MRF Technology


  • QED MRF Machines for Fine Finishing

  • Produce High Precision Flats, Spherical Lenses, and Aspheres

  • Exceed λ/40 Surface Accuracy

  • Supported by Advanced 3D Metrology

Overview

Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) is a deterministic process using a precise interferometrically documented subaperture tool to correct waveform errors by selectively removing material under a controlled and predicted process. MRF computer controlled deterministic processing can remove many of the artisan steps necessary to finish a fine optical surface. Optical form profile is directly fed into MRF machine-based software from an array of advanced 3D metrology platforms. Consistent and reliable data transfer from the world's state of the art metrology systems into MRF based polishing routines creates truly spectacular results on flat, spherical or aspherical surfaces. The guesswork, long iterative processing steps, and expensive empirical labor associated with precision optical surfaces is not present when using MRF technology.

Capabilities

  • High-Precision Spherical and Flat Optics: λ/40 P-V
  • Circular, Rectangular, and Irregularly Shaped Apertures
  • Prism angles corrected to arcsecond accuracy
  • Aspheres: MRF Corrected after asphere generation and prepolishing
  • Correction of Transmitted Wavefront Errors: System correction on a single surface & thin windows
  • Common Optical Glasses
  • High-aspect-ratio Optics

Part Specifications

  • Diameter Range: 10mm to 120mm, depending on geometry
  • Maximum Mass: ~7kg
  • Radius range:
    1. Concave Radius of Curvature: >35mm
    2. Convex Radius of Curvature: Call*
*Radii available for polishing with MRF Technology is metrology limited, please call us to see if metrology is available for your surface.

Manufacturing Equipment

  • QED MRF Machines for Fine Finishing

Metrology

MRF Machines are capable of producing high precision flats, spheres, and aspheres exceeding λ/20 accuracy. In addition to polishing rotationally symmetric parts, they can utilize a raster tool path routine to polish rectangular and polygon surfaces allowing for surface figure correction as well as angular correction. Understanding optical surface performance and utilizing proprietary optical correction software, MRF-based polishing can also be used to induce surface error to correct for total transmitted wavefront errors.

MRF

Related Paper | History of Magnetorheological Finishing

Daniel C. Harris, "History of magnetorheological finishing," Proc. SPIE 8016, Window and Dome Technologies and Materials XII, 80160N (20 May 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.882557; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.882557

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