Why the Quality of Plastic Optics Has Greatly Improved Recently

Published: July 15, 2015

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In recent decades the quality of plastic optics has improved drastically. What was formerly considered to be cheap, low-quality lenses are now high-quality, lightweight, low-cost, precision optics. These optics can be seen everywhere (though more likely you haven’t noticed them) in a wide variety of products.

Plastic optics weigh less than glass optics and are easier to handle during manufacturing. High refractive index plastics enable thinner and flatter designs, which in turn enable the thin and sleek shapes in today’s cell phones, tablets and laptops.

The OKP plastics are high purity, polyester polymers with refractive indices ranging from 1.61 to 1.65. These materials are always improving. Osaka Gas recently introduced a 1.64 refractive index material (Part Number OKP-1) with extremely low birefringence. Birefringence in polymers is predominately the result of the molding process.

Most polymer plastics are inherently isotropic (that is, that is they have no directionality in their optical properties). However, when formed in the injection molding process the polymer is melted, injected and cooled, which depending on the material can induce stress that shows up as birefringence in the finished molded part.

OKP-1 offers a 1.64 refractive index and very low birefringence. No doubt we will continue to see more and more plastic optics enabling new and ever more powerful applications.

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About the Author

Randall Elgin Randall Elgin, Business Development, Specialty Products, Technical Sales Randall started her career at Fiber Optic Center (FOC) in February 2010 as a technical specialist in encapsulation materials for optical applications. Since then she has worked with new materials, optical and otherwise, that enable high tech applications in the photonics industry. She regularly attends the photonics exhibitions in the US and Europe. Randall joined FOC from Nusil, where she spent 5 years working on the encapsulation issues for Solid State Lighting. Prior to that she spent 3 years at Lightspan in Wareham, MA, learning about and supporting emerging optical applications. Before Lightspan, she was an electrical engineer for 17 years at Sippican Ocean Systems in Marion, MA. Randall graduated from Boston University in 1984 with a Masters in Electrical Engineering. She and her husband reside outside New Bedford where they built a super energy efficient home, enjoy rural living and take in the New Bedford and Boston classical music scenes.

About Fiber Optic Center, Inc.

Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment and supplies and has been helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over two decades. Several areas of specialization and expertise, in which they are the industry leader, make them the preferred choice for many of the world’s fiber professionals. In these key technology areas, FOC is "at least as technical as the manufacturer" about the products they sell. Striving to "make the business part easy," they offer outstanding and personal customer service, low or no minimum purchase order values, and from-stock delivery on industry-leading products and technology. FOC is the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

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