TPi October 2009

developments products &

Glass rods for mass production SCHOTT is an international technology group that develops special materials, components and systems. The company’s main areas of focus are the household appliances industry, pharma- ceuticals, solar energy, electronics, optics and the automotive industry. dimensions of the rod ensure easy processing and reduced processing time. Schott has also expanded its portfolio of low Tg glasses that have low transformation temperatures. These can be precisely shaped at temperatures of below 550°C and thus enable mass production of extremely small optical components in an efficient manner.

N-LAF33, N-LASF46B and SF57. The glass type N-LASF46A has also been further developed. The N-LASF46B type (nd = 1.90366; vd = 31.32) is available with improved transmission inside the blue spectral range. The listed glass types N-KZFS4, N-KZFS5 and N-KZFS8 belong to the special short flint glasses that Schott offers, which are mainly characterised by a profound deviation of the partial dispertion from the normal line. They feature high transmission within the blue-violet spectral range combined with a low fluorescence at an excitation wavelength of 365nm.

The company supplies fire-polished glass rods, made of specialised glass, that can be less than 1mm in thickness and up to 1,000mm long, for efficient manufacturing of small lenses. By offering low Tg glasses and optical materials in new shapes, Schott supports miniaturisation in optical applications. In addition, developments aimed at being able to provide conical rods, prisms, tubes and right angle designs, as well as standardised round rods, are already underway. The products that are now being offered include rods made of optical glasses, such as LASF 35, which has an extremely high index of refraction (nd=2.02204; vd=29.06), as well as low Tg glasses that are suited to precision moulding processes. Other glasses are available upon request. The length of the rods enables higher yields, while the smaller diameter results in less loss of material during manufacturing of smaller components. Schott states that the fire-polished surface of the rod is suitable for a variety of applications, and the new

In addition to the established P and N glasses, the following glass types now successfully qualify for use in precision moulding: N-KZFS2, N-KZFS4, N-KZFS5, N-KZFS8,

Schott AG – Germany info@schott.com • www.schott.com

Long rods made of optical glass S S

A partner for exacting surface finish requirements

projects, yet flexible enough to adjust to individual customer circumstances.

gloss/super mirror polished – YQ (yacht quality). The tubes are not just finely ground, but for the purpose of decoration, automatically finished to the super mirror polish.

DESIGN Factory works in cooperation with architects, designers and cus- tomers, to provide polishing/finishing services for stainless steel. In addition to mirror-polished sheets, Design Factory processes a large number of tube forms in industry polished, super mirror polished (No 8) and high-

Design Factory can process tubes from 600 to 6,300mm in length. For round tubes, outside diameters range from 6 to 800mm; for square, rectangular, oval, elliptical and other tubes, from 10x10 to 800x800mm. Wall thicknesses range from 0.8 to 20mm, and the maximum component weight is 800kg. Design Factory GmbH – Germany info@designfactory-cmb.de www.designfactory-cmb.com

The company is large enough to provide the necessary security for large

Design Factory provides polishing services for stainless steel tubes S S

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October 2009 Tube Products International