Clear Align announces the Featherweight™ Line of Lightweight Lenses and Optical Subsystems

Rugged, smaller lenses with better thermal performance, offer up to 50% less weight

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Apr 26, 2011, 10:23 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., April 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Clear Align announces today its new line of Featherweight™ lenses and system components at the SPIE Defense, Security and Sensors (DSS) show, Booth 1017. Building on the technology used in Clear Align's INSPIRE™ line of high-performance, pre-engineered SWIR lenses, Featherweight™ offers performance, size, and weight improvements specifically for man-portable and Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAV) applications.

"Our customers asked us for a rugged, lighter-weight SWIR capability for evolving infantry and airborne applications," said Dr. Michael Finlan, Vice President of Imaging. "Through a combination of improved optical designs, materials selection, and proprietary coating technology, we reduced weight over typical competitive lenses by 25-50%, while improving thermal performance and reducing over-all size."

The Clear Align Featherweight™ INSPIRE™ line is a series of pre-engineered, high-performance, SWIR lenses with F-numbers as low as 1.0. These cost-effective lenses have exceptional performance and are lighter weight than anything else in the market. The Modulation Transfer Function exceeds industry standards and enables the INSPIRE™ to provide exceptionally high resolution imaging for night vision, search and rescue, infrared tracking, and other applications across the 0.6 micrometer to 1.7 micrometer imaging band. The lightweight, robust, ruggedized mechanical design allows the lenses to withstand hostile environments, and is athermalized from -40 degrees to +75 degrees C.

"The introduction of the Featherweight™ product family furthers Clear Align's ongoing strategy of tackling industry problems and developing robust solutions that exceed customer expectations," said Angelique X. Irvin, President and CEO of Clear Align. "The technology can be applied to a variety of applications from SEIR lenses to scopes, cameras, and any application requiring reduced weight and thermal stability.

About Clear Align

Clear Align designs, prototypes and manufactures custom electro-optic products used to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information for defense, homeland security, and aerospace applications. Clear Align builds custom imaging solutions spanning the ultraviolet, visible and infrared portions of the optical spectrum with a specialization in night-vision systems. Clear Align's custom fiber optic solutions include optical integration for targeting, laser development, and remote sensing with expertise in low-phase-noise laser development. Clear Align is a certified WOSB, 8(a) SDB, and SB. More information about the company is available at www.clearalign.com.

www.clearalign.com

SOURCE Clear Align