Optiforms
Optiforms is a U.S. precision metal component manufacturer, founded in 1984, specializing in electroforming, multi-axis CNC machining, PVD optical coatings, and electrodeposition for aerospace, defense, medical, semiconductor, and specialty lighting customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersTemecula, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Optiforms does
Optiforms, Inc. is a U.S. precision metal component manufacturer founded in 1984 and headquartered in a 62,000 square foot advanced manufacturing facility in Temecula, California. The company specializes in electroforming — an additive manufacturing process that electrodeposits nickel onto mandrels to replicate complex geometric and organic surfaces with ±2 arc minute surface slope deviation — combined with multi-axis CNC machining, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) thin film optical coatings, electroplated finishes (gold, rhodium, silver, nickel cobalt), metrology, and in-house polishing. Its product portfolio spans optical reflectors (parabolic, elliptical, spherical, off-axis parabolic), non-imaging optics (CPCs, condensers, light tubes), thermal infrared imaging components (Dewar bodies, cold shields, window housings), CNC machined chassis and assemblies, and standardized accessories such as the OAP Universal Adapter and Reflector Refurbishment services.
Optiforms serves enterprise customers across five primary verticals: Aerospace & Defense (thermal infrared imaging, missile guidance, surveillance), Medical (retinal imaging, dental, laser hair removal), UV & Semiconductor (lithography illumination, UV curing), Specialty Lighting (stage, architectural, searchlights), and Industrial (gas leak detection, solar simulators). Named customers include Raytheon Missile Systems, Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control, L3T Cincinnati Electronics, FLIR, DRS Network & Imaging, BAE Systems, Teledyne Judson, and MIT. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified, ITAR registered, and NIST 800-171 compliant, positioning it as an approved supplier for U.S. defense programs.
The business operates on a project-based custom manufacturing model: every order is quoted individually through a Request for Quote process specifying industry, component type, coating, and substrate. Revenue is generated through one-off component sales plus professional services for coating, refurbishment, and metrology, with multi-year contracts supporting key defense relationships. Distribution is direct B2B only, with no reseller or e-commerce channel; demand generation is driven primarily through SPIE Photonics West and SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing trade show presence, technical content marketing, and direct RFQ engagement. The company is privately held with no external funding disclosed, led by President Kevin Thompson.
Optiforms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Optiforms
- Legal name
- Optiforms, Inc.
- Website
- https://optiforms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Optiforms is a U.S. precision metal component manufacturer, founded in 1984, specializing in electroforming, multi-axis CNC machining, PVD optical coatings, and electrodeposition for aerospace, defense, medical, semiconductor, and specialty lighting customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Optiforms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Optical and Mechanical Metal Components Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Electronics & Industrial Component 3D Printing Services (enclosures, fixtures, functional parts) (IMAAADAL)
Keywords
Where Optiforms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Temecula
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Optiforms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Custom Precision Metal Components: Optiforms manufactures custom electroformed and CNC machined precision metal components for high-tech applications. Components include optical reflectors (parabolic, elliptical, spherical, off-axis parabolic), non-imaging optics (CPCs, condensers, light tubes, troughs), and custom build-to-order parts. Revenue is generated through project-based custom manufacturing with no standardized pricing - each order is quoted individually based on specifications.
- Optical Coatings Services: Thin film optical coatings applied via Physical Vapor Deposition including broadband metallic (gold, silver, aluminum), enhanced metallic, ultraviolet coatings, dichroic cold/hot coatings, and covert filters. Coating services are applied to both in-house manufactured components and customer-supplied substrates.
- Electrodeposited Platings: Electrodeposition services for surface enhancement including plated gold, rhodium, silver, and nickel cobalt. Applied to optical components to enhance reflectivity, corrosion resistance, and durability. Typically offered as add-on service to manufactured components.
- Reflector Refurbishment Services: Surface refurbishment services for reflectors up to 25 inches in diameter including stripping and recoating of damaged coatings (gold, silver, aluminum, AF, AQ, EA). Also includes glass reflector refurbishment and bonded mount restoration services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quotation for precision components |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Optiforms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Optiforms manufactures custom precision metal optical and mechanical components primarily via electroforming (nickel electro-deposition onto mandrels), CNC multi-axis machining, PVD thin-film optical coatings, and electrodeposited platings. Its products include optical reflectors, non-imaging optics, thermal infrared components, and electro-deposited plated finishes supplied to aerospace & defense, medical, UV & semiconductor, specialty lighting, and industrial customers. The company positions itself as a vertically integrated, one-stop-shop contract manufacturer with in-house design, polishing, and metrology capabilities.
Product overview
Optiforms is a precision metal component manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of products centered on electroforming, optical coatings, and precision machining. The core offerings include Electroformed Components (nickel-based optical reflectors including parabolic, elliptical, spherical, off-axis parabolic reflectors and CPCs), Optical Coatings (PVD thin film coatings including metallic, enhanced, UV, and dichroic coatings), and Electro-deposited Platings (gold, rhodium, silver, nickel cobalt). Supporting capabilities include CNC Machined Components, Thermal Infrared Components, Reflector Mounts & Assemblies, Reflector Refurbishment, Design & Engineering Services, Metrology, and Polishing. The company operates as a one-stop-shop manufacturer with in-house capabilities spanning the entire production process.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Electroformed Components
Quantifiable outcome
- 96-100% customer approval rating
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Optiforms
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Optiforms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Optiforms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Optiforms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Thorlabs: Vertically integrated US photonics manufacturer offering optical components, coatings, and optomechanics across research, life sciences, and industrial markets. Comparable to Optiforms in custom optical-component manufacturing and thin-film coating capabilities, with overlapping customer bases in research and OEM instrumentation.
- Sydor Optics: Rochester, NY-based custom precision optics and flat-glass manufacturer serving defense, aerospace, semiconductor, and medical OEMs. Comparable to Optiforms in custom optical components with thin-film coating capabilities and similar customer verticals.
- Edmund Optics: The largest US catalog and custom optics manufacturer, producing lenses, prisms, mirrors, and optical coatings for industrial, medical, and research customers. Directly comparable to Optiforms as a custom optics and thin-film coating supplier, though at much greater scale and with a broader catalog.
- Abrisa Technologies: US optical coatings and fabricated glass manufacturer providing thin-film coatings, strengthened glass, and display optics. Comparable to Optiforms in the optical coatings service business, particularly for industrial, lighting, and defense applications.
- Optimax Systems: US precision optics manufacturer specializing in custom optics, prototype-to-production manufacturing, and optical coatings. Closely comparable to Optiforms in custom optical-component manufacturing for aerospace, defense, medical, and semiconductor customers.
- Optics Balzers: Specialty thin-film optical coatings and components manufacturer serving automotive, lighting, display, and sensor markets. Most directly comparable to Optiforms' PVD coating and optical component business, including bandpass filters, cold/hot mirrors, and metallized coatings on complex geometries.
Broad incumbents
- Jenoptik: German precision-optics and photonics conglomerate serving semiconductor equipment, defense, and metrology OEMs. Comparable to Optiforms as a broad incumbent in precision optical components and coatings for high-tech OEM customers, though with significantly larger scale and a global footprint.
- Coherent: Global photonics and laser components manufacturer (formed via II-VI/Coherent merger) producing precision optics, coatings, and laser subsystems for semiconductor, aerospace/defense, and instrumentation customers. Comparable to Optiforms as a broad incumbent precision-optics supplier with overlapping defense EO/IR exposure.
- MKS Instruments (Newport): US-listed photonics and equipment platform whose Newport brand supplies precision optics, optical coatings, and motion control to research and OEM customers. Comparable to Optiforms in optical component manufacturing for EO/IR and laser systems, with far broader scale following M&A-driven consolidation.
Emerging players
- Universe Optics: Smaller US custom precision optics manufacturer serving defense, medical, and industrial OEMs. Comparable to Optiforms in custom optical-component manufacturing for defense primes, though with a narrower capability stack and smaller installed base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Optiforms social profiles
Digital presenceOptiforms compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Optiforms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Optiforms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Optiforms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Optiforms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Optiforms
What does Optiforms do?
Optiforms manufactures custom precision metal optical and mechanical components primarily via electroforming (nickel electro-deposition onto mandrels), CNC multi-axis machining, PVD thin-film optical coatings, and electrodeposited platings. Its products include optical reflectors, non-imaging optics, thermal infrared components, and electro-deposited plated finishes supplied to aerospace & defense, medical, UV & semiconductor, specialty lighting, and industrial customers. The company positions itself as a vertically integrated, one-stop-shop contract manufacturer with in-house design, polishing, and metrology capabilities.
Is Optiforms a public or private company?
Optiforms is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Optiforms founded?
Optiforms was founded in 1984. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Optiforms based?
Optiforms is headquartered in Temecula, United States, in the North America region.
How does Optiforms make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Custom Precision Metal Components are the primary driver. The others are optical Coatings Services, electrodeposited Platings and reflector Refurbishment Services.
Who are Optiforms's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Thorlabs, Sydor Optics, Edmund Optics, Abrisa Technologies, Optimax Systems and Optics Balzers. Broad incumbents are Jenoptik, Coherent and MKS Instruments (Newport). Universe Optics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Optiforms have an API?
No public API is recorded for Optiforms.
What industry is Optiforms in?
Optiforms's product category is Precision Optical and Mechanical Metal Components Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAJAF, Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors), with a secondary code of IMAAADAL, Electronics & Industrial Component 3D Printing Services (enclosures, fixtures, functional parts). Its NAICS code is 33451 and its SIC code is 3827.