Fresnel Optics

What Fresnel Optics does

Fresnel Technologies, Inc. (operating as FTI, also referred to in firmographics as Fresnel Optics doing business as Reflexite Display Optics) is a privately held precision polymer optics manufacturer founded in 1986 in Fort Worth, Texas. The company designs, prototypes, and produces polymer optical components across a diameter range of 250µm to greater than 750mm, including Fresnel lenses, polymer aspheric lenses, passive infrared (PIR) lens arrays, freeform optics, silicone optics, and optical diffusers. Its proprietary POLY IR® family of infrared-transmitting polymers (six variants) and LODIFF® lens patterns represent core intangible IP. Manufacturing is fully in-house, spanning ultra-precision two- and four-axis diamond turning (achievable surface finishes of 2nm Ra), 5-axis CNC machining, injection molding, compression molding, and a metrology lab supporting tooling and production processes.

The company operates as a specialty contract manufacturer with direct enterprise field sales handling quotes, pricing, and ordering (minimum order $100 USD; production runs from one-off prototypes to millions of parts; shipping Ex-Works Fort Worth, Texas). It serves five primary verticals: medical devices and life sciences (primary, including sequencing and medical lasers), semiconductor inspection, security and lighting control (PIR-driven motion sensing), UAV and surveillance (IR optics), and AR/VR (Fresnel and diffractive lenses for headsets). The company was originally founded by Richard Claytor and is currently led by President Dr. Nelson Claytor, with technical staff including ASPE Fellow Oscar Lechuga.

FTI has remained an independent, founder-controlled entity with no disclosed external private equity or venture capital funding; the only disclosed capital inflows are three small NYSERDA grants totaling approximately $286K between 2000 and 2009. End markets include security system manufacturers (volume PIR arrays), medical device OEMs, semiconductor capital equipment suppliers, AR/VR headset makers, and surveillance integrators. The company's defensible economics rest on a claimed 100x cost reduction and 5-10x weight savings versus traditional IR optical materials such as germanium and chalcogenides.

Name

Fresnel Optics

Legal name

Fresnel Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://fresneltech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fresnel Technologies is a privately held precision polymer optics manufacturer founded in 1986 in Fort Worth, Texas, producing Fresnel lenses, polymer aspheres, PIR lens arrays, freeform optics, and silicone optics for medical, semiconductor, security, AR/VR, and UAV applications using proprietary POLY IR and LODIFF materials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Polymer Optics Manufacturing

NAICS

Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Injection Molded Optical & Transparent Parts (Lenses, Light Guides) (IMANAFAL)

Keywords

• Precision polymer optics
• Fresnel lens manufacturing
• Infrared optical materials
• Passive infrared arrays
• Optical diamond machining

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Polymer Optics Sales: Sale of stock and custom polymer optics including Fresnel lenses, polymer aspheres, PIR lens arrays, silicone optics, diffusers, and freeform optics. Minimum order $100 USD. Production volumes from one-off prototypes to millions of parts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fresnel Technologies, Inc. (FTI) designs, toolings, and manufactures precision polymer optics — Fresnel lenses, polymer aspheric lenses, PIR (passive infrared) lens arrays, freeform optics, silicone optics, and optical diffusers — using proprietary POLY IR® infrared-transmitting materials and LODIFF® lens patterns. The company runs fully in-house capabilities including optical design, ultra-precision diamond turning (2nm Ra), injection and compression molding, metrology, and assembly, serving customers from prototype through high-volume production across security, medical, AR/VR, semiconductor, and surveillance applications.

Product overview

Fresnel Technologies offers a comprehensive portfolio of precision polymer optics consisting of Fresnel lenses, polymer aspheric lenses, PIR (passive infrared) lens arrays, freeform optics, silicone optics, and optical diffusers. The company also provides POLY IR proprietary infrared-transmitting materials, optical-quality acrylics, polycarbonates, and cyclic olefin copolymers. Their capabilities span from optical design through prototyping to high-volume production, supported by in-house diamond machining, tooling, metrology, and molding services. The product line serves applications including motion detection, security, medical devices, AR/VR, semiconductor, UAV/surveillance, and lighting control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POLY IR®: Registered trademark for Fresnel Technologies' line of infrared-transmitting polymers used in PIR applications and other IR applications.
• LODIFF®

Products and services

• Fresnel Lenses Precision polymer Fresnel lenses offered in multiple configurations — positive/negative focal length aspheric, cylindrical, off-axis, lenticular arrays, and micro-lens arrays — for visible and infrared applications.
• Polymer Aspheric Lenses Polymer aspheric lenses suited for prototyping, development, and production systems, available uncoated or with broadband antireflection coatings for visible, near-infrared, and ultraviolet applications.
• PIR Lens Arrays Passive infrared (PIR) lens arrays for motion detection applications including automatic lighting switches, occupancy sensors, and motion sensor alarms, available in seven series with catalog and custom options.
• Freeform Optics Polymer freeform optics with non-rotationally symmetric surfaces for reducing part count, weight, and system footprint in complex optical systems, alongside diamond-machined aluminum freeform mirrors and freeform IR crystal optics.
• Silicone Optics Injection molded silicone optics designed for extreme environments with resistance to temperature, UV, and humidity, suited to UV, VIS, and NIR lighting applications and biomedical uses.
• Optical Diffusers Micro-lens arrays used as optical diffusers for evenly distributing light, hiding light sources, broadening angular detection ranges, and making viewing screens more uniform.
• POLY IR® Materials Proprietary infrared-transmitting polymer materials — POLY IR 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9 — for PIR applications and other IR transmission needs across multiple wavelength ranges.
• Optical Plastics — Acrylic, Polycarbonate, and Cyclic Olefin Copolymer Optical-quality plastics including acrylic (PMMA) with n=1.49, polycarbonate with higher temperature and impact resistance (standard thicknesses 0.015–0.125 inches), and cyclic olefin copolymers (COC) with higher refractive index, superior chemical resistance, lower water absorption, and low-birefringence biocompatible options.
• Optical Tooling (Diamond Turning and Mold Manufacturing) Diamond turning, CNC machining, injection- and compression-mold manufacturing, and specialized optical surface texturing for producing high-precision optical molds and components.
• Optical Rulers Educational optical rulers featuring various optics (Fresnel lenses, microlens arrays, diffusers, and aspheric lenses) that demonstrate FTI's design and manufacturing expertise, offered in four versions.
• Metrology Services In-house metrology lab with skilled scientists and technicians supporting tooling and production processes, ensuring high-quality optics that meet customer specifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100x cheaper production cost vs. traditional IR optics materials
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RPC Photonics: Engineered Surface Diffusers and Microreplicated Optics. Direct peer in microreplicated polymer optics serving laser, lighting, and display markets.
• Holographix LLC: Replicated micro-optics, diffusers and microlens arrays. Direct peer in replicated polymer optics for similar end-use applications.
• Lightsmyth Technologies: Diffractive and micro-structured optics for lasers and sensors. Direct peer offering nano/microstructured components in similar polymer and glass materials.
• Holo/Or Ltd. Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) and micro-optics. Direct peer in precision diffractive and refractive micro-optics.
• SUSS MicroOptics: Micro-optics via lithography and replication. Direct peer in refractive/diffractive micro-optics serving AR/VR, automotive, and life science.

Emerging players

• NIL Technology (NILT): Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) for AR/VR optics and metamaterials. Emerging player with overlapping AR/VR micro-optics capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Jenoptik: Large German optics manufacturer with polymer and glass precision optics for semiconductor, life science, and industrial markets. Broader incumbent with overlapping precision micro-optics capabilities.
• Edmund Optics: Global optics catalog and custom optics manufacturer. Broad incumbent offering stock and custom polymer/glass optics across research, industrial, and life science.
• Thorlabs: Vertically integrated photonics and optics supplier. Broad incumbent with precision optics, optomechanics, and laser-related components.
• Coherent Corp: Large diversified photonics and materials company. Broad incumbent with precision optics, materials, and laser components spanning industrial and defense.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

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 Fresnel Optics