Experimental study of distortion in side grinding of thin glass lenses

Abstract

ABSTRACT The production of non-circular thin optical lenses involves initial processes such as circular cutting, grinding, lapping, and polishing. However, shaping the lenses into non-circular forms requires a final cutting process. This study focuses on addressing the distortion of BK7 thin glass parts during side grinding. Two clamping methods were examined to fix the components. The first method, commonly used in the industry, involves bonding the workpiece to a base using resin and subsequent machining, followed by separating the samples from the base by heating the resin. In contrast, this research explores an alternative approach using vacuum clamping. The components’ distortion was measured using an interferometer. The results show that the vacuum clamping method produces more uniform surface parameters for the polished components compared to the typical resin bonding method. Additionally, the analysis reveals that surface parameter variations are more pronounced during square side-grinding compared to circular side-grinding.