Sapphire and technical ceramic components manufactured by IRD Glass

Capabilities / Materials

The material is part of the process.

IRD machines, grinds, laps, polishes, and coordinates coatings across optical glass, technical glass, sapphire, advanced ceramics, infrared materials, and selected composites.

Material choice changes tool wear, edge behavior, attainable finish, inspection strategy, and yield. Send the drawing and operating conditions early so the manufacturing route can be evaluated as one system.

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6: Material families
7: Primary process categories
2: Minnesota facilities

Start with function

Choose for the environment. Design for the shop.

Optical transmission, wavelength, thermal loading, hardness, chemical exposure, dielectric behavior, and structural requirements determine the useful material family. Geometry then determines whether that material can be produced repeatably at the required quantity.

IRD reviews both sides of that decision. The list below covers the material families IRD works in — it is a starting point for a drawing review, not a substitute for one, and grade and certification requirements are set per program.

Optical glass productsBrowse component families by use.Measured capabilitiesReview process and tolerance context.

Material index

Six families. Different manufacturing behavior.

Representative materials and the work they are chosen for. Availability, grade, certification, and lot requirements are confirmed for each program.

A precision polishing cell running at IRD Glass

Optical glass

Materials selected for controlled transmission, refractive behavior, surface quality, and optical figure.

Fused silica / quartzLow thermal expansion and broad optical useLaser optics, windows, mirrors, light pipes, and instrumentation

BorosilicateThermal and chemical stability with practical fabricationMedical glass, tubes, cuvettes, windows, and technical shapes

Filter glassSpectral transmission or absorption by compositionBandpass, cutoff, color, detection, and illumination filters

ZERODUR®Very low thermal expansionMetrology references, mirrors, spacers, and dimensionally stable tooling

Technical glass

Glass used as a precision mechanical or insulating component, whether or not a surface carries optical power.

Soda-lime / float glassEconomical sheet material with controlled surfacesWindows, substrates, covers, seals, and high-volume components

Machinable glass-ceramicInsulating material suited to complex mechanical geometryMounts, spacers, fixtures, and electrical isolation

Specialty technical glassSelected for thermal, electrical, or dimensional behaviorTubes, gyro blocks, pedestals, seals, and sensor components

Sapphire and transparent hard materials

Wear-resistant crystalline materials for demanding optical, thermal, and mechanical environments.

SapphireHard, wear resistant, and optically useful from visible into IRWindows, wear parts, sensor protection, medical, aerospace, and defense

SpinelTransparent polycrystalline ceramic for harsh environmentsProtective windows and visible-to-IR systems

Technical ceramics

Hard, stable, electrically and thermally useful materials shaped for functional components.

AluminaWear resistance and electrical insulationSubstrates, spacers, sensor parts, nozzles, and tooling

ZirconiaStrength and fracture toughness among technical ceramicsWear components, medical parts, tooling, and precision structures

Silicon carbideHardness, stiffness, wear, and thermal performanceHarsh-environment parts, tooling, and advanced structures

Infrared materials

Materials chosen for transmission in infrared wavelength bands and the environment around the optic.

GermaniumCommon long-wave infrared optical materialThermal imaging lenses, windows, and sensor optics

SiliconInfrared transmission with semiconductor material propertiesIR windows, lenses, and instrumentation

Chalcogenide glassMoldable and machinable IR-transmitting glass familiesInfrared lenses, windows, and sensor assemblies

Composites and customer-specified materials

Selected hard or brittle materials evaluated against IRD's machining, grinding, lapping, and inspection methods.

Engineered compositesProperties depend on constituent and constructionFixtures, wear parts, structures, and specialized OEM components

Customer-specified gradesCertification, orientation, and lot controls as requiredPrograms where material identity is part of the controlled drawing

Capability inmeasured terms.

Every tolerance IRD holds, with the maximum part envelope for each process. These are manufacturing capabilities, not automatic specifications for every geometry and material — final feasibility depends on the complete drawing, material condition, feature relationships, inspection method, quantity, and schedule. Materials run across all of these processes include glass, ceramic, sapphire, spinel, quartz, and ZERODUR®.

Process & attribute	Typical	Best case	Context and max envelope
Machining — dimension	±.005 in	±.0001 in	CNC milling, Swiss turning, drilling; max part 30 × 16 × 16 in
Machining — flatness / parallelism	±.005 in	±.002 in	Machined faces before grinding or lapping
Machining — radius	±.005 in	±.002 in	Profiles, corners, and formed features
Machining — roughness	Ra 30 µin	Ra 10 µin	As-machined surfaces
Grinding — dimension	±.002 in	±.002 in	ID, OD, surface, and profile grinding; max 24 in dia × 6 in ht
Grinding — flatness / parallelism	±.001 in	±.0002 in	Hard materials and structural geometry
Grinding — radius	±.005 in	±.001 in	Formed and profile-ground features
Grinding — roughness	Ra 40 µin	Ra 10 µin	Ground surfaces before lapping or polishing
Lapping — flatness / parallelism	±.000050 in	±.000010 in	Seals, spacers, tooling, references; max 13.3 in dia
Lapping — roughness	Ra < 10 µin	Ra < 5 µin	Single- and double-sided lapping
Polishing — roughness	Ra < 1 µin	Ra < 5 Å	Optical faces, windows, mirrors; max 16 in dia
Polishing — flatness	1 wave	< 1/20 wave	Wavefront-critical surfaces
Polishing — parallelism	30 arc sec	< 5 arc sec	Windows, filters, and plane-parallel optics
Polishing — angle	5 arc min	3 arc sec	Prisms, wedges, and alignment geometry
Sawing — dimension	±.005 in	±.001 in	Blanking and sizing; max 14 × 8 × 1 in
Waterjet — dimension	±.010 in	±.005 in	Profiles; work envelope up to 40 × 24 × 2 in
Dicing — dimension	±.005 in	±.0005 in	Small-format parts and arrays; max 8 in dia × .300 in thick

Engineering review

Bring the material and the drawing together.

Include the material grade, operating environment, critical dimensions, surface requirements, inspection method, quantity, and schedule. IRD will review the full manufacturing problem.

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