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Custom Rod and Cone Lenses

Cylindrical Rod Cone Lenses

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Find out more about our custom rod and cone lenses

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Global leaders in custom optical solutions
Internationally recognised
All optical components 100% QA checked
ISO14001 & ISO9001 certified

Knight Optical is at the forefront of optical innovation, offering an extensive range of custom rod and cone lenses tailored for a wide array of applications. Our specialised rod lenses and cone lenses are designed to meet the exacting demands of various optical systems, providing precision and performance.

Rod lenses are a unique type of cylindrical rod lenses, designed as complete rods that allow light to pass through the sides and focus it into a line. Ideal for transforming a circular laser beam into a line image, rod lenses are available both mounted and unmounted for flexible integration into laser heads, allowing for easy adjustment and optimal orientation. Our custom rod lenses can be fabricated from borosilicate for visible and NIR applications or UV grade fused silica for applications extending down to 175nm. With the ability to be manufactured to any length and diameter, rod lenses can also be enhanced with antireflective coatings for improved throughput performance or polished on both ends to serve as light pipe homogenising rods.

Our 45° rod lenses, another variant of cylindrical rod lenses, feature one end ground and polished flat with the opposite end at 45 degrees, making them perfect for bending light at 90°. These custom 45 degree rod lenses are essential for endoscopes, borescopes, fiberscopes, and a variety of laser and imaging applications. Available in multiple materials, diameters, and lengths, 45 degree rod lenses can be coated to increase throughput or with mirror coatings to act as a 45° rod mirror.

Cone lenses represent a further innovation, with one end shaped into a conical surface ideal for 360⁰ illumination in laser and imaging systems. Customisable to any diameter and angle, cone lenses offer versatile solutions for comprehensive illumination.

Additionally, we provide custom laser-line generator lenses, also known as Powell prisms, designed to convert an input laser beam into a uniform fan beam. These are customisable across various parameters including beam diameters, wavelengths, and fan angles, making them suitable for profiling and scanning applications. Available with optional anti-reflection (AR) coatings for enhanced performance.

Cylindrical Rod Cone Lenses

Speak to our experts about your Custom Rod and Cone Lenses needs today

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    Metrology Testing and Quality Assurance

    Knight Optical’s commitment to quality is evident in our meticulous testing process, ensuring each rod lens and cone lens meets our stringent standards. Our capabilities in rod and cone lenses, including lens rods and cones and 45° rod lenses, highlight our dedication to providing optical solutions that enhance your product and supply chain efficiency.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Rod lenses are cylindrical, polished optical components designed to focus light along their longitudinal axis. They are typically used in laser alignment, optical measurement systems, and fibre optics coupling due to their ability to precisely direct light. Rod lenses can efficiently manipulate light paths and are favoured in applications requiring compact optical components with high focusing capabilities.

    Cone lenses differ from rod lenses in shape and function. While rod lenses are cylindrical, cone lenses taper to a point, resembling the shape of a cone. This unique shape allows cone lenses to disperse light into a circular pattern, making them useful in applications requiring radial or 360-degree light distribution, such as illumination systems, optical displays, and beam shaping in laser applications.

    45° rod lenses feature a precise angle cut at one end, which is specifically designed to reflect light internally at a 45-degree angle. This property is particularly advantageous for creating periscope effects in optical systems, directing light paths within confined spaces, and enhancing internal reflection efficiency. These lenses are essential in endoscopy, borehole inspection, and other applications where space is limited and directional light control is crucial.

    Cylindrical rod lenses function similarly to standard rod lenses but with the added characteristic of cylindrical geometry, which allows them to focus or diverge light in a single axis. This makes them ideal for applications requiring line generation, such as in barcode scanning, spectroscopy, and optical metrology. Their ability to produce precise linear illumination is valuable in enhancing optical performance and measurement accuracy.

    When selecting rod or cone lenses, consider the optical material, which affects the lens’s transmission and refractive properties; the lens dimensions, including length and diameter, which influence the focusing or dispersing capabilities; and the specific application requirements, such as the desired light path manipulation and environmental conditions. Consulting with optical experts, like us at Knight Optical, can help in choosing the right lens to meet your project’s specifications and performance goals. Get in touch for advice today.

    Cylindrical lenses and cylindrical rod lenses both manipulate light in one dimension, but they differ in shape and specific applications. Cylindrical lenses are flat on one or both sides and are primarily used to focus or diverge light in a single axis, suitable for laser line generation or correcting astigmatism in vision. Cylindrical rod lenses, being fully cylindrical and polished along the entire surface, are more suited to applications requiring the transmission and manipulation of light through a solid medium, such as in fibre optic coupling and laser diode beam shaping.


    Is your question not here?

    We are ready and waiting to answer any queries you may have about rod and cone lenses.

    Coatings

    Antireflective (AR)

    Our rod lenses can be enhanced with antireflective coatings for improved throughput performance.

    Typical Applications

    Rod and Cone Lenses for Endoscopes

    Endoscopes

    Rod and Cone Lenses for Borescopes

    Borescopes

    Rod and Cone Lenses for Fiberscopes

    Fiberscopes

    Infrared Lenses for Low Powered CO2 Lasers

    Laser and imaging applications

    Get in touch with us:

    Contact our multilingual technical sales team today to explore how our high-quality, custom rod and cone lenses can improve your instrumentation. Discover the precision and versatility of Knight Optical’s rod lenses, cone lenses, and more, designed to meet the diverse needs of your optical applications.

    With our in-house state-of-the-art metrology laboratory you can be confident that your optical components will meet your requirements. You can find out more about our testing facilities here.









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      Operating for over 30 years

      Knight Optical has been operating for over 30 years, with our managing director Colin Overton at the helm. Over this time, we have become a global leader in the production and distribution of scientific optical components and bringing quality into focus for all of our products and services that we provide.

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