By: Amy Zelazny

Do you have a problem maintaining the performance and structural integrity of your opto-mechanical design over a wide temperature range? Would a material with little or even negative CTE solve this problem?

We can help: ALLVAR Alloy 30, offered by ALLVAR Alloys:

• Has a longitudinal Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of -30.0ppm/°C
• Has a positive CTE in the radial direction (similar in magnitude to Aluminum), allowing for compliant mounting of optical elements
• Exhibits many of the properties of Titanium
• • Alloy 30 can be machined like any other metal, tolerances of 0.001” are easily achievable
  • Just as with Aluminum, Alloy 30 can be anodized to provide maximum control of stray light within your lens assembly and optical system
• Is offered in both round bar and tube formats. It is a natural fit for the design and fabrication of lens stack spacers, lens barrels, and lens to focal plane stand-offs.

The inclusion of ALLVAR Alloy 30 in your next opto-mechanical design can lead to:

• Lower optical element count due to successful passive mechanical athermalization
• Simplified mechanical geometry leading to weight savings
• Reduced complexity and cost throughout your supply chain and manufacturing process

Specifically targeting fixed-focus LWIR objectives/cameras, the addition of ALLVAR Alloy 30 can eliminate nested barrel structures and complex compensation mechanisms, providing passive mechanical athermalization for maintenance of optimum image quality from -40°C to +70°C and beyond.

Don’t miss out on an opportunity to use an exciting new material that will increase the efficiency of your opto-mechanical design cycle, contact ALLVAR Alloys today.