The Importance of Blocking

Blocking is a necessary process step during the manufacture of optical components. It needs to be performed at least twice and frequently more often during the manufacturing process. In most cases, blocking is taken for granted and the effect that blocking can have on the quality of the finished part is rarely considered. While much emphasis is put on controlling the grinding and polishing steps, the quality of the finished component may have been already compromised by the choice and execution of the blocking method. It is surprising that blocking is considered a secondary support task that is in most shops delegated to the less skilled workers.