ALLVAR Alloys: Novel materials for optics and extreme environments

There is an ever-present need to ensure accurate and actionable information is collected using state of the art optic sensors. The trouble is, optics manufacturers are locked-in to high-cost/long-lead materials and complex designs because there are no other materials that perform in the extreme thermal environments experienced by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), space-based sensors, and ballistic missile defense platforms. To solve this problem, we created ALLVAR Alloys; the only metals in the world with tunable thermal expansion properties. These properties allow ALLVAR Alloys to naturally keep optics and telescopes in focus regardless of temperature while enabling smaller, lighter, lower-cost, and faster lead optic designs. This presentation will give an overview of ALLVAR Alloy applications and discuss the current state of ALLVAR’s technology and commercialization efforts. Speaker(s): James, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/358591