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No-color molds for mobile phone camera lenses

Goal:
Demonstrate the capability to diamond turn mobile phone and smart device camera lens molds with no diffractive color or tool marks and also minimize surface roughness.

Process:
Two axis or XZC diamond turning on a Nanoform® X with TMC/Precitech QUIET-Base™. Process conditions optimized to minimize surface roughness and eliminate diffractive color and tool marks.

Part Details:
Material: Electroless nickel plated steel
Diameter: 3.25 mm, optical zone

Machine Details:
 Slide type: dovetail, for dynamic stillness Bearing type: hydraulic oil, for damping Oil temperature control: water cooled X axis following error: 1.6 nm Z axis following error: 1.1 nm
Process Details: Feed rate: 1.8 mm/min Coolant: OMS
Results: • Surface finish: 0.15 nm Sa • No diffractive color • No tool marks
Part Photos Mold cut on competitor's machine with standard cutting conditionsMold cut with Nanoform X on TMC QUIET-Base with Precitech's exclusive no color cutting conditions 
Precitech's No-Color Specification

  • No color test part = 4 mm dia., 6 mm convex spherical radius, nickel plated steel test part
  • Surface finish < 0.4 nm Sa (measured halfway between the center and the edge and on the outer diameter on a Zygo Zegage with a 10x objective. A 25 μm filter will be used with form error removed using a 12th order polynomial)
  • No diffractive color visible when observed with a 30x stereo microscope when the part is illuminated with a fiber optic light source at 45°, 4 in. from the part
  • Tool radius < 100 μm
  • Feed rate > 0.6 mm/min
  • Z-axis following error < ± 2 nm 

Gullwing sample repeatability test results: (μm)
Sample 1
Sample 8
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