I've been thinking about this question for a long time now. I'm trying to visual how does a high quality (not massed produce) telescope, get its birth from idea, to design, to manufactoring. Let's take an APO refractor as an example ;-). So after reading lots of threads, here's how I ***imagine*** the process to be.
1. Ms. Designer got an idea about a new triplet APO design. Let's say a 104mm f/6 triplet. She sets up design guidelines such as the amount of color correction, spherical aberrations, etc.
2. Run computer simulation using various different glass type (eg. fluorite, etc.)
3. Look up the glass catalog and pick the three lenses. Order them from glass maker. BTW, does the glass come coated or does the manufacter have to coat them?
4. Put the lenses in the lens cell and put them the OTA setup on a bench.
5. Aligning the lenses and check for aberrations.
6. Reject some lenses that doesn't meet minimum requirement.
7. Apply manual (can machine be used?) hand polish to get a more accurate figure.
8. Repeat step 4, 5, and 7 to as close a perfection as possible. Now, here is where I speculate(?) a cut-off as to time (i.e. cost) vs perfection.
9. Assemble the whole thing into a refractor (i.e. focuser, etc.)
10. Perform step 4 and perform final collimation.
11. Pack it up in the box and ship it.
Did I miss any steps? Or is any of the above steps not reality? Can steps 1-6 be performed **only** by master opticians such as Roland Christen, Thomas Back, Al Nagler, Mr. Takahashi, etc.? Or can any "master opticians" (i.e. someone highly skilled and knows what he/she is doing) perform these tasks? Or, do machines do most of these tasks these day, if so, which?
Thanks for helping me visualizing.
Ron the inquisitive B[ee]
PS - No, I'm **not** trying to start a telescope business in my garage, just an overwhelming curiosity ;-). However, I've been thinking about cutting the bottom end of my plastic cup, put an objective lens in one end and an eyepiece lens in another end; this would truly be the Light Cup ;-).
1. Ms. Designer got an idea about a new triplet APO design. Let's say a 104mm f/6 triplet. She sets up design guidelines such as the amount of color correction, spherical aberrations, etc.
2. Run computer simulation using various different glass type (eg. fluorite, etc.)
3. Look up the glass catalog and pick the three lenses. Order them from glass maker. BTW, does the glass come coated or does the manufacter have to coat them?
4. Put the lenses in the lens cell and put them the OTA setup on a bench.
5. Aligning the lenses and check for aberrations.
6. Reject some lenses that doesn't meet minimum requirement.
7. Apply manual (can machine be used?) hand polish to get a more accurate figure.
8. Repeat step 4, 5, and 7 to as close a perfection as possible. Now, here is where I speculate(?) a cut-off as to time (i.e. cost) vs perfection.
9. Assemble the whole thing into a refractor (i.e. focuser, etc.)
10. Perform step 4 and perform final collimation.
11. Pack it up in the box and ship it.
Did I miss any steps? Or is any of the above steps not reality? Can steps 1-6 be performed **only** by master opticians such as Roland Christen, Thomas Back, Al Nagler, Mr. Takahashi, etc.? Or can any "master opticians" (i.e. someone highly skilled and knows what he/she is doing) perform these tasks? Or, do machines do most of these tasks these day, if so, which?
Thanks for helping me visualizing.
Ron the inquisitive B[ee]
PS - No, I'm **not** trying to start a telescope business in my garage, just an overwhelming curiosity ;-). However, I've been thinking about cutting the bottom end of my plastic cup, put an objective lens in one end and an eyepiece lens in another end; this would truly be the Light Cup ;-).
