This article dives into poLight ASA’s launch of the new MLens off-the-shelf (OTS) portfolio. It’s a family of tunable M12 camera lenses aimed at industrial machine vision.
Powered by poLight’s TLens technology, the MLens lineup offers ultrafast, low-power, and programmable focusing. That’s a game changer for engineers who want to speed up development and adapt to ever-shifting imaging demands.
Advancing Industrial Machine Vision with Tunable Optics
Industrial machine vision keeps moving fast, fueled by automation, robotics, and AI. Optical components now need to deliver not just crisp images, but also flexibility and quick response.
poLight ASA’s MLens OTS portfolio steps up by providing ready-to-use tunable lenses built on their TLens platform. Instead of sticking with fixed-focus or clunky mechanical lenses, MLens products let you adjust focus and object distance electronically, right on the fly.
This is especially handy when targets shift in size, distance, or position. No one wants to halt production for mechanical refocusing.
TLens Technology at the Core
The backbone of the MLens family is poLight’s TLens tunable optics technology. They’ve honed it for years to get both reliability and performance just right.
TLens ditches moving mechanical parts in favor of a solid-state design, so you get lightning-fast response and barely any power drain. From an engineering perspective, that means more robust systems, less wear and tear, and stable performance over time.
For industrial setups that run around the clock, these traits aren’t just nice—they’re absolutely critical.
Off-the-Shelf M12 Lenses for Faster Integration
One standout feature of the MLens launch is its off-the-shelf approach. By using standard M12 lens housings, poLight makes it way easier to adopt tunable optics.
Engineers can drop tunable focusing into existing camera modules without fussing over custom optics or major redesigns. The first MLens products come in 6 mm and 7.5 mm focal lengths, both ready to order.
These sizes fit right into typical industrial inspection, barcode reading, and robotic vision applications.
Expanding the Portfolio in 2024
poLight isn’t stopping there. They’re rolling out 13 mm and 19 mm focal length MLens variants in the first half of the year.
Those longer focal lengths should fit needs like precision inspection or metrology, where you want a narrower field of view or a longer working distance.
Evaluation Kits and Demonstrations
Knowing that hands-on testing matters, poLight offers product samples and a dedicated evaluation kit for interested customers. The kit includes a driver board you can run from a PC or Mac via USB.
This setup makes it easy for engineers to test focus speed, stability, and image quality right away. It’s a nod to how things really work in development labs, where quick testing can make or break a new component’s chances.
Live Showcases at SPIE Photonics West
poLight plans several live and static demos of MLens technology at SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco, January 19–22. You’ll find them at booth 6317 and at a few partner booths too.
Watching programmable focusing in action gives a much better feel for its capabilities than just reading a spec sheet, don’t you think?
Enabling the Next Generation of Machine Vision
The MLens OTS portfolio goes straight for industrial machine vision applications that need rapid, programmable focusing. It combines tunable optics with the familiar M12 form factor.
Accessible evaluation tools make it easier for engineers to try out adaptive optics. poLight seems determined to push adaptive optics into the mainstream of imaging systems.
Speaking as someone who’s spent decades around optical systems, this launch feels like a real step forward. Industrial automation keeps demanding smarter, more flexible vision—and this is the kind of progress it needs.
Here is the source article for this story: PoLight ASA Launches MLens Off-The-Shelf Lenses Delivering Tunable Optics Focusing Capabilities for Industrial Machine Vision Applications