ACCUCOAT PROFILE
“One of the biggest challenges – and I think it’s common in the industry – is hiring talented staff with experience”
an 11,000 square foot facility. ‘One of the biggest challenges – and I think it’s common in the industry – is hiring talented staff with experience,’ Iulianello stated. The type of staff employed at AccuCoat includes optical inspectors, vacuum coating technicians, and technicians for spectral and testing performance, all of whom have to be diligent in their work with customers’ optical components – ‘it’s not something we can just throw out if we make a mistake,’ Iulianello said. ‘We reach out to local colleges and
universities; we have a very good two year college programme here [in Rochester] in optics,’ Iulianello added. ‘We use university programmes, and more importantly we tap industries in our area – such as Kodak or Xerox – that have downsized or adjusted their employment levels in the area. There is a pool of individuals out there that have talent related to optics handling and assembly.’
The company also works closely with
a Rochester high school, East High. Five years ago, AccuCoat began working with instructor Paul Conrow at East High to engage students in an optics fabrication programme. AccuCoat has recently installed a thin film coating chamber and teaches fundamental coating techniques as part of East High’s optics fabrication curriculum. ‘East is the only high-school in the
nation that offers students full polishing, finishing and coating training, with the intent of graduating skilled students that go on to further higher education and technician positions in the Rochester photonics cluster,’ commented Iulianello. AccuCoat is also donating a coating chamber to a local college programme at Monroe Community College as part of the
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college’s educational programme for optics fabrication degrees and certification.
Size matters ‘The biggest change that is always out there is that components continue to get smaller,’ Iulianello observed. ‘We now have the ability to handle micro-optics and work with the customers that develop those critical components.’ Examples include optics used in medical endoscopes or speciality optics for the military. ‘For the smaller optics we’ve developed custom handling baskets for cleaning and
prepping, custom tools for pre-loading, and even working with customers to pre-load at their facility, and handling boxes for transportation,’ Iulianello said. ‘Component size and handling is probably one of the biggest challenges.’ AccuCoat will continue to enhance its
coating capabilities, targeting especially infrared optics, and to partner with polymer optics companies for moulded and diamond turned components. It also wants to continue to build its business overseas through the development of easier shipping and handling of components. EO
AccuCoat has six coating chambers and an 11,000 square foot facility May 2017 Electro Optics 17
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