Aspheric cylinders, or acylinders, are increasingly common in today’s optical systems because of their ability to improve optical performance over standard cylindrical surfaces. Acylinders can be defined as cylindrical optics with an aspheric prescription on the convex or concave surface. Just as aspheres aid in a system’s performance by reducing optical aberration, acylinders provide the same benefit when expanding or focusing light into a line. This type of optic is utilized in a variety of optical assemblies, including laser scanning and other laser-diode applications, spectroscopy, and optical processing.
Although acylinders optimize the performance of an optical system, they also present additional manufacturing challenges because of their geometric complexity. Acylinders are more difficult to manufacture than their cylindrical counterparts, and typically do not lend themselves to traditional manufacturing or metrology methods. Without the latest technology, cost-effective production can be difficult or impossible to achieve.