Sapphire and ruby balls precision ground into short focal length lenses for micro air vehicles or fly-sized insect drones used in military surveillance are being introduced by Meller Optics, Inc. of Providence, Rhode Island.

Meller Sapphire and Ruby Balls feature 9 Moh hardness, which is second only to diamond and, come in 42 inch and metric sizes from 0.1mm to 0.5” dia. with 0.000025” sphericity and ±0.0001” basic diameter tolerance. Suitable for fabricating short focal length micro lenses, they can be precision ground into plano-convex lenses with surface finishes to 80-20 scratch-dig.

Unaffected by fast moving dirt and impervious to most chemicals, solvents, and detergents, Meller Sapphire and Ruby Balls crafted into lenses for micro air vehicle applications are available A/R coated and provide 85 to 98% typical transmission, depending upon application. Applications for balls include bearings, check valves, stylus tips, and fiber optic lens systems.

Meller Sapphire and Ruby Balls are priced according to material, size, and quantity; delivered from stock. Samples and price quotations are available upon request.

For more information contact:

Meller Optics, Inc.
Steve Lydon, Marketing
120 Corliss St. / P.O. Box 6001
Providence, RI 02940
(800) 821-0180 FAX (401) 331-0519
e-mail: steve@melleroptics.com
www.melleroptics.com