VIRTUAL TOUR presented by TAMRON

Glass material procurement

Glass materials formed by pressing or grinding are procured from material vendors.

Coarse grinding

Glass materials are ground to designated profiles using coarse grinders.

Fine grinding

After coarse grinding, lenses are fine-ground into their final geometries.
Coolant is circulated to control friction induced heat.

A lens after fine-grinding

The transparency of lens elements considerably improves after fine-grinding.

Polishing

Lenses are meticulously polished by flowing a dedicated abrasive compound onto a polishing disk that rotates at high speed.

Cleaning

Residual abrasives and particles are removed from the elements by immersing them in chemicals, cleansing liquids and purified water.

Inspection process

The accuracy of the elements is inspected following polishing and cleansing.

Coating (loading into a chamber)

A batch of elements is placed on an umbrella-shaped dome and transferred into a high-vacuum coating chamber in a clean room environment.

Coating (vacuum deposition)

By applying a high-voltage current within the chamber, chemicals are vaporized or sputtered and then deposited on to the elements.

Centering

The circumference of each element is ground into a perfect circle relative to the optical axis.

Cleaning

Residuals from the polishing process are removed using ultrasonic cleaning equipment. After cleaning, elements are transferred to an assembly line.

Cemented lens elements (Bonding)

Some of the cleaned elements proceed to a bonding process. By bonding elements of different profiles and optical properties, improved optical characteristics can be delivered.

Resin pellets are used as the raw material for plastic components. The blending ratios differ by component.

Metal molds and mold injection machines

Heated and melted plastic material is injected into metal molds that are installed in injection machines.

Injection molded components

Cooled and hardened components are removed from injection cavities by a robotic arm and placed in order on a carrier tray.

Painting

Exterior components such as various rings and lens-hoods are painted for functionality improvement and enhancement of their cosmetic appearance.

Printing

Pertinent characters figures and index lines are printed on painted surfaces.

Annealing

Printed components are thermally treated to improve fixation.

Inspection

Painted and printed plastic components are inspected for uneven coloring and deformation, and then transferred to an assembly line.

Procured aluminum die-cast materials are machined using NC lathes.

Metal machining

Using NC lathes, the surface of the materials is machined to meet the designated geometric precision.

Annealing

Before grooves are cut into the components, annealing is applied to prevent deformation.

Groove cutting

Necessary holes and grooves are cut in the barrel components.

Measurement

Geometric profiles and dimensions of each component are inspected by high-precision measurement equipment before being transferred to an assembly line.

Diaphragm blades and other components are assembled into an aperture unit.

Sub-assembly line: VC (vibration compensation) unit

TAMRON’s proprietary VC (vibration compensation) unit consists of multiple components including sensors, an optical element, as well as magnets and other electronic parts.

Sub-assembly line: AF actuator

After assembly, each AF actuator is inspected and active drive performance qualified.

From the sub-assembly line to the main-assembly line

All components including individual modules, cam barrels, main barrels and lens elements come together at main assembly lines. Here, as many as 250 components are assembled to produce one lens.

MTF testing

The performance of each fully-assembled lens is thoroughly inspected using a MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) tester.

External visual inspection

After a lens has passed all inspection processes it undergoes a final test at an exterior inspection station prior to being transferred for packaging and shipping.