B 270® is a clear crown glass known for its superb light transmission. When optically polished, it can be used to produce demanding optical windows, optical flats, and even laser optics. More ...

Our ITO-coated windows feature a thin, optically transparent, electrically conductive indium-tin-oxide coating and are produced to accommodate various surface resistivities. More ...

For every optical need, there’s an optimal solution. While it may not make sense to use high-end glass for basic applications, sophisticated uses often require highly pure glass types to function effectively. We are here to help you select the most optimal and economical solution for your optical application.

This alkali-free boro-aluminum silicate material has low micro-roughness and is suitable for COG (chip-on-glass) processes. We use 1737F to create flat, thin optical windows with specific requirements regarding micro-roughness, smoothness, and flatness. More ...

A rack and pinion system can be used in three basic ways. The first and most common is fixing the rack to the machine structure and using the reaction force on ...

N-BK7 is a standard in the industry for visible wavelength applications that require optical-grade windows. We fabricate custom precision optics from BK7 due to its purity, making it ideal for laser applications and also for lenses. More ...

Manual Positioning Stage ; Manual X/XY Stage · Manual Z Stage ; Manual Rotation Stage · Manual Swivel Stage ; Fine Pitch Positioner · Manual Alignment Station.

Eliminate ghost images and phantom laser beams with our anti-reflection coated windows that reduce optical attenuation and increase light transmission. More ...

Our ARC-O series creates oleophobic windows that repel fingerprints, liquids, and dirt, making them easier to clean. More ...

Optical-grade synthetic fused silica provides nearly perfect purity and outstanding optical characteristics. It provides exceptional transmission from deep ultraviolet to infrared light. Deep UV optics typically require this material, with over 80% light transmission at 185 nm. Additionally, it can operate at temperatures up to 1000 °C. More ...

Ocular lenses are also called the eyepiece. This contains a system of lenses that magnify further the image formed by the objective lenses and projects it ...

Germanium window

If the optical windows listed here don’t meet your needs, feel free to use our inquiry form. We regularly fabricate custom precision optics from other materials not listed in this overview.

Brewster window

They are supplied in two series only,. Series VI Holder for 2-inch Wratten Gelatin Filter Frame, and Series VIII ... G, Kl, ... (6-inch). Adapter Ring Size. (Lens ...

Alkali-free EAGLE XG® glass serves as a base for modern LCD and OLED displays. It is suitable for wafer-level optics, offering low micro-roughness, excellent surfaces, and high flatness. More ...

MSC carries a wide selection of quality optical flats and monochromatic lights used in determining the flatness of optical surfaces. When your project or ...

I think it’s fair to say one of the most important aspects of any form of accurate shooting has to be consistency. If you’re not consistently missing in the same spot with each shot, it makes it difficult to know where your going wrong and to learn from it! Inconsistency is invariably due to one of two things, either poor shooting technique or inconsistent ammunition (assuming you have an accurate rifle and reliably tracking scope.) Many competitive shooters or serious enthusiasts will handload their own ammunition to ensure the best from their set up as well as the most consistency. This will also involve choosing the best bullet for your barrel twist and the type of shooting you wish to do. While a light bullet will drop less with the effects of gravity over a heavier one, it will also generally speaking, be more affected by the winds sidewards deflection over the more stable heavy bullet, making for a bit of a trade-off. For me, I favour a heavier bullet for long range hunting based on the concept that the drop of the bullet is easier to plot over the effects of the wind, so anything I can do to tip the odds in my favour against a stiff crosswind is a distinct advantage in my book! However, when night shooting foxes where the ranges are generally closer under the cover of darkness, then I favour a flatter shooting faster bullet. For this I use a 223 loaded with 53 grain bullets. Although these are more effected by the wind, they drop less than, say, an 80 grain bullet from the same rifle would. If I zero my 223 at 200 yards, then my rifle will also be on target at 50 yards, an inch high at 100 yards and will require no real consideration on a fox out to around 250 yards. At 300 yards I would only need to aim just over the back of a fox to drop the bullet into the kill zone, meaning the vast majority of shots at night are simply a case of ‘point and shoot.’ Again my 223 is a custom rifle, yet shoots very well with Hornady factory ammunition and at the ranges I’m likely to shoot to at night, more than adequate.

Distortion is an aberration commonly seen in stereoscopic microscopes, and is manifested by changes in the shape of an image rather than the sharpness or ...

This cost-effective material offers superior optical properties and flatness, making it suitable for optical mirrors, filters, and anti-reflection coatings. It has high transmissivity for visible light and is available in thicknesses from 0.4 mm to 4 mm. More ...

About 15 years ago I bit the bullet (excuse the pun) and bought a custom built .260 Remington rifle - and I’ve never looked back; in fact every time I take that rifle out, I think what a good purchase it was. Buy once, cry once, then forever enjoy it, has become very much my philosophy when it comes to shooting equipment in recent years. Until a couple of years ago I was always a fan of Nightforce scopes - (and don’t get me wrong, they are good scopes!) until I tested one of the Element Optics scopes - the Nexus. I was instantly impressed with its reliability and glass quality, and have since become an avid user of the Element brand on all of my rifles. Having reliable equipment is one necessary aspect in long range shooting, another is good technique. This includes good body positioning behind the rifle, correct breathing control and smooth trigger control, yet by far the biggest skill to learn for successful shooting at distance is the ability to read the wind.

BOROFLOAT® glass is resistant to temperatures up to 500 °C and has excellent optical characteristics, low absorption, and high chemical resistance. It is ideal for industrial-grade windows from visible to infrared wavelengths and is an economical choice for components like mirrors and filter optics. It is available at various standard thicknesses. More ...

Alkali-free AF 32® eco glass is used for sensor covers in micro-optics and numerous optoelectronic applications. It can withstand temperatures up to 600 °C and offers uniform optical transmittance and excellent surface quality. More

BaF2 window

National Photocolor is a manufacturer of pellicles used as beamsplitters, filters or protective windows for the optics industry. 428 Waverly Ave • PO Box ...

The LCD optical bonding process uses an optical-grade adhesive to glue glass to the top surface of a display. It eliminates the usual air-gap between the touch ...

One of the best ways to learn what your rifle will do at any given range, and in any given environmental conditions, is to practice on targets before engaging on live quarry. I’m lucky enough to shoot over some large open hill areas where I primarily control foxes, and often due to the lack of cover, shots can be at extended ranges. To keep my eye in I will often practice on random targets when out on the hill, such as a prominent stone on the hillside. This is good practice as it means you have a target at an unknown range and in unknown wind conditions. I will first range the target, then try to to read the wind, then make a first round hit. Before long you start to build a humbling picture of exactly what your limits are, and the mark of a true sportsman is remembering that limit when it comes to taking a shot on a live animal, and when to tip your cap to it in favour of a better chance on another day.

*Note: The flatness of thin and ultra-thin glass parts is limited for physical reasons. Please consider that the planarity of thin glass depends directly on the thickness since, with small thicknesses, the inherent mass already influences the flatness. Consequently, the flatness achieved with window optics based on thicker materials cannot be reached. However, the thin materials mentioned above are usually the best choice for the highest planarity at low thicknesses and typically cannot be outperformed by mechanical polishing processes.

KBr window

CaF2 window

Apr 28, 2015 — In the words of a contemporary commentator, the choice of glass was now two-dimensional. Such was the commercial promise of the enterprise that ...

We offer various materials for manufacturing translucent optical windows and optical flats. Below are links to datasheets with technical details and optical specifications to assist you in finding the best solution for your project:

All these factors are fine when you have the time to compose a shot at long range, which, for deer, may well be the case, however, foxes are generally constantly on the move during the day and don’t often offer the chance for a static shot for very long! One of my usual techniques here is to try and decide where the fox is headed for, be it a gateway, familiar run or a bait site. Sometimes this maybe a point along a fence or hedge that the fox is following, giving you a point to range and set up on, then waiting for the animal to walk into the view of your scope. At which point it may be possible to stop it with a shout or wait for it to pause along the way.

Sapphire window

MEMpax® borosilicate glass offers similar thermal expansion properties as BOROFLOAT®, but with superior surfaces and planarity. It is perfect for ultra-thin window optics with transmittance from UV to infrared. More ...

Mar 6, 2022 — Parchment paper. One thing to consider when creating your own DIY light diffuser is what material will work best with the light source. This is ...

Präzisions Glas & Optik GmbH has been a leading producer of optical windows for industry, research, and science for over 25 years. Optical windows are essential components that transmit light, images, or lasers within optical systems without degrading the image or laser quality. The selection of the appropriate raw materials is crucial in achieving the desired optical performance. That’s why we exclusively use high-purity glass materials and specialty flat glass to manufacture optical windows, ensuring minimal distortion, excellent imaging properties, and maximum transparency.

The subject of hunting is always one that will cause much debate, but throw in the concept of shooting any living thing at long range, and it’s sure to cause a stir, even within a group of hunters. Much of this is drawn from the traditional view that a creature must be stalked within a stones throw to be considered a ‘sporting’ shot with a rifle. Ironically, to shoot a bird on the wing with a shotgun at too close a range, and it would be considered ‘unsporting’. The shotgun is a close range tool and the rifle is of course intended to be used at range, yet it seems to be considered ‘unsporting’ to use either for its intended purpose!

Edmund window

This aluminosilicate glass offers high transmittance at upper UVC wavelengths and provides exceptional optical characteristics and low micro-roughness, making it suitable for ultra-thin windows in optoelectronics. More ...

This lightweight, alkali-free material surpasses display quality and works in demanding thin optical window applications. It is color-neutral and withstands elevated temperatures. More ...

Hunting at range requires practice, accuracy and the time to compose the shot, without this the chance of an accurate shot are greatly reduced and the risk of wounding the animal increases. With all aspects of hunting, respect for our quarry must be paramount, which again brings us back to knowing the limits of our own abilities…

We manufacture flat and plane window optics in almost any custom size and shape from various materials on request. Customized windows polished to specific flatness or optical specifications, including AR-coated windows for specific wavelengths or laser applications, are part of our capabilities.

It’s fair to say however, that perhaps 50 years ago, if a rifle could shoot a 4” group at 100 yards it was considered a pretty accurate gun. However, in this day and age this is not the case. The tolerances on modern factory rifles and ammunition has reached a much higher standard, with a sub-MOA guarantee becoming very much the benchmark for any factory rifle. Personally, I feel that if your rifle set up is up to it, and so is your ability to make the shot, then I see no issue with shooting an animal at whatever range you feel confident if it results in a clean kill. Hunting within the limits of our own ability is something we should all be conscious of, but knowing those limits can only come from experience, and experience can only come from practice.

Those familiar with range shooting will be familiar with reading wind strength and direction from wind flags placed the length of the shooting range. Of course when hunting, these signs are unlikely to be present, causing you to rely on nature itself. If you regularly shoot over an area of ground then strips of ribbon tied to fences or trees can be placed out to help with these visual indications. The most skilled of shooters will also be able to use ‘mirage’ to accurately predict both wind speed and direction by focusing on the heat rising from the ground, and reading the strength and direction from the angle of these ‘waves’. The art of wind reading is something entire books have been written about and it’s well worth researching the subject, as it’s too much to try and cover in detail in a short blog!

Visible window

This is an art form all of its own, and one none of us ever really master. Such things as the popular Kestrel windmeters are great for giving you ballistic information based on what the wind is doing at the firing point, but it can’t factor in what it’s doing down range, and here is where the skill really comes in to determine what effect it might have on the shot. Other than shooting up or down steep inclines, if you know the range to your target, and you know the ballistics of your rifle, then wind is the biggest variable in the equation. There are however things to look for down range that may well help you ascertain what the wind is doing. The movement of leaves, branches, grass and foliage will help give visual indicators as to the direction and strength of the wind. Sometimes less obvious signs maybe present such as smoke from a chimney or bonfire or ripples blowing across water.

Steel reactive targets offer an excellent form of practice, giving both a visual indication of a hit as well as a satisfying ‘clang’ on impact a few seconds later! Another good tip is to have someone spot your shots for you, or if you are shooting alone, then a cheap video camera with a good zoom is ideal to give you instant feed back as to where your shots are landing. After all, if you can’t see where you missed the target, you won’t learn very much from shooting at it. All the practice in the world however, amounts to nothing if you or your rifle set up doesn’t shoot accurately and consistently.

D 263 T is ideal for thin and ultra-thin optics and is available in various standard thicknesses. Featuring remarkable flatness and low warp, we fabricate rectangular windows starting at 50 µm thickness. More ...