What Andover Corp. does

Andover Corporation, founded in 1976 and headquartered in Salem, New Hampshire, is a privately held precision optics manufacturer specializing in optical filters and coatings spanning the deep ultraviolet (193nm) to long-wave infrared (15µm) spectrum. The company operates a vertically integrated production facility covering substrate fabrication, polishing, advanced coating deposition (magnetron sputtering, ion-assisted e-beam, resistance evaporation), metrology, and final assembly, with 100% inspection and full traceability on every optic. Its product portfolio includes bandpass, neutral density, infrared, ultraviolet, edge, and astronomy filters; specialty items such as dichroics, heat control, and calibration filter sets; coating services including AR, DLC, and chalcogenide; and supporting accessories such as motorized filter wheels, temperature controllers, and threaded mounting rings.

The company generates revenue through three primary streams: one-time sales of catalog optical filters and coatings (available via an e-commerce storefront and tiered unit pricing), custom product fabrication and prototyping services for specialized requirements, and high-volume production runs. GTM is enterprise field sales targeting aerospace, defense, and technology OEMs, complemented by direct technical sales (phone/quote), e-commerce for mid-market and research buyers, and global distribution. Primary customer segments are aerospace and military/defense (with named references including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris Wescam), followed by environmental monitoring, astronomy, LiDAR, biomedical, machine vision, and semiconductor inspection.

Andover holds ISO 9001:2015, AS9100:2016, and ITAR registration, supplying 50+ year brand reputation, 100% reported customer satisfaction, a 0.90% return rate, and approximately one-week standard lead times as core commercial differentiators. The company is led by Chairman & CEO Harry Shimp, and was named 2026 New Hampshire Small Business Exporter of the Year by the SBA.

Name

Andover Corp.

Legal name

Andover Corporation

Website

https://andovercorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Andover Corporation is a privately held, 50-year-old precision optics manufacturer based in Salem, NH, producing optical filters and coatings from UV (193nm) to far IR (15µm) for aerospace, defense, scientific, and industrial customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Filters and Coatings

NAICS

Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (33441)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Precision optical filters
• Optical coatings manufacturing
• Bandpass filters
• Infrared optics
• UV IR coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Optical Filters and Coatings Sales: One-time sale of precision optical filters and coatings. Products range from standard catalog items to custom-designed solutions. Includes bandpass filters, ND filters, IR filters, UV filters, edge filters, astronomy filters, and specialty coatings.
2. Custom Product Fabrication: Custom optical solutions and prototyping services. Engineering team develops solutions for challenging requirements. Vertically integrated facility handles specialized custom projects.
3. High-Volume Production: Large-scale production runs with consistent quality and short lead times for established product lines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Andover Corporation designs and manufactures precision optical filters and coatings spanning wavelengths from UV (193nm) to far IR (15µm). The company is vertically integrated, handling substrate fabrication, polishing, coating, and 100% inspection in-house, and sells both standard catalog products (bandpass, ND, IR, UV, edge, dichroic, astronomy filters) and custom-engineered optical solutions to aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial customers.

Product overview

Andover Corporation is a precision optics manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of optical filters, coatings, fabrication, and testing services. The core product lines include Bandpass Filters (available in standard, semi-custom, and hard-coated variants), Neutral Density Filters, IR Filters, UV Filters, Edge Filters, and Astronomy Filters for specialized applications. Specialty products encompass Custom Prototyping, Colored Glass Filters, Heat Control Filters, Dichroic Filters, Calibration Filter Sets, and Beamsplitters/Prisms. The company provides coating services including Dual-Band, Antireflective (AR), Infrared AR, Fiber Tip, DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon), and Chalcogenide coatings. Fabrication capabilities cover Optical Assemblies, Polishing & Fabrication, and High-Volume Production. Testing and measurement services include Metrology, Interferometry, and Verification Services. Accessories such as Filter Wheels (motorized and manual), Temperature Controllers, Threaded Filter Rings, and accessories (optical mounts, cryolite, epoxies) complement the product portfolio. The company operates from 193nm to 15μm wavelength coverage using advanced deposition technologies including magnetron sputtering, ion-assisted e-beam, and resistance evaporation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bandpass Filters Precision wavelength-selection filters transmitting specific spectral bands while blocking unwanted wavelengths, available in standard, semi-custom, hard-coated broadband, hard-coated narrowband, high-transmitting, IR bandpass, semi-custom IR bandpass, emission line, and surplus variants, with bandwidths from 0.15nm to 300nm for industrial, scientific, and aerospace applications.
• Neutral Density (ND) Filters Optical filters that uniformly reduce light intensity across the spectral range without significantly altering color, available in absorptive (UV-VIS-NIR and VIS-NIR), metallic, IR neutral density, and ND filter set variants for imaging and instrumentation applications.
• Infrared (IR) Filters Filters for infrared wavelength applications including IR bandpass, IR long pass, and custom IR long pass configurations used in thermal imaging, sensing, and defense electro-optical systems.
• Ultraviolet (UV) Filters Filters optimized for ultraviolet wavelengths including standard UV filters, first-surface UV filters, UV neutral density filters, and ultraviolet cold mirrors for semiconductor, biomedical, and analytical applications.
• Edge Filters Steep-edge longpass, long wave pass, and short wave pass edge filters providing precise spectral separation for instrumentation and imaging systems.
• Astronomy Filters Precision optical filters for astronomical observation and imaging including Johnson/Bessel UBVRI, Kron/Cousins UBVRI, Sloan, MKO Near-Infrared, L/M/N-Band Infrared, and LRGB color imaging filter sets.
• H-alpha Solar Filter (656HC07-31M) H-alpha filter isolating the 656.3nm hydrogen-alpha emission line for safe and detailed viewing of solar phenomena including prominences, flares, and filaments.
• Solar and Celestial Observation Filters Filters for safe solar observation including H-alpha and ClearSky sodium suppression windows used in daytime solar and celestial imaging.
• Image Quality Filters Filters optimized for image quality applications requiring high optical precision and clarity in machine vision and imaging systems.
• IR Windows and Substrates Infrared-transparent windows and substrates for IR optical systems, available with optional antireflective coatings.
• Custom Products and Prototyping Custom optical filter design and prototyping services for specialized requirements not covered by standard catalog offerings, including engineer-to-engineer development and rapid prototyping.
• Colored Glass Filters Filters using colored glass substrates in bandpass, heat absorbing, and long pass configurations for various spectral control applications.
• Heat Control Filters Hot mirrors, cold mirrors, and IR suppressing filters for managing heat in optical systems.
• Dichroic Filters Precision dichroic filters and dichroic filter sets for controlled spectral separation in multi-band imaging and fluorescence applications.
• Calibration Filter Sets Sets of precision filters used for optical system calibration and verification.
• Beamsplitters and Prisms Optical components for splitting or combining light beams in optical systems.
• Dual-Band Filters and Coatings Optical filters with dual-band coating technology for capturing multiple spectral features simultaneously in imaging or sensing systems.
• Antireflective (AR) Coating Services High-efficiency anti-reflective coating services designed to maximize transmission and minimize unwanted reflections across a wide spectral range for customer-supplied or Andover-fabricated optics.
• Infrared AR Coating Services Specialized anti-reflective coatings optimized for infrared wavelengths on substrates such as germanium, silicon, and chalcogenide glasses.
• Fiber Tip Coating Services Precision anti-reflective coatings applied to fiber optic terminations to optimize transmission and reduce back-reflections.
• DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) Coatings Hard, durable diamond-like carbon infrared coatings combining graphitic and diamond carbon forms, with refractive index around 2.0 serving as anti-reflection coatings on high-index infrared substrates like germanium (4.0) and silicon (3.4).
• Chalcogenide Coating Services Advanced infrared coatings for chalcogenide glass substrates providing low absorption and high environmental stability for thermal imaging and sensing applications.
• Optical Assemblies Custom assembly services combining multiple Andover-manufactured optical components into integrated sub-systems or instruments.
• Polishing and Fabrication Services Precision optical polishing and substrate fabrication services for custom optical components.
• High-Volume Optical Production Large-scale optical fabrication and coating services for high-volume production runs with consistent quality and short lead times.
• Metrology Services Precision optical measurement and quality control verification services.
• Optical Interferometry Services Interferometry-based testing and measurement services for precision verification of optical components.
• Verification Services Comprehensive optical component verification and validation services against customer and industry specifications.
• Filter Wheels Motorized and manual filter wheels for automated filter selection, available in 6-position 25mm and 12-position 12.5mm configurations with USB 2.0 and RS-232 connectivity, including LabVIEW driver support.
• Temperature Controllers Precision thermal regulation devices for narrow bandwidth interference filters, maintaining stable temperatures between 30-60°C with ±0.25°C accuracy for fine wavelength tuning.
• Threaded Filter Rings Precision-machined anodized aluminum mounting rings with industry-standard thread sizes (M27.0 to M52.0) and laser-engraved identification for secure filter mounting.
• Surplus Optical Products Discounted surplus inventory including surplus bandpass, edge, hard-coated bandpass, IR bandpass, IR edge filters, and surplus substrate materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% Customer Satisfaction Rate with on-schedule delivery
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)coreOthers · 1 January 2026Named 2026 New Hampshire Small Business Exporter of the Year by the SBA, recognizing excellence in international trade and export activities.
• Lawrence BGCminorOthersAndover Corporation is a proud sponsor of Lawrence BGC (Greater Baldwin Chamber), which empowers the next generation of leaders in the local community.
• SPIEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerActive participant in SPIE conferences and exhibitions including Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation (July 7-9, 2026 in Copenhagen, Booth #319) for industry visibility and networking.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• II-VI (Coherent): Major diversified photonics and materials platform producing optics, coatings, and laser-related components for industrial, semiconductor, and defense markets — broader scale competitor with overlapping product set.
• Materion Corporation: Diversified advanced materials company with optical coatings and thin-film deposition capabilities serving aerospace, defense, and semiconductor end markets alongside broader materials businesses.
• Jenoptik: Diversified German photonics and optics group producing optical components, coatings, and systems for semiconductor, defense, and medical applications — broader portfolio but overlapping technology base.

Direct peers

• Semrock (IDEX Health & Science): Manufacturer of high-performance optical filters for life sciences, biomedical, and laser applications; similar hard-coated sputtered filter technology and comparable customer base.
• Edmund Optics: Largest direct peer — manufactures optical filters, coatings, and a broad catalog of optical components serving aerospace, defense, biomedical, machine vision, and semiconductor end markets with global distribution.
• Omega Optical: Custom optical filter manufacturer serving life sciences, astronomy, and industrial markets with bandpass, edge, and notch filters — closely comparable custom-engineering model.
• Thorlabs: Vertically integrated optics and photonics manufacturer offering optical filters, coatings, and a deep catalog of components; competes directly with Andover in custom and catalog optical filter offerings.
• Chroma Technology: Specialty manufacturer of precision optical filters for fluorescence microscopy, biomedical, and machine vision applications — a close functional peer in hard-coated and bandpass filter technology.
• MKS Instruments (Newport): Provides optical filters, coatings, and photonics subsystems through its Newport and Ophir brands, with significant overlap in laser, semiconductor, and defense optics.

Regional players

• Optics Balzers: European-headquartered optical coatings and component manufacturer serving automotive, medical, and industrial markets; comparable in technology but with primary geographic focus on EMEA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Andover_Corp
• Facebookfacebook.com/AndoverCorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/andover-corporation

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Andover Corp.