Colored Glass Filters

Pure Absorption Technology for Reliable Wavelength Selection

Various optical bandpass filters displayed on a white background, showcasing shape and coating differences.

Andover Colored Glass Filters

Versatile spectral control through engineered absorption materials

Colored glass filters provide a unique approach to wavelength selection through specially formulated glass materials that absorb unwanted light while transmitting desired wavelengths. Unlike interference-based filters, colored glass filters achieve their spectral properties through the intrinsic absorption characteristics of their constituent materials.

Each filter is characterized by three key properties:

  • Transmission Range: The wavelength region the glass is engineered to transmit
  • Internal Transmittance: The percentage of light transmitted within the passband
  • Cut-on/Cut-off Points: The wavelengths where transmission rises above or falls below 50%

Using high-quality optical filter glass that is precision polished on both surfaces, our colored glass filters deliver excellent spectral consistency and sharp contrast across ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths, providing a robust and economical solution for applications requiring broad spectral filtering.

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Colored Glass Construction Technologies

Colored glass filters achieve their spectral control through specialized material composition and precision fabrication. Understanding these construction elements is key to selecting the optimal filter for your application:

Surface Processing

Both surfaces are precision ground and polished to achieve exceptional optical quality and parallelism. This two-stage polishing process ensures transmitted wavefront quality of λ/4 per inch and parallelism to within 30 arc seconds, minimizing distortion and maximizing throughput. Surface quality is maintained to 80-50 scratch-dig per MIL-M-13508 standards.

Mounting Options

Filters can be provided unmounted or mounted in black anodized aluminum rings. For specific applications, threaded mounting options are available to enable direct integration into optical systems while protecting the filter edges from damage during handling and assembly.

By partnering with Andover Corporation, you gain access to over 45 years of expertise in optical filter fabrication. Our in-house polishing capabilities and rigorous quality control ensure every color glass filter delivers consistent spectral performance and excellent durability for your most demanding applications.

Color Glass Optics: Absorption-Based Spectral Control

Advanced Light Management Through Precision Glass Engineering

From standard bandpass solutions to custom heat-absorbing designs, our color glass filters combine excellent transmission characteristics with robust environmental stability to deliver consistent performance across a wide range of applications. Unlike interference-based filters, these filters achieve their spectral properties through the intrinsic absorption of carefully formulated glass compositions, offering an economical and durable solution for broad wavelength control.

Various optical bandpass filters displayed on a white background, showcasing shape and coating differences.

Bandpass Type Filters

 transmit a broad band of energy while blocking shorter and longer wavelengths, ideal for enhancing signal-to-noise ratio in illumination systems. Precision polished surfaces provide optimal transmission within the desired band.
  • Optical Thickness 3mm ±0.5mm
  • Surface Quality 80/50 per MIL-M-13508
  • Max Operating Temperature +100°C
  • TWF 1/4 wave per inch
  • Parallelism 30 arc seconds or better
High Transmission
Sharp Contrast
Precision Polished
Assorted edge filters with long-pass and short-pass profiles arranged on a neutral surface.

Long Wave Pass

Long wave pass filters are ideal for order sorting applications, transmitting longer wavelengths while blocking shorter ones. These filters provide excellent out-of-band rejection with high in-band transmission.
  • Optical Thickness 3mm ±0.5mm
  • Surface Quality 80/50 per MIL-M-13508
  • Max Operating Temperature +100°C
  • TWF 1/4 wave per inch
  • Parallelism 30 arc seconds or better
Order Sorting
Deep Rejection
High Transmission
Optical filter or component from Andover Corporation shown on a white background.

Heat absorbing

Heat absorbing filters transmit visible wavelengths while effectively blocking infrared radiation. Especially useful in applications requiring thermal management and protection of sensitive components.
  • Optical Thickness 3mm ±0.5mm
  • Surface Quality 80/50 per MIL-M-13508
  • Max Operating Temperature +100°C
  • TWF 1/4 wave per inch
  • Parallelism 30 arc seconds or better
IR Blocking
High Visible Transmission
Thermal Management

Frequently Asked Questions

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Custom Fabrication and High-Volume Manufacturing

Our vertically integrated facility handles both specialized custom projects and large-scale production runs with consistent quality and short lead times.
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Discovering new possibilities in optical filtering

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