Meller Sapphire Domes Protect Electro-Optics in Weapons

PROVIDENCE, RI--(Marketwire - Mar 13, 2012) - Meller Optics, Inc. has announced their ability to custom fabricate sapphire domes for the protection of electro-optical devices including detectors, sensors, and cameras utilized in weapons systems. These sapphire domes can withstand extremely harsh environments and high temperatures.

Meller Sapphire Domes feature Moh 9 hardness, which is second only to diamond, and provide 160 degree maximum included angles to extend the viewing angles and protect electro-optics in the front of guided weapons. Providing up to 85% transmission uncoated in the UV to IR, with up to 99% when A/R coated on two sizes, these front surface optics are unaffected by moving sand, dirt, water, chemicals, and temperatures up to 1,000°C.

Manufactured in sizes up to 4" O.D., Meller Sapphire Domes can incorporate edge steps and profiles for mounting purposes and can be supplied with surface finishes to 20-10 scratch-dig per MIL-PRF-13830. Spinel domes (Moh 8 hardness) in sizes up to 6" O.D. are also offered along with a full range of sapphire optics including lenses, windows, and wafer carriers.

Meller Sapphire Domes are priced according to configuration and quantity. Price quotations are available upon request.

About Meller Optics, Inc.

Founded in 1921, Meller Optics has been providing high quality optics to defense, medical, laser, and industrial markets for 90 years now. Specializing in the grinding and polishing of hard, durable materials such as sapphire and ruby, the company has also developed high-speed, low-cost finishing processes for a variety of laser glasses, fused silica, zinc selenide, germanium, silicon, fluorides, and ceramic materials. Configurations include windows, substrates, lenses, domes, and prisms. Meller Optics is ISO 9001:2008 certified and in addition to providing standard, off-the-shelf products, they custom fabricate components that meet exacting specifications from delicate, difficult to work with optical materials. They also supply quality Microlux Alumina polishing abrasives and Gugolz optical polishing pitch.