well as HRDT™, its patent-pending process for high refraction diamond turning.

According to Rick Arndt, VP of Molding, “The Nanotech 250 is renowned for achieving exceptionally accurate surfaces. Our configuration includes a C-Axis for greater flexibility in machining complex aspheres, toroids and diffractives, whether for molds or finished optics. All these lens types are important for the demanding geometries today’s applications require.”

Whatever the application, diamond turning is essential for optical molds, since they need precision that is impossible to achieve otherwise. In some cases, particularly for defense and security applications, it is also the best way to produce high quality finished optics. Diamond turning parts for prototypes reduces the total time and cost for product development by overlapping the time needed to create/change molds. Once developed, if projected volumes are low, diamond-turned parts either eliminate or defer the need for a mold, e.g., until the application proves effective or usage reaches certain levels. Arndt notes, “In solving any application problem, it’s vital to consider mold design and diamond turning processes as a whole, so you can move between diamond-turned and molded parts reliably and cost-effectively.”

Syntec Optics (syntecoptics.com) delivers optics solutions that make products succeed. Services include: design, molds and tooling, SPDT and HRDT, injection molding and integrated assembly.