The battlefield requires weapon guidance, threat detection, recognition and optical targeting and imaging systems that operate in hard-to-distinguish threat environments, in all conditions, day or night. Since ultraviolet, visible, and infrared optical systems remain the ultimate solution for many systems requirements, high precision optics are pervasive in the military. Systems in development, such as Directed Energy (DE) Weapons and hypersonic missiles impose new optics manufacturing demands. Affordable U.S. manufactured advanced optics are needed to meet these new requirements, and the development of advanced, cutting edge optics design and manufacturing technology is needed to provide superior systems that will enhance the combat capabilities of the warfighter.
The American Center for Optics Manufacturing (AmeriCOM) was established by optics manufacturers essential to the defense industrial base in partnership with the Defense Department. The AmeriCOM mission is a three-pronged national effort:
• Develop workforce training programs specifically targeted to support the increasing complexity and growing manufacturing requirements of the nation’s optics and photonics industry.
• Develop advanced optics manufacturing technologies, testing equipment, and the specialized materials required to support scalable manufacturing in order to strengthen the defense precision optics industrial base.
• Successfully transition the mission-critical optics and photonics technologies developed, to production manufacturing operations — the most important measure of success.
If Jena, Germany has a sister city of light in North America, it is certainly Rochester, on the "north coast" of the United States in New York’s beautiful Finger Lakes region. Home to more than 120 OPI companies employing over 18,000 workers, New York Photonics members serve biomedical, aerospace, consumer products, research, automotive and defense-related markets with optics, photonics and imaging components and products. The history is old by North American standards, dating back to 1853 when Bausch and Lomb was established, and today includes important breakthroughs in free-form optics and integrated photonics. A broad historical perspective about America’s biggest and longest standing OPI cluster will be offered.
Conference Committee Involvement (8)
Optifab 2023
16 October 2023 | Rochester, New York, United States
Optifab 2021
18 October 2021 | Rochester, New York, United States
Optifab 2019
14 October 2019 | Rochester, New York, United States
Optifab 2017
16 October 2017 | Rochester, New York, United States
Optifab 2015
12 October 2015 | Rochester, New York, United States
Optifab 2013
14 October 2013 | Rochester, New York, United States
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