Industry
Invar and Super Invar Machining for Photonics and Laser Systems
We are a matching service, not a machine shop. Send your resonator, mount or enclosure drawing and we match it with up to three vetted shops that cut the low-expansion alloys and can hold the geometry a laser system needs.
Why Optics, Photonics & Laser Systems programs specify these alloys
A laser resonator or cavity spacer only performs if the distance and angle between its optical elements hold steady as temperature changes. Invar 36 and Super Invar exist for exactly this problem, but the alloy choice is only half the specification. The machining sequence, the stress relief cycle and the inspection method decide whether a part actually keeps the geometry the alloy was chosen to protect.
Photonics and laser programs bring their own version of this problem: a production run that needs the same part fifty times over, a temperature-stabilized enclosure where the alloy choice depends on the actual duty cycle rather than the steady-state set point, and a scale-up path from a hand-built prototype to a documented, qualified process.
This page is a starting point, not a shop. We do not machine parts, own equipment or hold any certification ourselves. What we do is take your drawing, match it with shops that have relevant experience in the low-expansion alloys, and let you compare their process and quote directly.
Where Optics, Photonics & Laser Systems uses Invar, Kovar and Alloy 42
Laser resonator housings and cavity spacers
Parallelism between mirror faces, bore concentricity and cavity length, protected by a rough, stress relieve, finish sequence.
Cavity spacers and mirror mounts for production laser systems
Repeatability across a run, not just a single precise part, plus alignment that survives shipping and handling.
Temperature-stabilized photonics enclosures
Reference lengths and mount positions inside a TEC or oven-controlled housing, where Super Invar may or may not be justified.
Optical benches and structural frames
Multi-element mounting plates that hold several optics in a fixed relative position through ambient swings.
What to put on the RFQ, and what to vet in a supplier
We match your RFQ. You still own supplier qualification. These lines get you a comparable quote and a shop that can answer the qualification questions your program asks.
State the operating and any transient temperature range the part actually sees, not just the steady-state set point.
Call out parallelism, concentricity and flatness explicitly, not just linear dimensions.
Specify the stress relief and any stabilization cycle, or require the shop to document a fixed one.
State inspection temperature and soak time, and whether a CMM report is required.
Note your production stage (prototype, pilot or production) and expected volume.
Flag whether second-source qualification is planned so the first shop documents a reproducible process.
Optics, Photonics & Laser Systems guides
- Choosing a Supplier
Sourcing Invar Parts as a Laser System OEM
What a laser system manufacturer needs from an Invar machining vendor beyond a single precise part: repeatability across a run, alignment that survives shipping and a documented process.
- Materials
Super Invar Sourcing for Photonics and Laser Manufacturers
When a temperature-stabilized photonics enclosure justifies Super Invar over Invar 36, what availability and lead time actually look like, and what to check before you specify it.
- Process
Invar Resonator Housings: What Laser Manufacturers Specify
The parallelism, bore concentricity and flatness callouts a laser resonator housing or cavity spacer drawing needs, and how the stress relief sequence protects them over the laser's service life.
- Process
Prototype to Production: Invar Parts for Photonics Programs
How a photonics program plans the move from a hand-built Invar prototype at one shop to a qualified production run with incoming inspection and a documented process.
- Materials
Invar for Optical Benches and Telescope Structures: Why CTE Stability Matters
Why optical and telescope designers specify Invar 36 or Super Invar for mounts and structural benches, and what that means for how the parts are machined.
- Process
Stress Relief for Invar Machined Parts: When and How Shops Do It
Why Invar parts move after roughing, typical stress relief and stabilization cycles, where they sit in the machining sequence and how to write the drawing note.
- Process
Invar Machining Tolerances: What a Shop Can Hold and What It Costs
Typical Invar machining tolerances by feature, why 20 °C inspection matters, which GD&T callouts count on Invar and how to turn a temperature band into a CTE.
Alloy pages: Invar 36 machining, Super Invar machining, Kovar machining, Alloy 42 machining. Spec numbers and CTE by temperature band on the Invar specs reference.
Have a drawing ready?
Send the short version now. We will ask for anything missing. For full details up front use the full RFQ form. Reply within 24 business hours.
Your files go only to the shops we match. Ask for an NDA and nothing is shared until it is signed.
Questions from Optics, Photonics & Laser Systems buyers
Something else? Email .
Do you manufacture the parts yourselves?
No. We are a matching service. Shops in our network machine the parts, quote you directly and you deal with them for the order, delivery and any warranty.
Are the shops you match me with certified?
We do not hold or verify certifications ourselves, and we never claim a shop is certified on its behalf. Ask any shop you are matched with directly what certifications they hold and verify anything that matters to your program before placing an order.
Should I specify Invar 36 or Super Invar for a photonics enclosure?
Run the growth calculation for your actual duty cycle, including any power-up transient, against your alignment budget. Invar 36 is adequate for most designs. Super Invar is worth its longer lead time only when Invar 36 falls short.
Can one shop handle both my prototype and later production volume?
Sometimes, but confirm the shop can document a fixed process and run a pilot batch before committing volume. A shop good at fast prototypes is not automatically set up for repeatable batch production.
How fast will I hear back after submitting an RFQ?
Typically within 24 business hours, with up to three shops matched to your drawing.