Intelligent free-form polishing center with at-line SSD measurement technology

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The significance of optical technologies in different industrial branches as well as the need for customized and complex optical elements continuously increased over the last few years. The manufacturing of such componennts, e.g. freeforms or monolithical elements, is linked to new challenges and can up to now only be realized with increased production time and expenses. That is why one focus of our work group lies on manufacturing processes for those complex optical elements. Diverse process chains combining additive manufacturing, laser technologies and conventional CNC-grinding have already been successfully developed. But, so far, no precision polishing of the resulting components was possible. The requested “intelligent freeform-polishing center” for the processing of hard and brittle materials seeks to fill this gap, making accessible a range of new research topics. The system is unique in its multi-functionality with regard to its multiple polishing methods and -strategies as well as the included at-line subsurface damage measurement technology for the detailed evaluation and control of subsurface cracks in the polishing process. Overall, the system has the potential to address different research topics spanning from optics manufacturing over measurement technology to areas of Big Data and AI. A great interest in the aspired research topics from both industrial and research partners is underlined by the numerous LOIs attached.