Epner

This section has examples of both space and terrestrial optics where critical optical figures, either plano or with power, is as important as reflective performance. ETI utilizes physical tooling, where required, to prevent the classical high-current density “run-out” usually associated with an electro-deposited surface.

Laser Gold plating is a proprietary, pure, hard, electrochemically deposited gold coating that combines the theoretical reflectivity and emissivity of gold, with a surface that can actually be physically cleaned!

Laser Black is a multi-layer metallic oxide. Its deep velvety-black surface is somewhat fragile since it achieves its remarkable absorption by creating a micro-dendritic structure on the optical surface (see Laser Black SEM Photo). Unfortunately, these dendrites will show evidence of being touched, however the overall performance of the surface will not be degraded if this “touching” is performed in a small area. Being an inorganic coating, Laser Black does not outgas, and when vibrated ultrasonically in acetone, shows no flaking or chipping.

Today, Epner specializes in plating a variety of dielectric materials including engineering plastics such as Ultem™, Teflon™, Ryton™ and Torlon™…and of course ABS.

For more than 50 of its nearly 100 years of existence, Epner has been “pushing the envelope” of specification plating for the aerospace, optics, electronics, medical, and semi-conductor industries.

Electroforming is the process of fabricating a part from the plating itself. A shaped mandrel is plated long enough to build up a "stand alone" thickness. The mandrel is then removed by melting, chemically etching, or exploiting differences in thermal coefficients of expansion between the electroformed part and the mandrel. 

Infrared Light Pipes, Light Guides, Waveguides and Homogenizers:  These products are custom-built to your dimensions.  They consist of cylindrical or sometimes hexagonally shaped tube lined with a 2 1/2 micron thick layer of a highly polished Laser Gold surface.

Thin wall Cold Shields combine Epner's Electroforming with Laser Black and Laser Gold performance.
These Cold Shields have ultra-low thermal mass and an interior that “swallows light”. The outer diameter (OD) is polished Laser Gold for extremely Low-E.

This section describes products that rely on the consistently Low-Emittance of Laser Gold plating to control thermal load.

As a key plating supplier to some of the finest CNC machinists, wire EDM shops and optical fabricators, including single point diamond machining, what can be more natural than to team with these "known quantity" customers and turn them into our suppliers?

Laser Gold was named because of its near universal acceptance as the most efficient and durable YAG Laser Pump Cavity coating. Epner Technology both manufactures many OEM cavities, and offers a refurbishment service for lasers of all major manufacturers including the electroformed Quantronix Head. ETI provides a solderable gold plating for diode pumped heat sinks.

Epi Reactors, Rapid Thermal Heaters and Memory Disk Heaters all have been improved by re-plating with Laser Gold. ETI both fabricates from scratch or re-plates your existing reflectors on the AMT, ASM, Intevac and Moore Technology heater systems. A patented improvement in the reflector increased shape for EPI reactors has produced the ability to guarantee lamp life for one year with uniformity at the wafer.

ETI has produced Laser Gold plated reflector panels for some 37 auto paint drying tunnel ovens. An experiment at Ford’s Wixom pilot line produced an incredible 36% increase in oven efficiency when compared to the original stainless steel oven walls.

A variety of medically related products from radio opaque markers on catheters to lightpipes used in tympanic (ear) thermometers are made possible with Laser Gold.

Realizing a need in the art community for a plating company that welcomes a chance to contribute to their creativity rather than find them an annoyance, Epner Technology set up a division that draws on its high technology know-how, and applies it to the world of art, sculpture and jewelry.

Epner is also known for blister-free plating on some of the more unusual or difficult metals, permitting them, for example, to withstand high brazing or soldering temperatures.  Titanium, Molybedenum, Tungsten, Magnesium, AlBeMet and Beryllium are some of the more difficult substrates routinely handled by Epner's throughly trained platers.

Selective plating is one of Epner's specialties.  Skilled artists, in many cases, hand paint with a proprietary masking material in areas to be kept free of plating.  In some cases, your part would be plated all over and the masking would be applied to the surfaces we wish to maintain plating, while the rest of the part is stripped.  Pull plugs, threaded teflon and ocassionally custom machined shields are all part of Epner's masking arsenal.

A form of tank-less plating, ETI's brush plating capabilities will meet your outsourcing requirements with efficiency.

This section illustrates infrared reflecting function as contrasted to the imaging optics above. Here the energy is ''bounced'' in a general direction and in some cases ''homginized'' at the end of a light pipe for example.

Custom tailored corrosion resistant coatings can be applied to your substrate once the corrosive atmosphere has been defined.