2. Description of processes for manufacturing optical surfaces

2.1 Process classification

In the remainder of this article, we will describe the main technologies used to produce optical surfaces. Surface polishing is often highlighted for its difficulty and flatness performance, but the most important task is to obtain a good roughing of the surface: a successful roughing, with a regular roughness and a shape defect of the order of a micrometer, is the guarantee of a very good polishing achieved in a very short time. We will therefore also be paying particular attention to new surface roughing technologies.

Not all of these technologies are recent, but they are currently at the heart of the industrial technologies used by companies. They are repeatable, suitable for medium and large production runs, and are still being...