Optical glass. Production transformed.

The optical glass challenge

Wasatch Photonics develops high-performance diffraction gratings and optical solutions for life science, environmental monitoring, industrial process control and research. Its glass components demand tight control of geometry and edge condition because small deviations can affect the finished optical product.

Conventional cutting methods can introduce heat, micro-cracking and inconsistent edges in brittle optical glass. They can also restrict geometry and create manual correction work downstream.

Proof on the actual part

After evaluating alternative processes, Wasatch Photonics chose Finecut for its cold cutting principle, micro-level accuracy and ability to process brittle, non-conductive materials. The first test demonstrated that the system could protect the optical material while producing the required geometry and edge quality.

“Very good! The best we ever produced! Perfect!”

Wasatch Photonics · First Finecut result

A bottleneck removed

Once integrated into daily production, Finecut completed the same work approximately 2.5 times faster than the previous method. Components were consistently centred with cleaner edges, eliminating the need for manual rework and supporting shorter lead times and more reliable delivery.

Dedicated software automatically centres and aligns the geometry of each product, removing setup steps that previously depended on manual work. The wider in-house capability also gives Wasatch Photonics a route to more complex, non-standard geometries, tooling and supporting components. Based on the achieved process improvements, the projected payback period is less than two years.