Challenge:
A long-time biometrics client requested a quote for a higher quantity of their usual go-to TLS lens for use in a new product line. During the quoting process, our optical design team discovered that the requested lens was not the best match for their new product’s design requirements.
Solution:
Our engineering team identified discrepancies in performance between the TLS go-to lens and the new product line’s performance requirements. TLS’s optical design team asked for more product details and offered to create a new custom optical solution that would better match the performance specifications of their new product.
Results
In a collaborative effort by the client product team and TLS engineers, a series of new lens design options were presented, followed by TLS’s rapid prototype fabrication and assembly process to ensure excellent performance specifications. The satisfied client ordered the newly designed custom lens, which resulted in:
- 73% lower Astigmatism in the field
- 56% lower Chromatic focus shift
- Better through-focus MTF
- 10% lower cost
The TLS team objective was to provide the best product and service to make it possible for the client to launch a product line that was far superior to what the market had to offer, and at a lower price point. Our client exceeded their projections for margin and world-wide sales. Thorlabs Lens Systems delivered more than 43,000 of these lens assemblies during the product lifetime.