Precision Lenses, Made on Our Own CNC Lines in Rye
Kingsview Optical is the optical lens manufacturer UK instrument makers, OEMs and research labs have relied on since 1996. We make every lens ourselves, at our site on Harbour Road in Rye, East Sussex. We polish on our Optotech CNC lines, then coat, cement, assemble and measure on the same site. Lenses run from 0.8mm micro-optics to 100mm, as a single prototype or a production run.
- Made in Rye, East Sussex
- Optotech CNC polishing
- Coated & assembled in-house
- ISO 9001:2015
Kingsview makes lenses for optical instruments and systems. We don't make spectacle, contact or other ophthalmic lenses.
Every Stage, Under One Roof in Rye
We make your lens from start to finish in one building. Every stage below happens at our site in Rye. You deal directly with the engineers who make your parts, with one set of quality records from first design to finished lens.
East Sussex TN31 7TE
Design Review
An engineer checks your drawing or design data before it's quoted. We flag any tolerances that will drive cost. If you need a design, we can start one from scratch.
Optical design
CNC Grinding & Polishing
We grind and polish your lenses on our Optotech CNC lines. We make any custom tooling in-house, so batches come out the same every time.
Centring, Edging & Cementing
We centre and edge your lenses to size, with steps, bevels or flats if needed. We cement doublets and triplets on a Trioptics OptiCentric, using Norland or NTT adhesives.
In-House Coating
We coat in our own chambers: broadband AR, V-coats and MgF2. We don't send parts out for coating, so there's no extra lead time.
Optical coating
Cleanroom Assembly
We fit lenses into cells and housings, including housings from our own machine shop. Everything is assembled clean and aligned.
Cleanroom assembly
Measured & Shipped With Data
We check every lens against your drawing on Zygo and Trioptics metrology before it leaves. We can supply inspection data with the parts.
Every photo on this page was taken at our site in Rye.
Custom Optical Lenses We Manufacture
We make every standard lens form to your drawing, in the glass, diameter, coating and edge finish your design calls for.
Optotech CNC Lens Lines
Most of our lenses are made on our Optotech CNC lines. In 2021 we added a second line. We now run an Optotech 30 platform for micro-optics from 1mm to 30mm, and an Optotech 80 platform for larger lenses.
CNC gives us consistency and capacity. A lens program written for your prototype is the same one we run for production, so the parts you approve are the parts you get at volume. We make custom tooling for each job ourselves, quickly and at low cost.
What CNC gives you
- Repeatable results batch to batch
- Tight centre-thickness control
- Steep radii polished efficiently
- Custom tooling made in-house
CNC edging options
- Steps for easier mounting
- Programmed bevels and chamfers
- Flats and rectangular lenses
- Controlled apertures and blackened edges
Conventional pitch polishing is still available for jobs that suit it, such as very shallow radii or the tightest surface-figure requirements on small batches. Optical designers can check their radii against our existing tooling list (TXT).
Lenses That Go Inside Other People's Instruments
Our customers are engineers building optical systems. Most arrive with a drawing or lens design data and need it made to tolerance, with data to prove it.
Optical Lens Tolerances
These are our standard tolerances. If your design needs tighter, tell us which parameter. We'll tell you honestly whether we can hold it, and what it adds to cost.
| Diameter range | 0.8mm to 100mm |
|---|---|
| Diameter tolerance | −0.05mm |
| Surface form | Spherical and plano |
| Radius tolerance | 0.5% of radius or better |
| Irregularity | λ/4 |
| Flatness (plano surfaces) | λ/4 @ 633nm |
| Centration (wedge) | ±2 arcmin |
| Surface quality (scratch-dig) | 60/40 |
| Materials | Schott, Ohara and CDGM optical glass; fused silica |
| Coatings | Broadband AR (standard 425–650nm, wider on request), V-coat, single-layer MgF2, custom designs |
| Edge finishing | Blackened edges, steps, bevels, flats, controlled apertures |
Not sure what to specify? Tolerances tighter than your system needs are the most common hidden cost in a lens quote. Send the design and we'll help you check.
Measured Before It Leaves Rye
We measure every lens against its drawing on our own instruments. Surface reports are available on request. Coating witness samples are available at extra cost.
See the Lens Lines Before You Order
Planning a production run, or qualifying a new supplier? Come to Rye, walk the CNC lines, coating chambers and cleanroom, and meet the engineers who would make your lenses.
Custom Lens FAQs
Do you make spectacle or contact lenses?
Do you make the lenses yourselves?
What drives the price of a custom lens?
Which tolerances should I specify?
What do you need from me to quote?
When does a custom lens make sense over a catalogue part?
Do you make prototypes as well as production runs?
Getting a Quote for Custom Optical Lenses
Send us your lens drawing or design data. An engineer from the team that would make your lenses, not a sales team, will review it. They'll tell you plainly what's achievable and what will drive cost.
What to send
- Drawing (PDF or ISO 10110) or lens design data
- Glass type and diameter
- Tolerances, especially centration, form and thickness
- Coating requirements and wavelength range
- Quantities: prototypes and expected production volumes
What happens next
- An engineer reviews itWithin one working day, flagging anything that will drive cost or lead time.
- We quote the lensFor the prototype, and for production at your volumes.
- We make, measure and deliverAll in Rye, with inspection data if you need it.
Have a Custom Lens Requirement?
Send your drawing or lens design data. We'll tell you honestly how we'd make it, what it will cost and how long it will take.
Made in Rye, East Sussex. NDA-friendly. Defence and security work welcome. ISO 9001:2015.