Sapphire lenses are made of artificially synthesized sapphire and are generally used to manufacture mirrors, window panels, optical components, etc. They have good transparency in the ultraviolet, infrared, and visible light bands, as well as a series of excellent physical and chemical properties such as high strength, high hardness, high temperature resistance, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, good light transmission performance, and excellent electrical insulation performance. However, they cannot withstand strong impacts.

Sapphire can be easily cut through filament technology, and laser cutting is usually a good choice due to its lower repetition rate and lower cost, as these parts are small and circular. To understand the reason, you need to understand the working principle of filamentation.

In order to make laser technology work, the laser beam will be vertically incident on the surface of the part. Therefore, the optical devices used for focusing are usually fixed, while the workpiece moves with the platform. Galvanometers are not used in this application as they cause the light spot to be incident on the surface of the workpiece to be cut at the corresponding angle.

Quickly cutting small circular sapphire lenses means that the motor needs to constantly accelerate and decelerate, with smaller parts resulting in greater acceleration. Of course, the acceleration that a motor can generate is limited. Generally speaking, their speed cannot match that of lasers operating at 400kHz, so they are unable to produce filaments of the required pitch at this frequency. This means that the laser needs to operate at a lower repetition rate.

Due to the high hardness of sapphire glass, lenses made of sapphire glass have higher air tightness, strength, and shock resistance than other materials. They can transmit electromagnetic waves without changing the properties and energy of electromagnetic waves. Therefore, sapphire lenses can be widely used in infrared and ultraviolet windows of aerospace instruments, blast furnace temperature measurement windows, solar cell protective covers, watch mirrors, infrared military equipment, scientific research, civil industry, and high-intensity laser window materials.