AlumaGem: Webinar Presentation at the Optical Fabrication Summit
AlumaGem: Webinar Presentation at the Optical Fabrication Summit
Webinars have become an integral part of professional exchange within the photonics community, offering a focused platform to discuss emerging developments and share applied expertise. In this context, Photonics Spectra, a leading international trade magazine for photonics and optical fabrication, invited Pureon to contribute to the Optical Fabrication Summit 2026. The session was very well received and sparked strong interest across the community. Our co-entrepreneur Caroline Wattinez, Group Leader US Innovation at the Monroe site, led the webinar as the invited speaker.
In her presentation, “Overcoming Processing and Polishing Challenges in Calcium Fluoride Precision Optics,” Caroline addressed one of the most demanding materials in modern optics: calcium fluoride (CaF₂). While CaF₂ is indispensable for UV and IR applications due to its broad transmission range, its low hardness and brittle crystalline structure create significant challenges during grinding and polishing, including edge chipping, subsurface damage, and inconsistent surface quality.
Traditionally, cerium oxide abrasives are widely used in optical polishing. For calcium fluoride, however, these conventional approaches can leave surface-bonded residues and increase ultraviolet absorption, limiting their suitability for high-performance optical systems.
AlumaGem: Engineered Polishing for Calcium Fluoride
To achieve high surface quality with efficient processing times, Pureon has developed the ULTRA-SOL AlumaGem platform. This advanced polishing solution utilizes precisely graded diamond and alumina abrasives dispersed in an optimized carrier fluid, enabling controlled and repeatable material removal during both bulk and final polishing steps. As a flexible platform, AlumaGem can be configured with a range of diamond types and particle sizes to meet specific application requirements.
The webinar presented an in-depth study using 3 µm and 0.25 µm AlumaGem suspensions to process CaF₂ substrates from the ground state through final polish, in combination with various polishing pad materials. These engineered polishing strategies demonstrated how tailored abrasive systems can effectively address the unique processing challenges of calcium fluoride.
The results showed that AlumaGem-based processes:
- enable improved surface quality,
- reduce process-induced damage,
- support higher material removal rates, and
- provide reliable solutions for both bulk material removal and final finishing.
The findings illustrate how Pureon translates advanced R&D into high-performance, application-ready solutions for precision optics manufacturing. AlumaGem polishing suspensions deliver a robust and scalable solution for calcium fluoride optics, enabling faster removal of grinding damage while maintaining consistently low surface roughness. This work reinforces Pureon’s position as a technology partner to the photonics industry, delivering engineered materials and process expertise that drive higher efficiency and optical performance.
Interested in learning more?
Watch the full webinar here:
