In the realm of machine vision and industrial imaging, the quality of optical filters plays a pivotal role in achieving accurate, reliable, and consistent results. Midwest Optical Systems (MidOpt), with 30 years of experience in optical design, fabrication, and inspection, has established itself as a global leader in this field. This essay will explore MidOpt's commitment to quality, innovation, and its comprehensive range of filter solutions designed for diverse industrial applications.
Headquartered in Palatine, Illinois, MidOpt boasts a worldwide presence, serving customers in over 30 countries with a portfolio of over 3,000 cutting-edge products. Their filters are engineered to be the premier solution for industrial imaging, ensuring flawless control, dependable results, and exceptional image quality. A key differentiator of MidOpt filters lies in their robust construction, enabling them to withstand even the harshest industrial environments. Unlike conventional filters, MidOpt designs incorporate a Gaussian transmission curve, maximizing transmission, emulating common LED wavelengths, and minimizing angular dependency.
MidOpt serves a wide range of industries, including machine vision/factory automation, security and surveillance, license plate recognition/ITS, medical and life sciences, agricultural inspection, aerial imaging, motion analysis, and photography and cinematography. This diverse clientele underscores the adaptability and versatility of their filter solutions.
MidOpt filters are specifically designed for industrial imaging applications, prioritizing high transmission, effective blocking of unwanted light, and overall image quality enhancement. An anti-reflection coating boosts peak transmission performance by over 90 percent. Furthermore, most MidOpt Bandpass filters are manufactured from precision-ground, double-side polished glass, ensuring exceptional parallelism and minimal wavefront error.
A significant innovation from MidOpt is their StablEDGE® technology. Traditional bandpass filters are highly sensitive to the angle of incident light, performing suboptimally at wider angles. StablEDGE® filters, however, exhibit reduced angular dependency, minimizing short shifting and maintaining peak transmission even at wider angles. This is particularly important with the increasing use of shorter focal length (wide-angle) lenses in space-constrained applications.
Durability is a cornerstone of MidOpt's design philosophy. Their filters are built to withstand harsh conditions, resisting delamination and deterioration in the face of solvents, high heat, humidity, and vibration. This unmatched stability ensures long-term reliability and accuracy. MidOpt’s commitment to quality is further reinforced by rigorous inspection processes. All filters are scrutinized for surface quality, meeting or exceeding a 40/20 scratch-dig criteria. State-of-the-art spectrophotometer technology is employed to test filter performance, ensuring adherence to strict guidelines for transmission, full-width half-max, and out-of-band blocking.
MidOpt ensures product availability with same-day shipping and maintains an inventory of over 2,000 mounted filters, ranging in size from M13.25 to M105. They also offer various mounting solutions, including options for applications without filter threads, custom mounting solutions, and their exclusive 25.4® C-Mount filter, compatible with all C and CS cameras.
MidOpt also prioritizes compliance and safety. All their products are CE compliant, signifying adherence to relevant European ‘New Approach’ product safety directives. Additionally, their optical components, lens, and filter assemblies are manufactured in accordance with Directive 2015/863 (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) (RoHS) ensuring compliance with maximum concentration values for hazardous substances.
MidOpt offers a comprehensive range of filter types to address diverse imaging needs:
Bandpass Filters: Designed with a Gaussian transmission curve to emulate common LED wavelengths, these filters are ideal for monochromatic imaging and feature an anti-reflection coating for maximum transmission.
Dual Bandpass Filters: Transmitting two specific wavelength ranges, these filters enable natural color rendition during the day and near-infrared illumination at night, suitable for intelligent traffic solutions, security surveillance, and agricultural inspection.
Longpass Filters: Providing a seamless transition from reflection to transmission, these filters are best used in controlled environments requiring the passage of multiple wavelengths and are an economical solution for blocking excitation light in fluorescent applications.
Shortpass/NIR Cut Filters: Offering unmatched transition from transmission to reflection, these filters are ideal for color imaging to achieve natural color rendering and block infrared saturation.
Polarizing Filters: Reducing reflection, enhancing contrast, and detecting imperfections in transparent materials, these filters are beneficial for inspecting objects on shiny surfaces.
Neutral Density Filters: Reducing light saturation, these filters act as “sunglasses for your system,” useful for lens aperture control and increasing field depth in overly bright applications.
Protective Filters: Designed for lens protection, these filters are made from high-quality polished glass and optical-grade acrylic, with anti-reflection coating options for maximizing transmission. Acrylic versions offer abrasion resistance for FDA/EMA applications.
Light Balancing Filters: Used to achieve more accurate color rendering with LED or metal halide lighting, these filters block most of the blue spectrum from cool white LED lamps for a more natural appearance.
In conclusion, MidOpt's 30 years of experience, commitment to innovation, and dedication to quality have solidified their position as a leading provider of industrial imaging filters. Their comprehensive range of filter types, coupled with features like StablEDGE® technology and unmatched durability, makes them a trusted partner for industries requiring precise and reliable imaging solutions.
