What Computar Optics Group does

Computar Optics Group is a precision optical lens manufacturer operating as a brand under CBC AMERICA LLC, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate CBC Group. The company designs and manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of lenses including megapixel varifocal, monofocal, zoom, specialty (SWIR, LensConnect, thermal), board, fisheye, and telecentric models. Key proprietary technologies include the ViSWIR series for visible-to-short-wave-infrared imaging (800-1700nm), the LensConnect USB motorized remote-control platform, MPX shock-resistant (10G) lenses for harsh environments, MPYIR IR-corrected day/night lenses, and the TEC-ML motorized telecentric series for precision measurement. The product range supports 1/1.8" to 1.1" sensor formats with resolutions up to 20MP and pixel sizes down to 2µm.

The company serves nine primary verticals: machine vision and robotics (its lead segment), food and pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, unmanned autonomous vehicles, medical and life sciences, government and defense, security, OEM/custom integration, and intelligent transportation systems. Customer applications include factory automation, automated optical inspection, wafer inspection, material sorting, surveillance, and medical imaging. Operations are headquartered in Cary, North Carolina with the CBC AMERICA principal office in New York, NY and a recently relocated warehouse in Carson, California serving the Americas; international customers are routed through CBC Group's global offices and CBC Global (Japan).

Computar generates revenue through direct B2B hardware sales via a quote-based pricing model with multi-year contracts, distributed through its own regional sales force, independent sales representatives, and a global channel of industrial distributors and machine vision resellers. The company supplements its sales motion with content marketing (technical guides, blogs, webinars), video demonstrations, social media presence, and active participation in major industry events (Automate, SPIE Photonics West, SEMICON West, Vision Spectra). The LensConnect Series has been recognized as a Silver Honoree in the Vision Systems Design Innovators Awards Program, and the company maintains pending U.S. and foreign patent applications covering its lens systems.

Name

Computar Optics Group

Legal name

CBC AMERICA LLC

Website

https://computar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Computar Optics Group is a CBC AMERICA subsidiary that designs and manufactures precision optical lenses, including SWIR, motorized, and shock-resistant series, for machine vision, security, semiconductor, medical, defense, and OEM customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Optical Lenses

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG)

Keywords

• Machine vision lenses
• Industrial optics
• Security camera lenses
• Precision optical components
• SWIR optics

Headquarters

HQ city

Cary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Optical Lens Hardware Sales: Computar generates revenue through the sale of optical lenses for machine vision, security, and industrial imaging applications. Products are sold through global distribution network, independent sales representatives, and direct quote requests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Computar Optics Group designs and manufactures precision optical lenses used in machine vision, industrial automation, security and surveillance, intelligent transportation systems, defense, and life sciences equipment. Its products are sold to OEMs, system integrators, and equipment manufacturers as standardized catalog lenses (fixed focal, vari-focal, motorized, telecentric, line scan, SWIR, ITS, and board-level lenses) and as custom optical assemblies engineered to customer specifications.

Product overview

Computar Optics Group is a manufacturer of optical lenses for industrial and surveillance applications. The product portfolio includes a comprehensive range of lens types organized by technology category: Megapixel Varifocal, Megapixel Monofocal, and Megapixel Zoom lenses for high-resolution imaging; standard Varifocal and Monofocal lenses; Specialty lenses for SWIR, thermal, and remote-controlled applications; Board lenses for S-mount embedded systems; Fisheye wide-angle lenses; and Zoom lenses including motorized and telecentric models. Key product series include the MVS Series (compact 8MP machine vision lenses with M12 mount), MPX Series (shock-resistant anti-vibration lenses), MPZ Series (20MP fixed focal length lenses), MPYIR Series (12MP IR-corrected lenses), and LensConnect Series (motorized remote-control lenses with USB interface). The ViSWIR Series provides short-wave infrared imaging from 400-1700nm. Accessories include housings, adapters, filters, and extenders. Computar serves industries including machine vision, security, ITS, medical/life sciences, food/pharmaceuticals, semi-conductors, government/defense, UAVs, and OEM/custom applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Machine Vision Lenses Precision optical lenses designed for machine vision and industrial automation systems used by OEMs and system integrators in inspection, robotics, and quality control.
• Fixed Focal Length Lenses Standardized fixed focal length optical lenses for industrial, machine vision, and imaging applications requiring consistent focal length and high image quality.
• Vari-Focal Lenses Adjustable focal length lenses used primarily in security, surveillance, and ITS cameras where installation distance and field of view vary by deployment.
• Motorized Lenses Motorized zoom and focus lenses enabling remote adjustment of focal length and focus, used in surveillance, ITS, and remote-monitoring imaging systems.
• Telecentric Lenses Telecentric optical lenses that provide constant magnification across the field of view, used in metrology, precision measurement, and inspection systems.
• Line Scan Lenses Line scan optical lenses designed for line scan cameras used in continuous web inspection, printing, and surface inspection applications.
• SWIR Lenses Short-wave infrared (SWIR) optical lenses designed for imaging beyond the visible spectrum, used in defense, scientific, and specialized industrial inspection applications.
• ITS Lenses Optical lenses engineered for intelligent transportation systems including traffic monitoring, tolling, and license plate recognition (ANPR/ALPR) imaging.
• Mega Pixel Lenses High-resolution mega-pixel optical lenses designed to support modern high-resolution image sensors in surveillance, machine vision, and imaging applications.
• Board Lenses / OEM Micro Lenses Compact board-level and micro optical lenses designed for OEM integration into embedded imaging devices, compact cameras, and small-form-factor imaging modules.
• Custom Optical Assemblies Bespoke optical lens assemblies engineered to customer specifications for OEMs requiring specialized focal lengths, form factors, coatings, or performance characteristics not available in the standard catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• Low distortion rates as low as -0.20% to 0.29% in MVS Series lenses
• +2 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Thorlabs: Thorlabs manufactures a broad range of optical components including industrial and machine vision lenses, with comparable vertical integration in optical design and manufacturing serving photonics, life sciences, and industrial customers.
• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics is a direct competitor in industrial and machine vision optics, offering an extensive catalog of lenses, filters, and imaging components for similar applications including factory automation, life sciences, and defense.
• Schneider-Kreuznach: Schneider-Kreuznach manufactures industrial and machine vision lenses including specialized optics for semi-conductor inspection, factory automation, and ITS — a direct head-to-head competitor to Computar.
• Kowa Optimed: Kowa Optimed produces machine vision, surveillance, and industrial lenses with comparable product lines in CCTV, ITS, and factory automation, serving as a direct peer particularly in the security and ITS segments.
• Navitar: Navitar designs and manufactures high-performance lenses for machine vision, life sciences, and industrial inspection, with comparable specialty lens offerings including SWIR and large-format sensors.

Broad incumbents

• Tamron: Tamron is a broad-line Japanese optics manufacturer offering industrial, security, and machine vision lenses; while its core business is consumer photography, its industrial lens division overlaps with Computar in security and ITS.
• Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology: Zeiss is a global optics incumbent with industrial lens and microscope offerings serving semi-conductors, quality inspection, and medical imaging — overlapping with Computar's high-precision and life sciences segments.
• Fujifilm (Fujinon): Fujinon (Fujifilm) is a major incumbent in industrial and security lenses with a deep catalog of machine vision, broadcast, and surveillance optics, directly competing with Computar in factory automation and security applications.

Emerging players

• Moritex: Moritex specializes in machine vision lighting, telecentric lenses, and fiber optic illumination, with comparable precision optics offerings in factory automation and inspection — a smaller, more focused peer in the machine vision space.

Regional players

• VS Technology: VS Technology is a Japanese manufacturer specializing in machine vision lenses, primarily serving APAC markets with telecentric, macro, and high-resolution optics — a regional peer with overlapping product categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ComputarUSA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuAYJb-lEsDyDi5t9HpRv2w
• Facebookfacebook.com/ComputarUSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/computar-optics-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/computarusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Computar Optics Group