SPIE Optifab 2017

The city of Rochester, NY, one of the biggest optical manufacturing regions in the USA and the home of the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics), is once again the host city for SPIE Optifab this year.

With a focus on classical and advanced optical manufacturing technologies, the 16-19 October event will bring together many of the world’s experts on optical metrology, materials science, coatings, lithographic processes, and other topics involved in optical fabrication.

Organized by SPIE and sponsored by the American Precision Optics Manufacturers Association (APOMA), Optifab is the largest optical manufacturing conference and exhibition held in the United States.

More than 100 papers will be presented during four days of conference sessions at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

The event also includes plenary talks, a three-day exhibition with product demonstrations, a job fair 17-18 October, poster session, industry sessions, educational courses, and a networking reception. SPIE Corporate member Sydor Optics will host a photonics clambake on Tuesday (tickets sold separately).

Heinrich Grüger, head of the business unit at Fraunhofer-Institute Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) at Dresden (Germany), is scheduled to give a plenary talk on a new approach for the high-volume fabrication of off-axis optical systems on Tuesday, 17 October. The additional plenary speakers will be announced when confirmed.

Conference sessions during the week will cover design considerations for manufacturability; grinding and polishing; cleaning and inspection techniques; software for the optical industry; optical adhesives; ellipsometry; and new developments in the optical design, manufacturing, and metrology of freeform surfaces and diffractive optics.

Ten courses at SPIE Optifab include a half-day session on the proper cleaning, handling, storage, and shipping of optical components along with sessions on geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, scatter metrology for industry, and scratch and dig specification.

Industry sessions include a Wednesday panel discussion addressing the impact of standards on technical and business operations, led by Allen Krisiloff, executive director of the US Optics and Electro-Optics Standards Council. Thursday’s industry session will focus on training America’s optics technicians and will feature Alexis Vogt of Monroe Community College (USA).

Julie Bentley of University of Rochester (USA), an SPIE Fellow and Member of the SPIE Board of Directors, is the conference chair. SPIE member Sebastian Stoebenau of OptoTech Optikmaschinen (Germany) is cochair.

Learn more about SPIE Optifab.

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