The Opto-Mechanical Design Process

Opto-mechanical design of optical instruments is a tightly integrated process involving many technical disciplines. It begins with a statement of need for a particular hardware item and a definition of goals and firm requirements for that item’s configuration, physical characteristics, performance in a given application environment, etc. The design effort proceeds through a logical sequence of major steps and concludes only when the instrument is awarded a pedigree establishing its ability to meet its specifications and to be produced in the required quantity — whether that is as a “one off” (such as the Chandra X-Ray Telescope) or as a very large number (such as a lens for the ubiquitous “point-and-shoot” camera).