Andover Corporation
Control the Light, See Your World

Progress is impossible without change; at the heart of change is agility, the ability to anticipate, respond, and reorganize. In today’s business world, these factors are the key drivers towards success. The growth trajectory of Andover Corporation, a renowned manufacturer of high-quality optical filters and coatings, follows a similar path.

The journey of Andover began in 1976 as a manufacturer of traditional bandpass filters. However, as the global coating market gained prominence, Andover designed and innovated several new product lines using advanced technology: Ion-assisted e-beam deposition (IAD), Magnetron sputtering, Resistance evaporation, as well as Hybrid technologies. Today, Andover Corporation is one of the leading manufacturers of optical filters and coatings across the globe. Andover Corporation serves a broad array of applications, including medical instrumentation, fluorescence studies, machine vision, agricultural imaging, ground-based and space-borne astronomical observation, telecommunications, military and civilian surveillance systems, and defense targeting systems. “Our ultimate objective is to design, manufacture, and deliver superior optical filters and coatings at a competitive price,” states Michael Tiner, COO of Andover Corporation.

Andover is known for custom design solutions and the ability to create unique coatings with their custom-built coating chambers. “Over the years we have combined traditional and advanced coating technologies with very good results. We also have kept all of the critical processes in house, whether it’s custom fabrication and polishing or advanced metrology and spectrometry. Having control of the key processes has allowed us to provide outstanding quality and offer the best lead times in the industry.”

Andover Corporation’s metrology lab features a custom-designed, tunable interferometer that measures the transmitted wavefront at wavelengths which are beyond the traditional laser interferometer’s capabilities. Post manufacturing; the company performs extensive testing, including using automated spectrophotometers for broadband spectral measurements and ultra-high-resolution spectrophotometers for narrowband measurements.

The company’s environmental chambers allow them to conduct performance or survivability testing at varying temperatures and humidity levels to meet the customers’ most demanding requirements.

What makes Andover an excellent partner for your custom designed solution is their extensive years of experience, their in-house engineering team, strong customer satisfaction and on-time delivery record. They are an ISO9001, AS 9100, and ITAR certified company.

Tiner further sheds light on the increasing demand for optical filters and coatings in the medical industry. “There is a great deal of competition in the coating industry, specifically when it pertains to the medical market,” he says. As optical instrumentation facilitates advanced bioimaging, an optical coating that restricts unwanted light and improved signal detection is essential. Andover Corporation has developed highly customized, low-volume products and custom-designed solutions to meet medical imaging requirements.

To give more clarity on its coatings and filter offerings, Tiner cites an instance where Andover manufactured calibration filters for blood plasma extraction systems (Apheresis). A customer required a filter to simulate the visible NIR absorption profile of blood. The filter was needed to replace the existing calibration process using actual blood samples. Andover designed filters to replicate the blood absorption spectrum in different concentrations. This allowed its customer to dispense with the biohazard nature of using real blood and more reliably calibrate multiple systems.

With the advent of COVID-19, safe sterilization has come to the forefront as a priority. Typically, traditional UV sterilization is done at the UV wavelength of 254nm. Unfortunately, this wavelength is harmful to skin and eyes with long term. To cope with this pandemic, the company has developed a standard cost-effective UV filter centered at the Krypton-Chlorine (KrCl) line that is safe for users. This optical filter will block out the harmful ultraviolet wavelengths while transmitting the skin safe Far-UVC light, which will effectively and efficiently eliminate bacteria and viruses.

With a unique set of capabilities, Andover has experienced steady growth. Like many others, 2020 has brought some unexpected challenges to the coating industry, but with the company’s strong culture and efficient processes, they have been able to keep up with market demands. For the road ahead, Andover plans to introduce a new line of fluorescence filters which will take their expert coating capabilities into new markets.