Meller Optics has introduced a new line of spinel and ALON (aluminium oxynitride) optics designed for UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), drone and unmanned systems applications requiring a durable and chemical-resistant material.
Meller spinel and ALON optics are transparent in spectral regions where glass is opaque, are about ten times more abrasion-resistant, offer superior chemical-resistance, and excellent transmission in the UV through MWIR. Manufactured using powder processing techniques, these optical ceramics can be produced in large sizes and complex shapes and retain up to 75% of their strength at 1,000ºC.
Optically isotropic which eliminates birefringence effects, Meller spinel and ALON Optics are available in sizes up to 18” x 35” in production quantities. Spinel and ALON Optics exhibit 1650 and 1870 Knoop hardness and up to 70-300 and 300-700 MPa strength respectively. They can be finished with less than 60-40 scratch-dig surface quality, less than 1 fringe flatness at 633 nm, less than 1 arc-min parallelism, and polished bevel on two sides.
