What Rayotek Scientific does

Rayotek Scientific is a specialty optical materials manufacturer founded in 1990 and headquartered in San Diego, California. The company engineers, molds, slumps, polishes, brazes, seals, grinds, and water-jet cuts advanced optical components — including sapphire-based transparencies, sight windows, glass domes, aviation and space windows, mirrors, reflectors, and optical diffusers — for customers operating in extreme environments such as high pressure, high temperature, and corrosive conditions. Its primary served verticals are aerospace and defense, with secondary exposure to semiconductor/electronics, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, and industrial manufacturing and R&D.

On March 1, 2024, Rayotek was acquired by McDanel Advanced Materials and now operates as McDanel Optical Technologies, sitting alongside McDanel Advanced Ceramics and McDanel Glass Solutions (formerly Richland Glass) to form a unified multi-material platform. The division retains its original engineering and manufacturing team and continues to sell on a custom project-quote basis through specialized B2B forms, direct enterprise sales, and industry trade shows. Pricing is bespoke per specification, with no standard tiers or e-commerce channel.

The business is anchored on mission-critical applications — Rayotek-supplied optical components are part of the NASA Artemis II mission supply chain — and sells under long-cycle, certification-driven relationships rather than transactional volume. The operating entity is a portfolio company of Artemis, a private equity firm focused on Industrial Tech, which has actively backed the McDanel platform's acquisition-led growth strategy.

Name

Rayotek Scientific

Legal name

Rayotek Scientific

Website

https://rayotek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rayotek Scientific, now McDanel Optical Technologies, manufactures custom sapphire-based optical components — sight windows, transparencies, domes, and aviation/space windows — for aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and life science customers operating in extreme environments. Acquired by McDanel Advanced Materials in March 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Optical Components Manufacturing

NAICS

Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace Transparent Materials & Windows (Acrylic/Polycarbonate/Glass) (IMABANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF), Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

Keywords

• Precision optical components
• Sapphire transparencies
• Sight windows
• Advanced optical materials
• Aerospace optical manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Optical Components & Systems: Revenue derived from the design, engineering, and manufacture of custom optical components including sight windows, sapphire transparencies, glass domes, and mirrors for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Primarily project-based with long sales cycles and custom pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rayotek Scientific designs, engineers, and manufactures custom advanced optical components—including sapphire transparencies, sight windows, glass domes, aviation and space windows, mirrors, reflectors, and optical diffusers—for extreme-environment aerospace, defense, semiconductor, life science, and industrial applications. The company provides in-house precision fabrication capabilities such as molding, slumping, polishing, brazing, sealing, grinding, and water jet cutting, and now operates as the Optical Technologies division of McDanel Advanced Materials.

Product overview

Rayotek Scientific, acquired by McDanel Advanced Materials on March 1, 2024 and now operating as McDanel Optical Technologies, offers advanced optical materials and components as part of a unified advanced materials platform. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio including sight windows, sapphire transparencies, glass domes, aviation and space windows, mirrors, reflectors, and optical diffusers. This optical technologies division works alongside McDanel Advanced Ceramics and McDanel Glass Solutions to solve complex, multi-material challenges across aerospace, defense, semiconductor, life sciences, and industrial end-markets. The portfolio also includes the WearGuard® brand for wear-resistant products and the Metrazyl® oxygen sensor product line.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sight Windows Precision sight windows for observation and monitoring in high-pressure, high-temperature, and corrosive industrial, aerospace, and defense environments.
• Sapphire & Transparencies High-performance sapphire-based optical windows and transparencies offering exceptional clarity and durability for extreme-environment aerospace, defense, and industrial applications.
• Glass Domes Custom glass domes for optical and protective applications in aerospace, defense, and industrial settings.
• Aviation & Space Windows Engineered windows designed for aviation and space applications meeting stringent aerospace certification requirements for crew safety and environmental protection.
• Mirrors & Reflectors Precision optical mirrors and reflectors for various industrial and aerospace applications.
• Optical Diffusers Optical diffusers for controlled light distribution in scientific, industrial, and aerospace lighting applications.
• Custom Engineering Services Custom engineering services for optical components designed to meet specific application requirements of aerospace, defense, semiconductor, life science, and industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Continued operations without disruption to production schedules, deliveries, contracts, or service following acquisition

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NASAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcDanel Advanced Materials, including Rayotek's optical technologies, participates in NASA's Artemis II mission supply chain as one of hundreds of American manufacturers contributing components for deep space exploration. The mission represents a flagship reference for the company's aerospace capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics is a broad incumbent and large optics supplier with a comprehensive catalog of optical components including windows, lenses, mirrors, and filters. Competes with Rayotek in standard and semi-custom optical components across aerospace, defense, and industrial markets.
• Thorlabs: Thorlabs is a broad incumbent and large-scale manufacturer of photonics and optical components including optics, lasers, and imaging systems. While it offers standard optical windows and lenses, it is much larger and competes on adjacent rather than identical custom aerospace components.
• SCHOTT North America (Advanced Optics): SCHOTT Advanced Optics is a large incumbent producing specialty glass, optical components, and sapphire windows for aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and medical applications. Much larger scale, but directly comparable in sapphire and glass optical window products.
• Saint-Gobain Crystals: Saint-Gobain Crystals is a broad incumbent producing sapphire, quartz, and other advanced optical crystals for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Much larger scale, but overlapping product portfolio in sapphire transparencies and extreme-environment optics.

Direct peers

• Sydor Optics: Sydor Optics manufactures custom precision flat optics, mirrors, and filters for aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and research customers. Direct peer to Rayotek in custom optical components with comparable engineering-driven business model.
• Meller Optics: Meller Optics is a direct peer specializing in custom sapphire optical components, windows, and lenses for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Highly comparable product portfolio to Rayotek's sapphire transparencies and sight windows, serving the same extreme-environment use cases.
• Precision Glass & Optics (PG&O): PG&O is a direct peer producing custom precision optical components including glass windows, mirrors, prisms, and sapphire parts for aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial markets. Closely comparable custom-engineering model and customer base.
• ISP Optics (ISP-SYSTEM): ISP Optics specializes in custom infrared optics, laser optics, and precision optical components for defense, aerospace, and industrial applications. Direct peer in custom optical components for extreme-environment and mission-critical use cases.
• Abrisa Technologies (Hoya): Abrisa Technologies manufactures custom optical components including glass windows, filters, and coatings for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Now part of Hoya, it competes directly with Rayotek in optical windows and transparent components for harsh environments.

Emerging players

• OptoSigma: OptoSigma offers a broad catalog of optical components including windows, mirrors, and lenses for industrial, research, and aerospace applications. Partial overlap with Rayotek's optical components portfolio, though it operates with more of a catalog/standard-product model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rayotek

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 Rayotek Scientific