Panasonic wants to further expand its presence in the world of lenses and photography. The company announced a new lens molding technology that makes camera lenses cheaper to produce. The technology behind it also makes them more reliable and with higher performance. The new technology is a far-infrared lens molding technology for far-infrared aspherical lenses. It uses chalcogenide glass boosting the performance of cameras and sensors.
The new production process can be used for aspherical and diffractive lenses in various sizes. One of the key features is that it does not require adhesive. It greatly reduces the chance of gas contamination within the lens. It also protects the edge of the lens and improves the accuracy of installation on the barrel. According to Panasonic, it’s ready to distribute prototypes and kick off mass production shortly after that.
Panasonic new technology main features:
1. Available to provide chalcogenide lenses in a wide range of sizes from φ3 mm to φ40 mm at a low price (aspherical lens, diffractive lens).
2. Manufacture of frame-integrated lenses without the risk of gas contamination due to the non-use of adhesive, which protects the edge of the lens and improves the accuracy of installation on the lens barrel.
3. Manufacture of highly hermetic barrel type frame-integrated lenses that contribute to being high hermeticity inside the lens barrel required to enhance the performance of sensors.
＜Future development>
The production of far-infrared aspherical lenses using this technology is considered to be carried out at Yamagata Factory of the Optical Device Business Unit, Lifestyle Updates Business Division of Panasonic Corp., and Panasonic Industrial Devices Nitto Co.
Panasonic will expand sales of these high-performance and low-cost far-infrared aspherical lenses in the future. It will contribute to the environment through its far-infrared lens molding technology.
* As of January 27, 2022, the highly hermetic integrated molding without using adhesive, which is made only with far-infrared glass material and frame part, according to Panasonic data.
Panasonic may become a reliable partner for many companies across the world
We are curious to see if the new technology will put Panasonic among the list of top lenses and camera-tech manufacturers. The segment currently is dominated by the likes of Samsung and Sony, at least when it comes to the smartphone segment. Perhaps, the arrival of a new advanced and cost-effective technology will make Panasonic a reliable partner for many manufacturers across the world.
