Potential NASA Commercial Applications: Free-form optics, both axially symmetric and non-axially symmetric, enable small and lightweight imaging and projection optical systems. NASA needs small and light, high performance imaging performance. This PROBE's commercial application is to enable those optics to be manufactured. The primary road block to manufacturing high performance free form optics is metrology. 3D interferometers cannot measure free forms due to the reversing curvature. Stylus profilers, 3D contact profilers and coordinate measuring machines have the flexibility to measure the surface, but lack the accuracy, speed or data density to provide adequate process control feedback to manufacture the surfaces. The PROBE being developed in Phase I and implemented in Phase II is a unique approach that combines non-contact interferometric sensitivity with high surface slope acceptance. Thus the accuracy, speed and data density required for free form optics will be met. This combination will enable optical manufacturers to meet NASA's need to acquire nanometer level free-form optics.
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