Optics Injection Mold
Elimold is the mold manufacturer of choice for critical optical molds. Our unique expertise in optical development allows us to clearly understand each customer’s specific requirements for design and mold manufacturing. From the outset, each mold project is carefully studied and reviewed. Our experienced team will work with customers to provide them with the mold that best suits their production needs.
Optical mold manufacturer
For many years, we have specialized in optical tool manufacturing. Each optical component can only perform to its full potential with the right tool. Precise technical preparation and constant control of tolerance limits are success factors for consistently high quality in series production, even with large production volumes. Elimold has its own high-precision tools, many years of experience and state-of-the-art machinery. In this way, we ensure consistently high quality in series production.
The optical inserts are manufactured using multi-axis diamond lathes equipped with air-bearing guides and spindles. Form accuracies of +/- 2-3 μ (depending on diameter and optical requirements) and surface roughnesses of less than 5 nm are possible.
The fast/slow tool is an ultra-precise add-on that allows the creation of microstructures and non-rotationally symmetrical operations. These inserts can be used, for example, to produce free-form surfaces or aspheric surfaces.
During prototyping, the high-precision tools are put into use for the first time. Prototypes or small series can be produced by injection molding and trial and pre-production runs are carried out.
Precision Optical Parts Mold Manufacturing
The basis for every molded precision optical component is the right mold concept and high-precision mold construction. This is because the mold directly determines the product quality. To achieve reliable repeatability, tolerances in the micrometer range and optimal component performance during the injection molding process, molds designed for plastics and optical components are required.
Elimold has extensive experience in designing and manufacturing lens and lens array molds, from single-cavity molds to high-volume multi-cavity molds. We have developed many company-unique expertise that can mold high-precision, high-repeatability molded optics. We are highly skilled and experienced in the production of flat and curved panel lens array molds. Elimold has the expertise required to produce molded optics with sub-micrometer features.
With our experience in product and tool design, combined with exquisite craftsmanship and high technology, we are able to create customized solutions with added value. As a partner to the automotive industry, medical technology and sensor technology, we thoroughly understand the material and mold requirements for complex optical applications.
Precision Injection Mold Design
The design of high-precision injection molded parts and the associated molds is very complex. If the component also fulfills an optical function, special expertise is required. An effective mold concept can only be created by adhering to the design rules and taking into account all specifications for achieving optical quality.
At us, part and mold design are handled by one team. This ensures the transfer of all relevant information and knowledge. Modern design and simulation software supports basic decisions such as the selection of gate systems, mold temperature control, molded part output and molded part separation. We use filling simulations to analyze critical issues, optimize processes and make our customers’ projects more cost-effective.
Mold manufacturing for optical applications
To ensure that injection molds can withstand the greatest mechanical stresses, the right choice of material, modern processing methods and, above all, experienced and highly qualified mold technicians are essential. In the field of plastic optics, however, additional skills are required: To produce optically active surfaces, high-precision mold inserts must meet the highest requirements for dimensional accuracy and surface quality. Manufacturing them is one of Elimold’s core competencies. Free-form surfaces, the finest linear and microstructures can be introduced into optical inserts by submerged arc machining such as turning, milling, flycutting and planing in up to five machining axes.
We offer a wide range of tool options, from prototype tools to 2K series tools. Professional storage, care and maintenance ensure a long service life and optimal performance.
Do you have a project? Contact us now for a quote
Elimold designs and produces high-quality precision plastic optical molds according to each customer’s specifications.
Mold Types
Optical molds manufactured by Elimold include:
- Single shot molds are commonly used for reflectors, light guides, and other optical components.
- Compression molds, used to collimate lenses that require high optical surface accuracy.
- Multi-layer molds for thick lenses. For ultra-thick lenses that require high precision and high volume production, Elimold manufactures unique multi-shot, multi-cavity molds.
Our production equipment
Elimold has a complete high-precision equipment system, including five-axis free-form surface ultra-precision machining machines, high-precision CNC cylindrical grinders, coordinate grinders, vertical compound finishing machines, electrical discharge machines, ultra-precision three-dimensional coordinate measuring machines, etc., to ensure that the accuracy of the jig/mold meets the quality requirements of the key steps of the process. In addition to standard aspheric lenses, the company also has the research and development capabilities of microlens arrays, diffractive elements, and free-form surface lens molds, and has been successfully applied to optical products such as VR/AR Glass lenses, HUD Combiner/Mirror, etc.
Measurement equipment
- interferometer
- 3D Coordinate Measuring Machine
- contour measuring machine
- Luminance Camera
- spectrometer
- Integrating sphere
- MTF tester
- Focal length tester
- Center impact tester
- Series-accompanying, customer-specific function and camera test benches
Optical Injection Mold and Molding One-Stop Solution Provider
Elimold ensures a comprehensive one-stop solution in design, rapid prototyping, mass production, thin film coating, bonding, optomechanical assembly and testing of the highest performance molded plastic optical lenses and prisms. Elimold’s industry-unique capabilities in combining high-performance plastic optical components, precision glass optical components and mechanical parts produce hybrid components with cost, weight and performance advantages. Elimold’s extensive manufacturing and design capabilities ensure that customers receive the best combination of optical components and manufacturing tolerances for superior product solutions.
Specialized Optical Surfaces
Another area of Elimold’s optical mold expertise is texturing mold surfaces to produce a variety of desired optical effects, including Gaussian distribution diffusers. These methods are often used in lighting optics and passive infrared lens arrays.
Our machining facilities enable us to produce prototypes and molds of unusual items, including those that lack rotational symmetry.
The Elimold team’s expertise in ultra-precision machining and other optical specialties makes our equipment ideal for producing optical components.
High-precision microstructure component forming technology
Elimold’s core technical advantage is multi-axis ultra-precision machining technology. Through ultra-precision turning, milling, planing, flying cutter, grinding and other composite processes and self-developed measurement and compensation software, the micron-level surface profile of the microstructure unit is analyzed and compensated. It can not only achieve high-precision machining of the microstructure surface of optical components, but also copy the microstructure from mass production molds to lens products through nano-imprinting, injection molding, glass molding and other methods.
- Microstructure array unit compensation technology
- Ultra-precision composite machining process chain
Free-form surface component forming compensation technology
For the free-form surface optical molds prepared by ultra-precision machining, Linghang Optics uses the self-developed contour error function fitting and compensation algorithm to accurately compensate for the positioning error, tool radius error and other errors generated in the slow cutting servo machining of free-form surface molds and the corresponding machining, thereby obtaining free-form surface optical molds with high contour accuracy and high surface quality.
Optical metrology close to production
In the injection molding of polymer optical components, the molding process also has a significant influence on the part geometry, which in turn determines whether the component functions optically correctly. Therefore, strict adherence to the tightest tolerances is essential. Throughout the entire production process, in addition to our test engineers, our experienced assemblers and process technicians monitor all relevant parameters in order to be able to react to deviations as quickly as possible – upon request, this is done within a 100% test range via statistical process control (SPC) and frequently via functional tests on customer-specific test benches. In projects with very large quantities, in addition to the checks by our highly qualified team, we also offer solutions for 100% checks by means of automatic test systems. In this way, components can be produced piece by piece with the highest precision.
Applications
Our plastic injection molded optical products are designed with precise dimensions, contours, edges and curves. Our capabilities allow us to provide component solutions for the following applications:
- Internet and telecommunication
- Optical disk drives
- Laser cutting
- Contact lenses and eyeglasses
- Electronic image sensors
- Image processing
- X-ray imaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI
- Computer and television manufacturing
- Semiconductor lasers for optical storage devices
Are you ready to get a quote for your optical injection mold?
Whether you need one, a few hundred, or a few million, Elimold can advance your initial optical design from prototyping and testing to production. We offer single-point diamond turning and machining, CNC machining, injection and compression mold manufacturing, and specialized optical surface treatment tools. Contact us today for a quote.