The world has seen a tremendous shift toward the renewed importance of space vehicles for use in communications, data gathering and surveillance, entertainment, and strategic defense. Precision optical coatings are fundamental to the performance of extraterrestrial missions - especially areas such as power generation, laser communications, temperature management and long-range photography. Visimax has found itself well positioned to develop and deliver high-performing optical coatings to improve on incumbent systems often used in space. Visimax has made investments to further continue development in this area.
In 2021, Visimax developed a specialty silver mirror designed to perform in extreme low (-120C) temperatures, providing superior reflectance into the IR. Coating adhesion was a key area of development. As a result, Visimax now boasts a silver coating process capable of delivering industry-leading adhesion on an array of different substrates. Receiving similar R&D attention was the Visimax line of Anti-Reflection coatings, which are used in solar power generation for satellites. These coatings have been heavily tested in accordance with NASA and ESA protocols and have been demonstrated to be an improvement over status quo products.
Visimax's strategic focus on its 'First Time Right' Quality program developed in 2018 has made for a seamless shift in meeting the demanding quality requirements of the aerospace industry. Aerospace auditors and customers consider Visimax to be a reliable and scalable partner to manufacture and deliver precision optical coatings.
Visimax coatings and coated components are now flown on an estimated 500+ satellites orbiting the earth and are therefore considered critically important to US national defense.
