DUI starts a new Eurostar project with SPACEOPTIX

Dutch United Instruments (DUI) and its partner SPACEOPTIX won a Eurostar project for the development of cost-effective freeform optics for optical space communication. Freeform optics are utilized for space applications since it enables smaller and more compact system design, without sacrificing performance, possibly even enhancing it. The utilization of freeform optics became more popular in the last few years with the development of modern optics manufacturing technology. For this project, DUI will take the metrology requirements of SPACEOPTIX and other industrial partners into account and develop add-on functionalities to its NMF platform (currently including NMF350 S, NMF600 S and NMF800 S). As a result, it will have the ability to measure the surface form, especially the freeform surface, very accurately with respect to its references. With such solutions, partners can achieve easy plug-and-play integration of the optics, hence reduce the total cost.