News & Events

QED Technologies, pioneer and exclusive provider of Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF®) polishing and Subaperture Stitching Interferometry (SSI®) metrology platforms for the precision optics industry, announced the introduction of a new service: QED Optics. QED Optics specializes in precision optics polishing and metrology services using QED’s MRF and SSI technologies.  Services are offered on a contract basis and include polishing or metrology of flats, spheres, on-axis and off-axis aspheres, freeform optics and...Continue Reading

APOMA General Meeting at Photonics West Ballroom A – Intercontinental Hotel 8:30-10am, Wednesday, 25 January, 2012 Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 elements that have valuable uses in optics, energy and military equipment. REEs gained global attention when prices began to rise in 2009, a trend that continued into 2011. During this two-year period, a debate began between those calling for the U.S. government to try to...Continue Reading

Establishing The Pipeline For New Talent In 2006 it became clear to RRPC Members that the Monroe Community College Optics program, the only program of its kind in the nation, was in dire straights. With very few annual registrations and fewer graduates, the program was a clear target for elimination by the College. The RRPC, together with the new Dean of Technical Education, Dianna Phillips, undertook an effort to market...Continue Reading

SEMATECH Means Opportunity Regional optics, photonics and imaging companies have been trying to reach out to Albany Nanotech since the school’s inception. To date, UA staff have been unwilling to host meetings of a technical nature with RRPC / New York Photonics members under our own auspices, and have encouraged companies to participate in technology fairs held in the Albany Nanotech atrium.  This has been frustrating.  The usual feedback we...Continue Reading

Optimax has been successful in learning to make synchrotron mirrors — creating a new niche for the New York business and for the U.S. This work came about during the development of a new, high-tech x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) microscope prototype being conducted by a methods and instrumentation development team (MIDT) at the NSLS. The MIDT is led by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and is a...Continue Reading

The Gates optical filter manufacturer started in 2000 with a crew of optics experts looking to use their know-how in telecommunications industry applications, said co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Turan Erdogan. When that industry collapsed, the company shifted its focus to biotechnology instrumentation. Now those filters — glass coated with ultra-fine layers and typically costing hundreds of dollars each — are carving out a niche in biomedical research and diagnostics....Continue Reading

In an article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle from the Gannett Albany bureau, Cara Matthews reports that Cornell University President David Skorton spoke to lawmakers about the importance of investing in key high technology “sunrise” industries. The entire world sees New York State, and Rochester, as one of maybe two or three global centers for Optics, Photonics and Imaging dominance. Across the globe, countries are investing billions to compete...Continue Reading

NOVEMBER 18, 2009 – ROCHESTER, NY – 120 people gathered at the Rochester Museum and Science Center last night for the RRPC / New York Photonics Annual Meeting and a panel discussion about Optics and Energy. Two RRPC members were recognized with awards for exceptional leadership and entrepreneurship. Michael Mandina, President of Optimax Systems, Ontario, NY, is the winner of the 2009 RRPC Entrepreneur of The Year Award. The award...Continue Reading

One from GRE promoting Rochester and our assets: Click here to see the GRE’s video. One from New York Photonics suggesting that we need targeted public investment in our industry: Click here to view. Investment in university research is not enough to sustain an industry where New York still has a strategic advantage over the rest of the world. An aging workforce and some of the highest taxes in the...Continue Reading

10:00am to 7:00pm 6368 Dean Parkway Ontario, NY Highlights (besides networking and food!) will include live demos of OptiPro’s optical machining centers and metrology equipment. In addition, demos of 5-Axis machine tools, including DMG, Hurco, Yama Seiki, and Ares-Seiki will take place. Mastercam’s newest software, X4, will be showcased as well. New this year, OptiPro is planning technical presentations from Sandvik, DMG, Hurco, and Mastercam. Contact Lynda Bechtold (Lynda[at]optipro.com) or...Continue Reading