My work on high-end optics and polishing machine design and operation made me a good fit for the Shop Polishing Management post I occupied at Bond optics for nearly 13 years.  I oversaw the establishment and build-up of both the Continuous Polishing and Metrology Labs during a time of almost constant growth beginning in 1991 and ending in 2004.   During my term of service Bond Vice President and Engineering Manger EB Mattesson designed 2 82” Continuous polishers with the objective of penetrating markets that only a handful of optical shops then held niches in.  As the Polishing Manger I brought both of these machines online and upgraded and improved two 48” machines purchased on the used machine market.   In this capacity our first major success was on Laurence Livermore National Laboratory’s Laser Isotope Separation Project  (also called Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation, or AVLIS).   We were one of only two suppliers of finished, high precision Zerodur™ and Fused Silica substrates to the lab on this project. )

Laser Technology Follows in Lawrence’s Footsteps
(in pdf format click here)

To support the robust CP expansion and ongoing conventional polishing work multi-million Metrology and CNC Machining expansions were undertaken.   My past experience with and extensive knowledge of Interferometers including the scripting language common to Zygo Metro Pro™ Software made it this firms goal a reality.  By the time I left Bond in 2004 the company had grown into a leading competitor in the supply of, high precision stage mirrors commonly employed in microcircuit manufacture in advanced stepper technology.  In fact during my term of service we supplied nearly 400 CNC machined precision polished stepper stage mirrors valued at 3.2 million in gross sales to leading Japanese stepper manufacturer for this one component line alone.

During the same period we became a subcontractor to major military primary supplier for precision Ring Laser Gyroscopes.  This technology has replaced conventional gyroscopes in many commercial and most military applications.

How Things Work:  Ring Laser Gyros
(in pdf format click here)

The company also maintained strong positions in precision optical window prism, retro- reflector  and beam-splitter manufacturing.

The work accomplished at Bond paved the way for my next placement at Research Electro Optics Inc.   As second shift supervisor and Continuous Polishing expert I was able to train a team of people that were new to the optics industry in a period of a year for demanding Continuous Polishing work that would ultimately deliver the small optics necessary for the next phase of fusion power research at LLNL, The National Ignition Facility.   I worked in direct collaboration with the lead engineer on the project for the duration combining my hands on expertise with his process design experience to bring the project to a successful conclusion. The work for the LLNL NIF continued over a 2 year period and the $4.2 million contract finished 6 months ahead of schedule.  After a general shake up in upper management resulting from poor performance in the early 2000’s the company listed this project as the lead item in their annual corporate report as the turnaround point for business there.

National Ignition Facility
(for pdf version click here)

NIF – National Ignition Facility website