II-VI Incorporated Introduces Industry’s First Aspheric Sapphire Optics for High-Power Industrial Lasers

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- II‐VI Incorporated (Nasdaq: IIVI), a leader in laser optics and subsystems, today announced the introduction of the industry’s first aspheric for next-generation laser systems that extend far beyond the 10 kW range.

Next-generation industrial lasers for cutting and welding are increasingly achieving output powers in excess of 10 kW, driving laser optics requirements to higher levels of performance and durability. II-VI is first in the industry to manufacture aspheric lenses in high-quality sapphire materials to submicron optical tolerances, enabling the same advanced single-element optical designs more commonly available in fused silica, but with 20x better heat conductivity, greatly reducing the focal shift associated with high-power laser heating. At very high laser power, sapphire optics also last much longer than fused silica optics, reducing the total cost of ownership of laser systems during their service life.

“We are once again expanding the range of design options for high-performance optical systems, with innovative optics capabilities that customers will only find at II-VI,” said Steve Rummel, Sr. Vice President, Engineered Materials and Laser Optics Business Unit. “This year alone, we introduced new diamond-turned capabilities in zinc sulfide micro-optics, in calcium fluoride for visible optics, and now in sapphire for high-power near-infrared lasers. These innovations complement our advances, also this year, in high-durability dielectric coatings on copper, aluminum, nickel-plated, and brass-plated mirrors, both rigid and deformable. We will continue to build on these unique capabilities to enable our customers to achieve breakthroughs in their next-generation system designs.”

II-VI’s sapphire optics are available in a wide variety of lens designs and over a broad wavelength range spanning from ultraviolet to mid-infrared. II-VI’s broad portfolio of is one of the largest and most advanced in the industry, leveraging deep expertise in diamond turning technology, magnetorheological finishing, and IBS coatings. II-VI also offers turnkey capabilities in optical design, fabrication, thin-film coatings, and metrology.

II-VI will showcase its broad portfolio of laser optics at FABTECH, Chicago, IL, Nov. 11-14, 2019, .

About II-VI Incorporated

II-VI Incorporated, a global leader in engineered materials and optoelectronic components, is a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in communications, materials processing, aerospace & defense, semiconductor capital equipment, life sciences, consumer electronics, and automotive markets. Headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, the Company has research and development, manufacturing, sales, service, and distribution facilities worldwide. The Company produces a wide variety of application-specific photonic and electronic materials and components, and deploys them in various forms, including integrated with advanced software to support our customers. For more information, please visit us at .

CONTACT:

Mark Lourie

Vice President, Corporate Communications