AccuCoat Technical Notes and White Papers house the latest information on our processes and capabilities that help you get the best possible results with your coating needs.

 

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS:

Selecting the Right Coatings for LiDAR Optics:  A guide

This white paper provides an essential guide for research and development engineers, designers, buyers, end-users, and anyone involved in the manufacture of LiDAR devices on the best practice when it comes to coating specialist optics such as cylinder windows and metal spinners.  Read More

 

Anti-Reflective Coatings for IR Applications

AccuCoat produces the highest quality anti-reflective (AR) coatings on infra-red (IR) substrates. From high-efficiency broadband, to narrowband and dual-band, AccuCoat can create prototypes through high-volume custom coatings that provide the performance and durability required of demanding optics applications for military, industrial, medical and commercial use. AR coatings are applied to a variety of substrates for use in applications including bar-code scanners, autonomous vehicles, displays, cameras, fiber optics, lasers, illumination systems, range finders, instrumentation, microscopes, temperature sensors and more. Read More

 

Mirror Coatings: More Than Meets the Eye

We’ve learned a lot over the years about how to coax more reflectivity and reliability out of these optics. In this technote, we’ll look at the various types of high-performance metal coatings we offer at AccuCoat, the importance of metal purity, and how the use of multiple coatings can improve performance and durability.  Read more

 

 

global optical coating

Optical Coating - Local Touch, Global Reach

Why do global customers ship to Rochester when there are closer options available?  After over 20 years in Rochester, NY, and with customers as far away as Germany and Japan, thin-film coating house AccuCoat inc., continues to provide exceptional attention to detail, optical coating design support, cost savings recommendations and on-time delivery to customers around the world with personal care for each project.  Read more

Intensity beamsplitterBeamsplitters: Divide, combine & conquer

When you need to separate or overlap two beams on the optical bench or in a product design, the solution is most often the humble but elegant beamsplitter. In this tech note, we’ll look at the types of beamsplitters that AccuCoat can provide, and a number of the applications they serve. Read more

Color correcting filters optimize lighting in the surgical suite

The xyz's of Color Correcting Coatings

The perceived color of objects is easily affected by the spectral distribution of the illuminating light source. While this may be merely inconvenient when it comes to matching your clothes, it is extremely important in the surgical suite, and in the art and architectural worlds. We'll show you how AccuCoat works with the lighting industry to modify the color temperature or specific xy coordinates of light sources to achieve the perfect color every time. Read more

AccuCoat Technical Notes

Coating Plastic Substrates – Part 2 of 2

In Part 1 of this series, we talked about the specialized cleaning, handling, and deposition processes required to deposit coatings on plastics to MIL-SPEC standards. But why choose plastic optics? In Part 2, we explore the many coatings we can offer in the transition from glass to plastic. We'll also share case studies of some successful projects, from laser sighting optics and mylar sheets to hot mirrors for virtual reality. Read more

Augmented reality goggles showing prism placement

Living in 3D: Coatings for VR, AR, and MR

Virtual reality. Augmented reality. Mixed reality. What's the difference, and how do optical coatings fit in? In this application note, we'll explore the specific optical coating needs of this emerging technology, and share how AccuCoat is responding to its challenges. Read more

Optical Coatings for the Defense Industry

The harsh operating environments in aerospace, defense, and military applications demand nothing short of the toughest optics. In this tech note, we share 5 things these customers require of us when coating mission-critical components, and how we meet their needs. ITAR compliance and MIL-SPEC testing are just the beginning. Read more

LiDAR Coatings Take Many Forms

LiDAR is becoming more of a household word as self-driving cars and high-end vehicles with collision avoidance systems make their way into the daily news. But LiDAR actually encompasses a much more varied range of applications and optical designs, each with their own unique coating needs. In this tech note, we’ll talk about what LiDAR is, where it's used, where optical coatings fit in, and how AccuCoat adapts to it all. Read more

plastic optics coatings

Coating Plastic Substrates – Part 1 of 2

Did you know that more than half the substrates we coat are plastic? Often chosen for their low weight or durability, plastics are being used in an increasing number of medical, imaging, military, and virtual reality applications. Coating on plastic requires specialized cleaning, handling, and deposition processes in order to match the optical performance and durability possible on glass – and not everyone can do it. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we share how AccuCoat has overcome these challenges, and some of the surprising MIL-SPEC tests we've passed. Read more

Example of prism used in augmented reality goggles

A Diamond-Turned Optic in the Rough: Coating SPDT Optics

Diamond turned optics are no longer just for prototypes. In fact, we coat quite a few medium to large volume substrates manufactured using single point diamond turning (SPDT). In this tech note, we’ll explore the advantages of SPDT, our coating capabilities in this area, and the unique benefits we offer to transition seamlessly from quick turn prototyping of SPDT optics to volume production. Read more