Overview Design new products Eliminate STEP files Catch

Simplify optomechanical design

A SOLIDWORKS Certified Gold Partner

How do I validate my mechanical system in LensMechanix?

You use the Optical Performance Summary (OPS) table to validate your system. It provides OpticStudio baseline results, spot size validation, beam clipping validation, and image contamination validation. In addition, the Image Viewer can help you validate the overall field of view of the system. Finally, LensMechanix can output an OpticStudio .zar file to send to the optical engineer who can then load the file into OpticStudio for further validation.

Does LensMechanix handle both sequential and non-sequential files?

Yes. LensMechanix works in non-sequential mode. It automatically converts sequential files to non-sequential during the loading process.

Do I still need to use ray bundles?

LensMechanix eliminates the need for ray bundles. You run a real-time ray trace in SOLIDWORKS using the actual optomechanical design. This is far superior to using ray bundles because it removes the guesswork.

Is training available for LensMechanix?

Yes! In addition to webinars, white papers, written tutorials, and how-to videos, Zemax offers hands-on training available for purchase. Check Zemax.com/training for a course list, dates, and locations. Free onsite training is available with purchase of five or more LensMechanix licenses.

Download a free 2-week trial today! Zemax.com/LensMechanix

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Time to Market Savings

Optical Engineer 117 68 49 hours

Mechanical Engineer 186 84 102 hours

Prototyping 240 120 120 hours

Total* 543 272 271 hours

* This example is based on designing a Heliar 37mm imaging system. Hour estimates are based on experimental data. The original design included beam path infringement and stray light errors.


Accelerate your time to market. Get more done with LensMechanix.


3. Fix the designFrom simple to complex systems, the tools in LensMechanix provide real-time feedback on design variations, so mechanical engineers can reach an optimal solution quickly. Using the powerful and familiar SOLIDWORKS environment, you can visualize the impact of your mechanical design changes and quantify the impact to image quality and stray light.

4. Confirm your solutionsLensMechanix enables you to compare the performance of the current design to the original optical design in order to isolate the impact of the mechanical components. The Optical Performance Summary table enables you to quickly confirm that the complete design meets the optical requirements. LensMechanix also creates an OpticStudio file of the complete optomechanical design for you to send to the optical engineer for review and validation.

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25mm single Gauss system loaded into SOLIDWORKS using LensMechanix and after a ray trace is completed

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“LensMechanix makes my life easier. I used to have to create the parts from scratch. Now that I have actual lens data, my optical engineer doesn’t have to generate tables and I don’t have to generate part files.”

—Harold Brunt, Vice President and Mechanical Engineer, LumenFlow


Fluorescence laser DNA microscope Saturated absorption spectroscopy system

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ctsZemax Design SolutionTake a solution-driven approach to your optomechanical product development. Zemax, a SOLIDWORKS Certified Gold Partner, created LensMechanix, a powerful SOLIDWORKS add-in that streamlines the product development workflow, accelerates time to market, and saves money by simplifying the exchange of information between SOLIDWORKS and OpticStudio.

Mechanical DesignConcept Optical

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Overview

“LensMechanix allows me to focus on a great design and spend less time explaining it. Our mechanical engineers love designing optomechanical products in LensMechanix.”Robert Mentzer, Optical Engineer, Global Surgical Corporation

For more information, contact [email protected]

Zemax Design SolutionTake a solution-driven approach to your optomechanical product development. Zemax, a SOLIDWORKS Certified Gold Partner, created LensMechanix, a powerful SOLIDWORKS add-in that streamlines the product development workflow, accelerates time to market, and saves money by simplifying the exchange of information between SOLIDWORKS and OpticStudio.

Mechanical DesignConcept Optical

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A few examples of products that customers have developed using LensMechanix:

• Aerial vehicle imaging systems

• Augmented reality systems

• Automated vehicle sensors

• Beam collimators

• Catadioptric telescopes

• Endoscopes• Heads-up displays• Interferometers• Laser systems• Microscopes

• NIR and UV sensors• Projectors• Reflecting

telescopes• Refracting

telescopes• Rifle scopes

• Satellite-mounted imaging systems

• Scanners• Spectrometers• Zoom lenses

Design new products


26mm imaging objective Laser pointer





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Problems caused by STEP filesSTEP files loaded into SOLIDWORKS without LensMechanix• STEP, IGES, or STL files degrade the accuracy of optomechanical designs. Optical data – including

dimensions, coatings, and materials – are lost during file conversions.• Ray bundles are imported as static sketches, which represent a tiny sample of the actual rays

used in the optical analysis, so mechanical engineers use guesswork and rules of thumb to design optomechanical systems.

• Mechanical engineers must send designs to an optical engineer or build a costly physical prototype for validation.


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Approximation of optical geometry

Static rays

25mm single Gauss system imported as a STEP file with a ray bundle




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Eliminate STEP filesOptical components loaded into SOLIDWORKS using LensMechanix• LensMechanix loads all lenses, sources, and detectors as native SOLIDWORKS parts, including materials,

coatings, dimensions, and all other relevant data. You can then apply a surface finish from the library of finishes in LensMechanix, or apply a surface finish of your own.

• Instead of using ray bundles and guesswork, mechanical engineers can analyze complete optomechanical designs, run ray traces, and get feedback directly in SOLIDWORKS.

• Using a suite of analysis tools, mechanical engineers can catch and correct mechanical errors early, reducing design iterations and time spent addressing problems downstream.



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Catch and correct errors early

1. Find the problemAnalyze your optomechanical design to catch and correct errors early in the design process. LensMechanix simulates the interaction of light with physical objects using non-sequential ray tracing. Interactions with mechanical components and surface finishes are included in the calculations. The Optical Performance Summary table provides instant pass/fail results to help you identify design issues.

2. Identify the causeLensMechanix includes ray filtering, surface power analysis, and other tools to help you identify the source of problems. You can then isolate specific mechanical features that degrade optical performance to avoid costly design iterations downstream.




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Workflow comparisonWhen LensMechanix is used in conjunction with OpticStudio, companies benefit from a streamlined workflow between optical and mechanical engineers. LensMechanix reduces project costs spent on design iterations, identifying and correcting errors, and building repeated physical prototypes to accelerate time to market. The table on the right shows an example of the savings that can be realized on one project using LensMechanix, compared to the same project using an outdated process with STEP files and ray bundles.

“Before LensMechanix, we guessed a lot. We would manage stray light in fairly crude ways, with paint or photo-etched apertures or a host of secondary components. Not getting it right the first time is a huge expense.”

—Dave Rook, Mechanical Engineer, CSA Group Heliar 37mm imaging system

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Frequently asked questionsWhat is included with LensMechanix?

LensMechanix is subscription software that includes product enhancements, feature updates, and support throughout the year.

How does LensMechanix increase efficiency?

Importing and building the optical model from STEP or IGES files is time-consuming and prone to error. A complicated optical design can take a week to convert into a functional SOLIDWORKS assembly. In contrast, it takes only minutes to load an OpticStudio file using LensMechanix. The OpticStudio file loads with all of the optical information needed to design the mechanical packaging and analyze system performance.

Can LensMechanix trace rays in SOLIDWORKS?

Yes. This is one of the key benefits of LensMechanix. The ray trace interacts with both the optical and mechanical components, so mechanical engineers can evaluate the complete optomechanical system.

What analysis tools are in LensMechanix?

LensMechanix includes baseline ray trace, full ray trace, ray filtering, surface power analysis, ray scattering, and ray splitting.

What are the biggest design problems that LensMechanix solves?

LensMechanix helps you visualize the effects of optomechanical components on the optical performance. These issues can include stray light, image contamination, and beam clipping.











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North America

Zemax, LLC10230 NE Points Drive Suite 540Kirkland, WA 98033USA

+1 (425) [email protected]

Europe

Zemax Europe, Ltd.8 Riverside Business Park Stoney Common RoadStansted, CM24 8PL UK

+44 1279 [email protected]

Japan

Zemax Japan K.K. AD Ichigaya Building 4th Floor 2-5, Ichigaya Honmura-cho Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 162-0845, Japan

[email protected]

Greater China

Zemax ChinaRoom 2905 Tower 2 Jing An Kerry CenterNo. 1539, West Nanjing Road Shanghai, China 200040

+86 21 6271.3200 [email protected]

Taiwan

Zemax Taiwan 12F, No.252, Sec.1, Neihu Rd. Neihu Dist., Taipei City 11493 Taiwan R.O.C.

+886-2-7721-1828 [email protected]

[email protected] | Copyright © 2017. Zemax LLC. All rights reserved. Specifications are subject to change without notice. LensMechanix and OpticStudio are trademarks of Zemax LLC.


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Overview Design new products Eliminate STEP files Catch