Re: New AP scope and more

From: Chris1011 (chris1011_at_aol.com)
Date: 10/30/04 

Date: 30 Oct 2004 19:28:20 GMT

> NASA or the large observatories use ion milling and other computer
>controlled methods rather than hiring Mr. >Zambuto or Swayze .

None of that is necessary for lenses. Today there are computer controlled
grinding and polishing machines available that eliminate the need for much
direct labor. Most of us use these machines to produce high quality refractor
optics.

Costs will not go down much in volume because of the high cost of energy, which
is needed to produce glass, especially so for ED and Fluorite materials, which
need 3 to 10 times as much energy to produce vs. standard crown and flint
glasses.

Places where costs will come down will be wherever you can squeeze out some
materials, such as in ever thinner die-castings in the focusers, tubes and lens
cells. If you can mold them in plastic, even more cost savings can be realized.
Making them from raw aluminum thick walled blanks is the costliest way, but for
some reason there are still people who want the finished product made this way.

Roland Christen

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