Ray Williamson

• Ray Williamson Consulting

Backsplash from acetone or alcohol is the most frequent incident involving the eyes. If any chemical splashes in one's eyes, one needs to have someone call the safety officer immediately and flush one's eyes with plenty of water. When handling acids and other dangerous chemicals, one should, wear a rubber apron, long gloves and a face shield. Metha...

The papers included in this volume were part of the technical conference cited on the cover and title page. Papers were selected and subject to review by the editors and conference program committee. Some conference presentations may not be available for publication. The papers published in these proceedings reflect the work and thoughts of the aut...

A new program is being developed in association with the State of Florida and local precision optics manufacturers to create a certificated apprenticeship path for aspiring precision opticians.

Thin, visibly opaque components for use in infrared transmission present a challenge in tolerancing and manufacture: Most optical shops do not have access to infrared interferometry and so must evaluate the opposing surfaces in visible light. The inevitable bending of thin parts will create surface deformations that are individually far in excess o...

DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) telecommunication applications depend on precise and dependable tuning and spacing of multiple optical frequencies, a task usually performed by etalons. The manufacture and quality assurance of these etalons requires an accurate, stable and deterministic measurement system. At VLOC, a JDSU swept-wavelen...

In the modern optical shop, technicians are typically skilled machine operators who work on only one phase of the manufacture for each and every component. The product is designed, specified, methodized, scheduled and integrated by people off the shop floor. Even at the component level, the people inside the shop usually see only one stage of compl...

The riddle-like nature of this question tickles me. How can something so bright leave no trace? (Grape juice won't do that.) We'll see the answer soon, and we'll have some fun in the kitchen. Let's first ask, "Is white a color?" In a sense it is, for it is all colors added together. That makes it a unique color, but it still obeys the color laws of...

Conventional spot tools are precise, monolithic hard tools made to manufacture specific optics. A modular spot tool is described which consists of a base sphere and individual lathe-turned pucks functioning as lens seats. It can be reconfigured for a variety of radii, thicknesses and wedges, and it may be fabricated and qualified as fit for use wit...

A quick and inexpensive method for characterizing spot tools in an optical shop environment is presented. The interpretation of results is explained. Corrective action is suggested.

A novel beam path in the test leg of an amplitude division interferometer is presented, which has application to the testing of thin visibly opaque windows. Its function and applications are discussed, alignment methods explained, and scaling factors given.

A tutorial on the subject of interferometer fringe scaling factors is offered. Various approaches are pursued in the hope of reaching a broad audience. The distinction between fringes and waves is established and maintained, and a procedure for interpreting interferograms is provided. Scale factors for various cases are shown.

The Helios and Antares CO2 fusion laser systems incorporate numerous large sodium chloride windows. These must be refinished periodically, making necessary a consistent and predictable polishing capability. A continuous polisher (or annular lap) which might fulfill this requirement was purchased and a process development program was undertaken at K...