Primary
Optics
There
certainly is a lot of "hoopla" in the optics
marketplace these days about wave-front accuracy.
Who do you believe?. If the company you are buying
your optics or telescope from do not employ the use
of an interferometer in their shop, how can they possibly
make claims on something they can't see?
The
Knife-edge or Foucault test is a good test and in
the hands of an expert optician, outstanding results
can be achieved. These types of test are very good
at seeing zones on the surface of optics, but they
really do not measure the converging wave front well
without the human error aspect entering the equation.
It becomes subjective, the interferometer takes the
subjectivity out of the test, ensuring a high quality
optical surface. One
CANNOT guarantee or fully certifiy high quality wave
front claims using knife edge/Foucault tests as their
sole means of testing.
You owe it to yourself to remember this as you look
at our "competitors" websites and literature.
Again, how
can they possibly make claims on something they can't
see?
For
primary mirror testing, our optical shop incorporates
the use of two interferometers, an equal-path and
a scatter-plate. The use of these sensitive tools
require isolation-flotations tables and high quality
optical supports to eliminate vibrations. This is
very expensive equipment.
We
guarantee our primary mirrors to be 1/15-1/20 wave
RMS or better.
Our
honest approach to optics claims
We
will utilize our experience and in-house technology
to produce a high quality optical surface, free of
zones, astigmatism and spherical aberration. All of
our mirror and diagonal blanks are made from Precision
annealed PYREX glass with the exception of our standard
mirrors which are soda-lime glass. Our blanks are
machined flat on the back and are expertly beveled,
no chips.
Good
optics are the result of hard work, dedication and
having the right equipment. Trust your next purchase
with us, you'll be glad you did. |