Design

Optical Design Services

Optical Design Services

Clear Align delivers optical design services for mission-ready optical technologies that demand precision, durability, and high performance. Our expert optical engineering team develops rugged assemblies that integrate lenses, mirrors, coatings, and mechanics to exacting specifications. Every system balances image quality, SWaP-C (Size, Weight, Power, and Cost), and manufacturability while meeting mission-critical requirements. From concept through manufacturing, we partner with clients to ensure successful outcomes.

Mission-Ready Optical Systems

Our optical systems are built to perform in the most demanding environments. Each design is guided by strict performance requirements—focus, field of view, and imaging quality are all optimized with precision. Using industry-leading optical design software such as Zemax and Code V.

Our engineers apply ray tracing, simulation, and computer-aided optimization to create solutions that meet both technical and budget constraints.

Key aspects of our process include:

  • Lens curvature and spacing refined for clarity and alignment
  • Material selection for durability across SWIR, MWIR, LWIR, and visible bands
  • Tolerance analysis to ensure stability under environmental stress
  • System architecture that balances manufacturability with mission performance

 

By iterating with advanced software, we rapidly evaluate multiple system configurations, enhance imaging performance, and deliver cost-effective, manufacturable solutions.

Complete Optical Systems Design

Precision Opto-Mechanics for Mission-Ready Systems

Clear Align provides advanced opto-mechanical services that deliver rugged, high-performance photonics systems for defense, aerospace, medical, and industrial markets, and provide engineering expertise and solutions to support clients from concept through manufacturing. Our optical engineering team develop optics to meet our customer’s specifications while driving performance, manufacturability, environmental conditions, and mission success. Managing lead times for acquiring materials, tooling, and completing assembly is critical to meeting project delivery deadlines.

Expertise in Opto-Mechanical Systems

We specialize in optical assembly and system that balances design elements for ideal image quality and SWaP-C (Size, Weight, Power, and Cost). Our designers apply proven techniques and tools such as Zemax, Code V, and Solid Works to understand system requirements, architect solutions and simulate stray light paths to verify our models. We conduct tolerance analysis on every project. By identifying critical parameters early, we optimize every design for performance and durability.

Lens Design and Advanced Optics

Our expertise in lens design covers SWIR, MWIR, LWIR, Visible, and multispectral systems. We have a large catalog of designs that allow our optical engineers to search for appropriate starting points for each lens design. This access reduces design time and improves compliance to design constraints. The design process also considers different cases and scenarios to ensure the lens system performs reliably under various conditions.

We create zoom lenses, fixed optics, and custom assemblies with precise curvature and refraction control. We ensure that all lens parts fit the specified optical performance requirements, optimizing the match between components and designs. Lens coatings and surface treatments are engineered to extend durability while meeting wavelength-specific performance needs. From LED optics to high-resolution imaging optics, every lens is validated with our in-house optical testing and environmental qualification lab.

Optical Design Software and Simulation Tools

We leverage leading design software, Zemax and FRED, to perform simulation and analysis of complex optical paths. These tools allow us to simulate stray light, thermal drift, and other environmental impacts, ensuring each lens design meets mission-critical requirements. The software enables our team to assess the impact of changes in design parameters—such as refractive index, dispersion, or manufacturing tolerances—on optical performance and production outcomes. Our team of experts utilize these software platforms to build accurate models and improve production outcomes as well as save money.

Experts in Optomechanical Engineering

Unlike firms that only offer design, Clear Align integrates the latest advances in fabrication into the process. Our optical and mechanical engineers analyze systems to determine the impacts of alignment, stress, and thermal on overall system performance. As Clear Align is a vertically integrated company with optical fabrication and in house machining capability, we understand the various production processes in a way that other companies do not. Thus, we can reduce expense, shorten schedules, and deliver complete solutions set and ready for field deployment.

Design for Manufacture and Optimization

Every project undergoes peer-reviewed analysis to verify optimization, tolerances, and lens element requirements. Our team evaluates variables such as center thickness, decenter, tilt, index of refraction, irregularity, and surface quality to ensure the designs meet the required system attributes (operational identification, recognition, and detection ranges, minimum distance, distortion, and MTF performance). Custom evaluation code ensures each design proceeds efficiently from prototype to production. By focusing on DFM, we lower lifecycle costs while maintaining technical perfection.

Manufacturing costs for optical components, such as glass blanks, can increase by several times depending on factors like size, thickness, or material properties.

Stray Light Control and Advanced Analysis Tools

Stray light management is both a science and an art, requiring precise development of simulations that predict unwanted reflections and scattering. At Clear Align, we use advanced analysis tools such as Zemax and FRED, to evaluate optical collection, identify reflection sources, and define stray light mitigation strategies.

These calculations ensure that our lenses are compatible with our proprietary image enhancement algorithms including LACE. This is an optical engineering design gate in all projects that allows us to proceed forward with manufacturing. Our process ensures a complete optical solution that meets budget requirements, helping programs boosting performance. Whether designing for a local area sensor or a wide-field system, we verify location-specific effects and account for the rest of the optical path. By combining technical rigor with real-world business priorities, we consistently deliver designs that outperform the average and ensure a success story for every client.

Technical Support and Resources

Clear Align is committed to supporting clients at every stage of their optical design journey. Our technical support team provides comprehensive assistance, from helping with design software installation and registration to troubleshooting complex design challenges. Clients have access to a robust collection of searchable technical articles, example files, macros, release notes, and FAQs—ensuring that answers are always within reach.

In addition to online resources, clients can contact product support directly for personalized help, whether by phone or through our online help services. We also offer training sessions and tutorials designed to help clients maximize the capabilities of their design software and enhance their optical design skills. By providing this extensive support network, we empower clients to confidently tackle their projects, streamline their workflow, and achieve outstanding results in their optical designs.

Bringing Products to Market

Successfully bringing optical products to market requires a seamless transition from design to production. Clear Align partners with clients throughout this process, offering expert consulting in imaging, systems, and illumination engineering. Our team helps clients refine their designs, conduct rigorous testing, and prepare for efficient manufacturing—ensuring that every product is built to meet performance goals and production requirements.

From the initial concept to the final stages of production, we provide the guidance and technical expertise needed to help clients navigate challenges, optimize their designs, and accelerate time-to-market. By leveraging our experience and resources, clients can confidently move their products from the drawing board to real-world deployment, achieving both technical excellence and commercial success.

Benefits of Outsourcing Design

Outsourcing design offers significant advantages for organizations seeking to enhance their optical systems without investing in extensive in-house resources. By partnering with a dedicated optical engineering team, companies gain access to state-of-the-art design software and the latest optical engineering techniques and learning. Outsourcing also provides access to a broader pool of expertise, including advanced simulation. Ultimately, outsourcing helps companies achieve high-performance results at a lower cost with faster time-to-market.

Additionally, outsourcing enables clients to easily find resources, support, and solutions for their optical design needs, ensuring efficient and straightforward access to assistance and information.

Success Stories and Case Studies

At Clear Align, our track record speaks for itself. We have helped clients across defense, aerospace, medical, and industrial sectors overcome complex optical design challenges and achieve their goals. Our portfolio of success stories and case studies highlights how our expertise in optical engineering, simulation, and production has led to innovative solutions and measurable results.

From developing mission-ready imaging systems to optimizing illumination designs for demanding environments, our team’s commitment to quality and performance is evident in every project. We invite you to explore our collection of case studies to see how Clear Align’s optical design services have made a difference for clients around the world—delivering solutions that are not only engineered for perfection but also built for real-world impact.

Applications Across Industries

Clear Align’s complete systems approach supports a wide range of missions:

  • Thermal imaging cameras, imaging module, or camera objective for surveillance
  • Lightweight optical assemblies to support the warfighter
  • EO/IR payloads for unmanned platforms
  • Laser rangefinders and free-space optical communications
  • Illumination solutions
  • Space based payloads

 

We create rugged optical systems that meet demanding requirements and deliver real-world results.

The Clear Align Difference: An Ecosystem for Innovation

As optical systems grow smaller, more advanced, and more mission-critical, the need for integrated optical engineering has never been greater. Clear Align operates as an ecosystem for innovation, where optical design, lens manufacturing, coatings, and precision machining all converge under one roof. This vertical integration allows every project to move seamlessly from concept to production, with continuous feedback between design, fabrication, and testing.

By linking world-class optical design expertise with in-house manufacturing and testing, we create an environment where ideas are rapidly validated, refined, and deployed. This ecosystem ensures each custom optical system is engineered not only to meet technical requirements but also to deliver measurable mission advantages—enhancing imaging, accelerating decision-making, protecting lives, and driving superior performance across defense, aerospace, medical, and industrial applications.