|
NEWS |
|
D
r e a m C e l l u l a r , L L C |
|
|
|
Q
u a l i t y |
|
S
t a r t s |
|
A
t |
|
T
h e |
|
S
u b s t r a t e |
|
|
|
Press Release
- May 12th, 2010: CTE
of Dream Cellular blanks is independantly tested. The average CTE of Dream's lightweight
mirrors is 2.6-2.7x10-6/K. Pyrex and Borofloat 33 have a CTE
that is 22.6% higher. |
|
|
Press Release
- Late-April 2010: Dream
Telescopes & Acc., Inc. obtains
first light with instrument using Dream Cellular, LLC's lightweight
mirrors. Low mass mirrors allow instrument to hold optical collimation
all-sky, on fast instrument using large CCD chip. Rapid thermal
equalization promotes high quality optical performance, due to
the engineered mirrors. |
|
|
|
|
|
Press Release
- Mid-April 2010: Dream
Cellular, LLC debuts recently designed
24" mirror that weighs 28 pounds. |
|
|
|
|
|
Press Release
- February 2010: Dream
Cellular, LLC gives Advanced Glass
Industries (AGI) sole distributorship of its engineered, lightweight
mirror blanks. Tony Marino, AGI's owner, has been servicing the
optics industry for almost 35 years. |
|
|
|
|
Press Release
- January 23rd, 2010:
Optician Mike
Lockwood discusses Dream Cellular's
engineered mirror blanks.
|
...."I
have been pleased with the quality of Dream Cellular's cast cellular
mirror blanks. In my experience they deliver quality castings
with low strain,
and I have been pleasantly surprised by their prompt deliveries. |
|
....The
incredibly fast cool-down time of cast cellular optical substrates
provides a performance advantage.
As an engineer I appreciate the
time Dream takes to analyze the mechanical design of these glass
structures. Support points are designed into the structure, thereby
removing guesswork from the design of the mirror support. This
is how it should be done. |
|
....Having
worked a good number of cast cellular blanks, I can say that
Dream's carefully designed blanks can be polished and figured
to the same precision as monolithic blanks. In my mind, the "dreaded"
print-through is a non-issue for a skilled optician." |
|
|
|
Press Release |
|
|
Rochester, NY,
January 2010 - A Dream Cellular 28.5" engineered cellular mirror blank was recently
generated by Advanced
Glass Industries
in Rochester, NY. The mirror blank was designed for central rim
support of lateral forces, with axial forces supported at designated
insert point locations. Images of the blank being machined at
AGI can be seen here. |
|
_tinyThmb.jpg) |
|
Press Release |
|
 |
Nazareth, PA, November
18th, 2009 - Dream Cellular, LLC., is proud to be recognized
by the editors of Sky & Telescope Magazine as a Hot Product
for 2010 for our technology and achievements . |
|
|
Press Release
Nazareth, PA, September
25th, 2009 - Dream Cellular, LLC., a manufacturer of lightweight
engineered cellular mirror blanks, is proud to announce the successful
casting of a ~16" engineered cellular mirror
blank at our facility. This perforated, f2.9 mirror blank is
a modified design that meets this and other customer's requirements
for Cassegrain optical sets. A 5"
cellular secondary mirror blank was also produced for the specific
client. The optical sets ROC's and other features were modified,
then the blanks were cast and annealed in less than three weeks
from the time the customer placed their order. If this 16"
engineered cellular blank is compared to a typical, monolithic
optic made of Zerodur, our mirror blank has a Thermal Time Constant
(TTC) that is 122 times faster.
Dream's blanks have
the same face thickness across the entire blank, matching the
customer's ROC requirements and making the designs structurally
and thermally more efficient. We do not suffer the difficulties
associated with pocket milling, where the bottom of the pockets
is typically stepped, not smoothly matching the ROC of the optical
face. |
|
Press Release
Nazareth, PA, September
18th, 2009 - Dream Cellular, LLC., a manufacturer of lightweight
engineered cellular mirror blanks, is proud to announce the successful
casting of a ~29" engineered cellular mirror
blank at our facility. This blank is a new design that meets
this a specific customer's needs but other customer's specific
requirements. It can be used either with a face at the center
or perforated. It was engineered specifically for central support
of lateral forces. Axial forces are loaded in a fairly conventional
18-point arrangement. The first 0.7m-size
blank Dream produced earlier this year and debuted at NEAF was
designed for outer rim lateral support. The two blanks are completely
different from each other because of these numerous differences.
The Thermal Time Constant (TTC) of this ~29"
engineered optic is roughly 39 times faster than a thin (1-7/8"
thick) monolithic optic. When this optic is compared to a 6:1
thickness ratio (full thickness) monolithic mirror, the TTC of
Dream Cellular's optic is 251 times faster. |
|
|
Watch for Dream's ad in the upcoming issues
of Sky & Telescope Magazine, starting mid-September, 2009. |
|
|
|
Press Release
Nazareth, PA, July
30, 2009 - Dream Cellular, LLC., a manufacturer of lightweight
engineered cellular mirror blanks, is proud to announce the addition
of a 9"x12.75" (1.8" deep) elliptical secondary
substrate to its standard line of engineered cellular mirror
blanks. Designed and produced in less than six weeks, this 9" minor axis ellipse incorporates
multiple iterations of FEA analysis for engineered design features
that make this blank 1/3rd the mass of a monolithic of the same
dimensions and a little over twice as stiff. Targeted for a 28"
astrograph whose 28.5" cellular primary will also be cast
by Dream Cellular within the next 30 days, this elliptical secondary
is being incorporated into Dream Cellular's standard product
line and should be deliverable to customers with very short lead
times. At this time one unit is currently in stock. In addition
to this new product, Dream Cellular also produces a line of other
cast cellular primary and secondary mirror blanks that have extensive
engineering behind them. The company prides itself on excellent
quality, on-time delivery and has produced a number of 28" and 16"
cellular primary blanks within the past 10 weeks alone.
About Dream Cellular,
LLC
Dream Cellular, LLC. was formed in 2008 in order to provide its
sister company, Dream
Telescopes & Accessories Inc., with a more reliable source for cellular mirror
blanks. Designed, engineered, and produced in-house, Dream's
cellular blanks incorporate design features not found in any
other cellular product. Dream Cellular uses extensive engineering
in both design, casting and annealing to produce highly efficient
cellular optics that are stiffer, lighter, and have a much faster
Thermal Time
Constant (TTC)
than monolithic optics. Extensive structural engineering and
FEA analysis has been used to reduce polishing and gravity displacement
of each blank. The extensive engineering related to polishing
displacements makes Dream's blanks uniquely workable by opticians.
Dream Cellular has worked with major glass manufacturers to create
the first FEA-based annealing schedules of any commercial company
offering cellular optics. Due to their much thinner rib structures
and 3-4x greater surface area, these optics equalize (TTC) far
faster than standard monolithic optics and their light weight
design also makes them easier to support in a rigid fashion.
Design features such as insert points for traditional flotation
cells, insert points with recessed protrusions for rod flexures,
flat profile details in key areas for bipod flexure attachment
and a host of other features can all be designed into blanks
themselves per customer specification. These features allow for
easier mounting of the optics and can help the optic maintain
a higher level of figure quality. Because the entire process
is done in-house, Dream Cellular can also very accurately control
the as-designed vs. as-cast differences and produce optics that
can be delivered both on time and within spec. Our extensive
engineering and unique designs, coupled with our casting tolerances,
means our engineered cellular blanks are the highest quality
products. Dream knows firsthand how detrimental unreliable deliveries
can be and it prides itself in rapid delivery schedules. Contact
Dream Cellular, LLC. to discuss your latest OEM or individual
project. You can also visit our website to learn more about the
benefits of Dream Cellular's superior technology and expertise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact:
shane @ dreamcellularllc.com |