
Proceedings Paper
Polishers around the globe: an overview on the market of large astronomical mirrorsFormat | Member Price | Non-Member Price |
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Paper Abstract
Astronomical mirrors are key elements in modern optical telescopes, their dimensions are usually large and their
specifications are demanding. Only a limited number of skilled companies respectively institutions around the world are
able to master the challenge to polish an individual astronomical mirror, especially in dimensions above one meter. This
paper presents an overview on the corresponding market including a listing of polishers around the globe. Therefore
valuable information is provided to the astronomical community: Polishers may use the information as a global
competitor database, astronomers and project managers may get more transparency on potential suppliers, and suppliers
of polishing equipment may learn about unknown potential customers in other parts of the world. An evaluation of the
historical market demand on large monolithic astronomical mirrors is presented. It concluded that this is still a niche
market with a typical mean rate of 1-2 mirrors per year. Polishing of such mirrors is an enabling technology with impact
on the development of technical know-how, public relation, visibility and reputation of the supplier. Within a
corresponding technical discussion different polishing technologies are described. In addition it is demonstrated that
strategic aspects and political considerations are influencing the selection of the optical finisher.
Paper Details
Date Published: 18 July 2014
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 9151, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation, 915110 (18 July 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2055523
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9151:
Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation
Ramón Navarro; Colin R. Cunningham; Allison A. Barto, Editor(s)
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 9151, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation, 915110 (18 July 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2055523
Show Author Affiliations
Thorsten Döhring, Univ. of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg (Germany)
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9151:
Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation
Ramón Navarro; Colin R. Cunningham; Allison A. Barto, Editor(s)
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