Lightweight Optics
Customized complex structural shapes with a lightweighting rate greater than 65%
Why Lightweight Optics
Lightweighting involves strategically removing material from optical components, often using mechanical methods. This process maintains optical performance while achieving lighter structures. Utilizing low-expansion ceramics and glasses ensures these structures retain optical excellence and stiffness, all while minimizing size, weight, and power (SWaP). In cutting-edge applications like defense and aerospace, especially in critical tasks such as space remote sensing, lightweight optical devices enhance overall system performance. The streamlined design not only boosts resolution but also reduces launch costs and minimizes external forces’ impact. It stands as a pivotal challenge in contemporary optical system production.
Why Lightweight Optics By Yudi
As a leader in the optical industry, Yudi has been committed to promoting the maximum lightweight of space optical systems. By continuously improving processing equipment, optimization algorithms, and cooperating with material suppliers, Yudi strives to explore the processing limits of various materials and conduct in-depth research on existing lightweight structural designs. These efforts have brought significant returns. Yudi has successfully improved the lightweight rate of space optical mirrors to 70% while maintaining stable surface accuracy, far exceeding the 95% rate among its peers. This not only meets the needs of space optical applications, but also helps customers reduce costs.
Selection by Materials
Currently, YUDI uses more materials: glass-ceramic (Zerodur), silicon carbide SiC, CDGM LW1, and Russian AstroStiall, etc. Customers can choose the most suitable base material based on actual application requirements, project cycle and cost budget. The lightweight mirrors processed using these base materials should be able to obtain an optical surface shape that meets the system quality requirements through optical processing, and the surface of the mirror The shape accuracy should remain stable in space environment work. Because they can maximize the following performance requirements:
Optical processability
The material used to produce lightweight optics must be able to adapt to the requirements of optical surface processing. The substrate should have a uniform microstructure, be able to withstand the process conditions of optical coating, and be easy to combine with the reflective film.
Thermal stability
Lightweight optics are widely used in laser systems, telescopes, satellite optical systems, etc. In these applications, lasers or high-power light sources may result in high-temperature. A suitable substrate with good thermal stability is critical to ensure shape stability and optical performance.
Mechanical properties
The high specific stiffness of the material is conducive to achieving a higher lightweight rate of desired optics. So lightweight optics can have stronger resistance to vibration and impact to serve in harsh environments.
Zerodur Lightweight Mirror
Zerodur used in lightweight optical component manufacturing for its main advantages:
SIC Lightweight Mirror
SIC as the substrate materials to produce lightweight optics will offer the major benefits:
Fused Silica Lightweight Mirror
Fused silica is a common optical material in the manufacture of lightweight for its advantages:
Design and Structural Form
When designing large-diameter mirrors, we must fully consider lightweight and flexible support. We must comprehensively consider factors such as material characteristics, processing technology, and material costs to select appropriate materials to make the mirrors and adopt optimal lightweight methods in the structural design. Structural form to achieve the optimal combination between lightweight rate, structural stability, and overall manufacturing cost. Currently, Yudi mainly uses a back-opening structure to complete lightweight processing.
The open-back structure entails a lightweight hollow design featuring regular shapes such as triangles, quadrilaterals, hexagons, circles, etc., on the reflective surface’s back. This configuration results in the formation of a systematic array of reinforcing ribs on the reflector’s rear surface.
Lightweight Processing Technology
Yudi employs machining techniques to achieve lightweight designs. The process involves high-speed mechanical rotation of a diamond drill bit to mechanically grind the glass. Blind holes of various shapes are gradually drilled and milled on the back of the mirror blank to achieve weight reduction. This method results in a large-diameter lightweight mirror blank with a honeycomb structure. Materials like microcrystalline and quartz are used, starting from the whole piece and then machined into the final lightweight components.
Stable Structure
The honeycomb structure on the back provides good structural stability and reduces the thermal deformation of the mirror.
Wide Applicability
The processing technology can be applied on a variety of optical materials, such as glass, etc.
Low Cost
The cost of mechanical drilling and milling weight reduction methods is relatively low, compared with high-temperature processes.