Measuring what we make is at the heart of What We Do, and is a core competency at Gray Optics. Metrology and Test enables our team to deliver the highest quality products that meet our customers’ strict performance requirements. 

Our engineering and precision assembly teams have a wealth of expertise and experience in the design and setup of metrology and test equipment. They use that expertise to characterize the optical performance of individual optics,  complex lens assemblies, and design and build custom metrology stations for miniature endoscopes commonly used in robotic surgery and minimally invasive surgery. The benefits of our approach to custom metrology enable real-time assembly feedback that correlates with the tolerance analysis performed in the design stage and can be used to validate as-built specifications. 

At our design center of excellence and production facility in Portland, ME, we have invested in dedicated production cells for the assembly and test of optical components, lens assemblies, and optical sub-systems that operate in the visible (400-700 nm) and near-infrared (700-1,000 nm) wavelength ranges. We can support your metrology and test needs from individual optics to sub-2 mm optical assemblies and large format laser-based optical sub-systems for microscope instruments. The types of optical systems that we measure, coupled with our deep metrology expertise in automated testing, set us apart and enable our team to support your project needs rapidly.

 

Product Types

Camera Modules and Endoscopes

Metrology Tools: Camera test bench with Imatest analysis 

What We Measure

  • Resolution – MTF, visible & IR
  • Chromatic aberration 
  • Lens effective focal length 
  • Depth of field 
  • Direction of view (with respect to mechanical axis)
  • Field of view (diagonal, V/H)
  • Distortion 
  • Illumination uniformity 
  • Illumination color spatial profile 
  • Camera brightness uniformity
  • Image brightness uniformity (combined illumination and camera) 
  • Illumination efficiency (output/input)
  • Blemish/defect detection 

Stereo Endoscopes

Metrology Tools: Stereo camera test bench with Imatest analysis

What We Measure

  • Depth of field 
  • Direction of view difference between channels (with respect to mechanical axis) 
  • Stereo convergence 
  • Vertical disparity 

Camera Response

Metrology Tools: Stereo camera test bench with Imatest analysis

What We Measure

  • Color (Imatest)
  • Gray scale/ tonal response

Optical Elements and Lens Assemblies

Metrology Tools: Autocollimator, Wavefront Sensor

What We Measure

  • Radius
  • EFL
  • Transmitted and reflected wavefront

Illumination Modules

Metrology Tools: Angle scanning profiler, Power meter, Lux meter, spectrometer

What We Measure

  • Illumination angle
  • Spectral profile
  • Power
  • Illuminance

 

Metrology & Test
Metrology & Test

If our standard metrology tools don’t meet your products’ unique optical performance needs, our team can custom design and build automated test instruments for precise, repeatable quality control. Additionally, we can work with your engineers to integrate test instrumentation your R&D laboratory or production facility anywhere in the world.  With our integrated partnership model, our design engineers and metrology teams work together to ensure that our customers’ metrology and test needs are met at all stages of product development, from engineering samples to the rapid delivery of prototypes to production-ready products.

If your product development team needs help to solve a complex optical instrument design and assembly problem, Gray Optics expertise in metrology and test can help. You can learn more about our unique product engineering capabilities, as well as learn more about How We Work and the Work We’ve Done

 

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