Design-for-assembly of optical systems built from off-the-shelf components

We demonstrate a computational tool and design methodology for generating lens designs built completely from commercially available Off-the-Shelf (OTS) components with integrated assembly tolerances (e.g., 3D-printing vs. precision mounts). This tool enables optical designers to quickly design, evaluate and test complex optical designs for applications such as spectroscopy, microscopy, scan lenses and machine vision. By relying on Fermat’s principle to systematically generate constrained, stock-based lens systems of both finite and infinite conjugate configurations from scratch, we significantly accelerate the design and prototyping process, truly unlocking OTS capabilities for industrial innovation.