Related papers: Use of 3D printing in astronomical mirror fabricat…
3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, offers a new vision for optical fabrication in term of achievable optical quality and reduction of weight and cost. In this paper we describe two different ways to use this technique in the…
Additive manufacturing (AM; 3D printing) has clear benefits in the production of lightweight mirrors for astronomy: it can create optimised lightweight structures and combine multiple components into one. New capabilities in AM ceramics,…
This study proposes a new way to manufacture large lightweight aspherics for space telescopes using Stress Mirror Polishing (SMP). This technique is well known to allow reaching high quality optical surfaces in a minimum time period, thanks…
3D printing technologies are currently enabling the fabrication of objects with complex architectures and tailored properties. In such framework, the production of 3D optical structures, which are typically based on optical transparent…
3D printing allows rapid fabrication of complex objects from digital designs. One 3D-printing process, direct laser writing, polymerises a light-sensitive material by steering a focused laser beam through the shape of the object to be…
The advent of extremely large telescopes will bring unprecedented light-collecting power and spatial resolution, but it will also lead to a significant increase in the size and complexity of focal-plane instruments. The use of freeform…
Optical imaging technologies are central to discovery in the life and physical sciences, yet their impact depends on how readily they can be built, adapted, and sustained across laboratories. Digital fabrication, including desktop 3D…
Astronomy, a captivating field that draws upon science, mathematics, and engineering, has traditionally relied on visual representations to convey the wonders of the cosmos. While this approach effectively engages the sighted population,…
X-ray mirror fabrication for astronomy is challenging; this is due to the Wolter I optical geometry and the tight tolerances on roughness and form error to enable accurate and efficient X-ray reflection. The performance of an X-ray mirror,…
3D and 4D printing are cutting-edge technologies for precise and expedited manufacturing of objects ranging from plastic to metal. Recent advances in 3D and 4D printing technologies in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery enable dentists to…
Additive manufacturing (AM; 3D printing) in aluminium using laser powder bed fusion provides a new design space for lightweight mirror production. Printing layer-by-layer enables the use of intricate lattices for mass reduction, as well as…
Despite the established role of additive manufacturing (AM) in aerospace and medical fields, its adoption in astronomy remains low. Encouraging AM integration in a risk-averse community necessitates documentation and dissemination of…
Motorized rotation mounts and stages are versatile instruments that introduce computer control to optical systems, enabling automation and scanning actions. They can be used for intensity control and position adjustments, etc. However,…
3D printing presents an attractive alternative to visual representation of physical datasets such as astronomical images that can be used for research, outreach or teaching purposes, and is especially relevant to people with a visual…
Additive manufacturing (AM; 3D Printing), a process which creates a part layer-by-layer, has the potential to improve upon conventional lightweight mirror manufacturing techniques, including subtractive (milling), formative (casting) and…
We demonstrate a new versatile method for 3D super-resolution microscopy by using a deformable mirror to shape the point spread function of our microscope in a continuous and controllable way. We apply this for 3D STORM imaging of…
Deformable mirrors are increasingly used in astronomy. However, they still are limited in stroke for active correction of high amplitude optical aberrations. Magnetic Liquid deformable mirrors (MLDMs) are a new technology that has…
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is a promising manufacturing technique marred by product deformation due to material solidification in the printing process. Control of printed product deformation can be achieved by a compensation…
Layered manufacturing inherently suffers from staircase defects along surfaces that are gently slopped with respect to the build direction. Reducing the slice thickness improves the situation but never resolves it completely as flat layers…
The 3D printing technology based on digital light processing (DLP) has highlighted its powerful manufacturing capabilities for optical components. However, the printing structure obtained by DLP based down projection printing is easily…