Tool Parameters in Diamond Turned Aspheric Optics

There is little doubt that single point machining technology will continue its rapid development in the immediate future. Today’s spindles, air bearing ways, and servo positioning systems are all significantly more accurate than their counterparts of as little as five years ago. Diffraction limited single point machined optics operating in the visible are not beyond contemplation. The one discouraging aspect to this otherwise optimistic picture is the diamond tools themselves. It appears to me that unless we focus the same kind of attention on the diamond tools that we have lavished on machines and operating techniques, cutting tools will soon be the major source of error in our optics. This is because we must have accurate tool parameters in order to calculate the tool path to cut a given surface.