What is a 20mm focal length M12 imaging lens
UltraOpto 20mm Focal Length M12 Imaging Lens is a high-precision fixed-focus optical component, specially designed for compact imaging systems.
Adopting the international standard M12×0.5 thread interface, it integrates excellent optical performance, compact structure and strong compatibility, becoming the core choice for professional imaging scenarios such as security monitoring, machine vision, industrial inspection, smart home devices, and UAV aerial photography.
As a key component in imaging systems, the 20mm focal length is carefully calibrated to balance the field of view and imaging clarity – it can capture a moderate wide-angle scene while ensuring that distant objects maintain clear details, avoiding the distortion of short-focus lenses and the narrow field of view of long-focus lenses. The lens is tailored for small and medium-sized imaging modules, with a compact overall size that can be easily embedded into various miniaturized devices, without occupying excessive installation space, while ensuring stable and reliable operation in complex environments such as high temperature, low humidity and slight vibration.
In terms of optical performance, the 20mm M12 imaging lens adopts high-quality optical glass materials, matched with UltraOpto’s exclusive precision coating technology. The coating effectively reduces light reflection and optical loss, making the light transmittance reach more than 95% in the visible light to near-infrared band, ensuring bright, clear and true-color imaging effects. At the same time, the lens is optimized for optical structure, with low distortion (controlled within ±0.3%), high resolution and strong anti-glare ability, which can adapt to different lighting environments and meet the high-precision imaging needs of various professional scenarios.
Detailed Manufacturing Process of 20mm Focal Length M12 Imaging Lens
The production of UltraOpto 20mm M12 imaging lens adheres to strict quality control standards, going through 8 core processes, from raw material selection to finished product inspection, ensuring every lens meets the high-precision requirements of professional imaging.
1. Raw Material Selection & Inspection
The core optical components (lens elements) are made of high-purity optical glass with stable optical properties, which is selected through strict screening – we test the transmittance, refractive index and uniformity of each batch of glass to eliminate materials with impurities, bubbles or uneven texture. The lens shell and interface are made of high-strength aluminum alloy, which is corrosion-resistant, lightweight and has good mechanical stability, laying a solid foundation for the overall performance of the lens.
2. Optical Element Processing & Polishing
The selected optical glass is cut into the required shape by precision cutting equipment, and then undergoes rough grinding, fine grinding and polishing processes. The polishing process adopts ultra-precision polishing technology, with a surface roughness of less than 0.01μm, ensuring the surface of the lens is smooth and flat, avoiding light scattering and affecting imaging quality. Each optical element is polished by professional technicians and inspected by high-precision instruments to ensure the curvature and thickness meet the design parameters.
3. Precision Coating
After polishing, the optical elements are sent to a professional coating workshop for vacuum coating. The coating process uses ion beam sputtering technology, which can form a uniform and firm coating on the surface of the lens. According to the design requirements of the 20mm lens, we镀制 anti-reflection coating (AR coating) to reduce light reflection loss, and optionally add filter coating according to customer needs to adapt to specific spectral bands (such as near-infrared imaging). The coating thickness is precisely controlled within ±5nm to ensure consistent optical performance.
4. Optical Assembly & Alignment
This is the core process of lens production. Professional engineers assemble the coated optical elements into the lens shell according to the optical design drawings. Using ultra-precision alignment equipment, the center of each lens element is aligned to the same optical axis, ensuring no deviation (alignment accuracy up to 0.001mm). The 20mm focal length is calibrated during this process – by adjusting the distance between the lens elements, the focal length is accurately fixed to 20mm, ensuring the imaging clarity and field of view meet the standard.
5. M12 Interface Processing & Assembly
The lens shell is processed by CNC precision machining to form the standard M12×0.5 thread interface. The thread is processed with high precision to ensure smooth installation and tight fit with M12 interface camera modules. After the interface is processed, the assembled optical components are integrated with the shell, and the lens mount, focusing mechanism (if any) and protective cover are installed to complete the preliminary assembly of the lens.
6. Cleaning & Dust Removal
The semi-finished lens is cleaned in a dust-free workshop (Class 1000) to remove dust, oil stains and other impurities on the surface and inside of the lens. The cleaning process uses ultrasonic cleaning technology, combined with high-purity cleaning agents, to ensure no residue, avoiding dust affecting the imaging effect. After cleaning, the lens is dried in a low-temperature environment to prevent moisture from entering the interior.
7. Performance Testing & Calibration
Each lens undergoes strict performance testing, including focal length accuracy, resolution, distortion, transmittance, anti-glare ability and environmental adaptability. We use professional testing equipment (such as MTF tester, distortion tester) to detect each index, and calibrate the unqualified products. The 20mm lens must meet the standard: focal length error ≤ ±0.1mm, resolution ≥ 2MP, distortion ≤ ±0.3%, transmittance ≥ 95%.
8. Finished Product Inspection & Packaging
After performance testing, the qualified lenses are inspected again for appearance, interface fit and packaging. The lens surface is checked for scratches, stains and other defects, and the M12 interface is tested for installation smoothness. Finally, the lenses are packaged in anti-static, shock-proof packaging to avoid damage during transportation. Each finished product is accompanied by a test report, recording the key performance parameters of the lens.
UltraOpto has rich experience in optical lens R&D and production, and the 20mm Focal Length M12 Imaging Lens is manufactured through strict processes and precise control, providing stable, high-quality optical support for various imaging systems. Whether it is a standard product or a customized solution, we always adhere to the concept of "precision optics, empowering vision" to create reliable optical products for global customers.
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