Knight Optical

What Knight Optical does

Knight Optical (UK) Limited is a privately held precision optical components manufacturer incorporated in England and Wales in 1999 and operating as part of the Torrent Photonics group. The company produces both catalogue stock optics — lenses, windows, filters, mirrors, prisms, beamsplitters, polarisation optics, gratings, and optomechanics covering UV through far-infrared wavelengths — and bespoke custom components manufactured to customer specifications for substrates, tolerances and coatings. In-house capabilities include four coating chambers (thermal evaporation, e-beam, magnetron sputtering and ion beam sputtering), an ISO 9001/14001-certified metrology laboratory equipped with Zygo and Trioptics instruments, and 100% QA inspection trained to ISO 10110 and MIL standards, yielding a reported <0.3% reject rate. Customers are served via two GTM motions: self-serve e-commerce for stock items (with same-day shipping on orders placed before 14:30 GMT and a £550 minimum order value) and dedicated technical sales account managers for custom enquiries (quoted within 48 hours). The company holds UKAS ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications valid through 2028, JOSCAR registration for defence supply chains, and operates from Harrietsham, Kent (UK headquarters) and North Kingstown, Rhode Island (US subsidiary), with global shipping direct from the UK facility.

Name

Knight Optical

Legal name

Knight Optical (UK) Limited

Website

https://knightoptical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Knight Optical is a UK-based precision optical components manufacturer, part of the Torrent Photonics group, supplying stock and custom lenses, filters, mirrors, prisms, coatings and metrology services across UV to far-infrared wavelengths to research, defence, medical, aerospace and industrial customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Optical Components

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (334419)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Lenses & Optical Accessories (Lenses, Filters, Adapters, Teleconverters) (CRACAPAF), Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG)

Keywords

• Precision optical components
• Custom optical manufacturing
• Optical coatings services
• Infrared optics supply
• Optical metrology testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrietsham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Optical Components: Bespoke optical components manufactured to customer specifications including lenses, windows, filters, mirrors, prisms, beamsplitters, gratings, and polarisation optics. Revenue generated from one-time custom orders and repeat business from established customer relationships.
2. Stock Optical Components: Standard precision optical components available from inventory for immediate purchase and delivery through e-commerce platform. Components include optical lenses, filters, mirrors, prisms, beamsplitters, and optomechanics.
3. Optical Services: Services including metrology testing, quality assurance inspection, optical finishing and processing, optical sub-assemblies, custom packaging, and lamination services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Knight Optical manufactures and supplies precision optical components for UV, visible, near-infrared, and far-infrared applications. The company operates two complementary lines: a stock catalogue of standard optical components available for immediate online purchase with same-day shipping, and a custom manufacturing service producing bespoke optical components to customer-specified dimensions, substrates, tolerances, and coatings. Supporting services include metrology testing, quality assurance inspection, optical finishing, sub-assembly construction, and custom packaging.

Product overview

Knight Optical is a UK-based precision optical components company offering both stock and custom optical solutions. Their product portfolio comprises standard stock optical components (multispectral cameras, optical assemblies, transmission spheres, beamsplitters, optical filters, graticules/gratings/resolution charts, laser optics, optical lenses, optical mirrors, optomechanics, polarisation optics, prisms, UV components, windows, and diffusers) and custom/bespoke optical components (infrared optics, gas cells, windows, filters, lenses, polarisation optics, mirrors, gratings/graticules/resolution charts, prisms, beamsplitters, diffusers, optical tools, and optomechanics). The company also provides services including metrology testing, quality assurance inspection, optical finishing/processing, sub-assembly construction, and custom packaging. Knight Optical is a subsidiary of Torrent Photonics, whose microlithography expertise (patented) is referenced in semiconductor lithography applications. The company holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications and operates from facilities in Harrietsham, Kent, UK and North Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Torrent Photonics: Sub-brand related to micro-patterned filters and semiconductor-style mask aligners; wafer-scale micropatterned filter production with dedicated wafer fabrication cleanrooms

Products and services

• Stock Optical Components

Quantifiable outcome

• <0.3% reject rate from optics tested in metrology lab
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Torrent PhotonicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company providing semiconductor-style mask aligners and wafer fabrication capabilities. Torrent Photonics handles wafers up to 8 inches with dedicated cleanrooms for micropatterned filters at wafer scale. Knight Optical leverages this expertise for advanced optical component manufacturing.
• SPIEminorOthersInternational Society for Optics and Photonics - member organisation dedicated to advancing scientific optical research and engineering applications through meetings, publications and education programs.
• EPICminorOthersEuropean Photonics Industry Consortium - industry association promoting sustainable development of photonics organisations in Europe including LED lighting, photovoltaics, PICs, lasers, sensors, imaging, displays, and optical components.
• Institute of Physics (IOP)minorOthersProfessional body advancing physics for the benefit of all, with PhysicsWorld providing online products and services for physicists.
• ADS GroupminorOthersPremier Trade Organisation for UK Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space sectors with membership of over 1000 UK registered businesses.
• A3 - Association for Advancing AutomationminorOthersNorth America's largest automation trade association representing over 1,300 organisations involved in robotics, AI, machine vision, imaging, motion control and motors.
• MAKE UK DefenceminorOthersThe Manufacturers' Organisation defending the UK's defence supply chain sector, representing interests to government and wider industry.
• AILU - Association of Laser UsersminorOthersIndependent non-profit organisation run by and for the laser community since 1995.
• RP PhotonicsminorOthersPhotonics expert Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta's company striving for excellence in product quality and customer service.
• MeetopticsminorOthersPlatform helping engineers and researchers find optics they need, making photonics more accessible.
• Unmanned Systems Technology (UST)minorOthersSmart sourcing platform for unmanned systems, subsystems, software and components.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thorlabs: Thorlabs is a vertically integrated photonics company manufacturing optics, optomechanics, lasers, and fibre optics for research, OEM, and industrial markets. Like Knight Optical, Thorlabs offers both catalogue and custom optical components and competes in the same wavelength ranges and end applications including machine vision, life sciences, and quantum research.
• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics is the largest global catalogue and custom precision optics manufacturer, offering stock and custom lenses, filters, mirrors, and assemblies across UV, visible, and IR wavelengths. It is the closest direct competitor to Knight Optical across both the stock e-commerce channel and the custom components business, serving overlapping industrial, medical, and research customers.
• Hellma GmbH: Hellma is a German manufacturer of precision optical components and cells, particularly strong in spectroscopic cells, optical filters, and UV-VIS-NIR components. It is a direct peer to Knight Optical in the precision optics, metrology, and customised substrate categories, especially for analytical and life-science applications.
• Lambda Research Optics: Lambda Research Optics is a US-based supplier of custom and stock laser optics, crystals, and thin-film coatings for industrial, medical, and scientific laser applications. It is a direct peer in the custom laser optics and IR substrate categories where Knight Optical is also active.
• OptoSigma Corporation: OptoSigma is a Japanese-owned manufacturer of stock and custom optical components, optomechanics, and thin-film coatings. It is a direct peer to Knight Optical with comparable coverage of UV, visible, and IR optics for industrial, scientific, and OEM customers, including custom coating capabilities.
• Reynard Corporation: Reynard Corporation is a US-based custom manufacturer of optical components and thin-film coatings serving defence, aerospace, medical, and industrial markets. It is directly comparable to Knight Optical in custom optics for defence and aerospace, including coating and substrate capabilities across UV to IR.

Broad incumbents

• Newport (MKS Instruments): Newport, part of MKS Instruments, manufactures optical components, motion control, and light sources for research and OEM photonics applications. It is a broader incumbent than Knight in the photonics stack but competes head-to-head in custom optical components, mirrors, and filters for industrial and scientific customers.
• CVI Laser Optics (IDEX): CVI Laser Optics, part of IDEX Health & Science, manufactures laser-grade optics, polarisation components, and thin-film coatings for laser, semiconductor, and biomedical applications. It overlaps with Knight's laser optics and precision coating capabilities, particularly for high-power laser systems and OEM photonics.
• ISP Optics (Halma): ISP Optics, part of Halma plc, manufactures custom precision optics including IR lenses, windows, and laser components for defence, aerospace, and medical applications. It is a direct competitor in custom IR optics and operates within a larger diversified photonics group, providing a useful acquisition-multiple reference for Knight.

Emerging players

• Shanghai Optics (SOPT): Shanghai Optics is a precision optics manufacturer offering custom lenses, mirrors, prisms, and coatings for industrial, medical, and scientific applications. It is an emerging global peer, particularly in cost-sensitive custom orders, and represents both a competitive threat and a comparable reference for the custom components business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/knightoptical

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Knight Optical