National Aperture

What National Aperture does

National Aperture, Inc. is a privately held US manufacturer of precision micro-apertures and miniature motion-control products, founded in 1989 and operating from Sebastian, Florida (with New Hampshire contact/governing-law indicators). It sells two complementary product lines: (1) precision apertures — round pinholes, slits, high-power variants, infrared apertures, spatial filters, mirror apertures, custom patterns, mounts, and pinhole/slit positioners, fabricated via proprietary computerized micro-drilling, micro-slitting, and micro-finishing with NIST-traceable standards; and (2) the patented MicroMini™ line of miniature and ultra-miniature manual and motorized translation stages (linear, rotary, goniometer) together with servo controllers (MC-5CD, MC-CQ-4X, MC-CQ-B) and legacy controllers (MC-5B, MC-4SA, USB Stick Drive). Specifications include aperture sizes from 2µm to 1000µm, slits from 2.5µm to 200µm, and sub-micron motion resolution in miniature footprints, with selected products qualified for vacuum operation at 10⁻⁶ Torr.

The business model is direct-to-customer e-commerce with Stripe checkout, supplemented by a domestic and foreign distributor network and international shipping via FedEx, UPS, and DHL; large orders (>US$1M) are routed to direct sales. Unit pricing visible on the site ranges from roughly US$145 (encoder wheel accessory) to US$4,200 (MC-CQ-4X 4-axis controller). End-use segments named on the company's own material include semiconductor inspection, manufacturing equipment, microscope positioning, laser alignment, medical robotics, and broader scientific instrumentation/applied optics. The firm holds a granted patent on MicroMini™ stage technology and lists integration touchpoints with National Instruments hardware (7342/7344) and software environments (LabVIEW, Visual Basic). No AI/ML capabilities, funding rounds, M&A activity, or named enterprise customers are disclosed.

The company employs 1–10 people and presents itself as a long-tenured specialist (it claims over 50 years of experience). Revenue is not publicly disclosed and there are no observed signals of recent hiring, funding, or geographic expansion beyond the established product catalog, distributor channel, and limited international footprint (USA, Canada, UK).

Name

National Aperture

Legal name

National Aperture, Inc.

Website

https://nationalaperture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National Aperture, Inc. is a privately held US manufacturer of precision micro-apertures (pinholes, slits, IR apertures, spatial filters) and patented MicroMini™ miniature motion stages and controllers, serving semiconductor inspection, laser alignment, scientific instrumentation, and medical robotics customers via direct e-commerce and distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Optical Components

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Optics & Laser/Light Engine Components (Lenses, Galvos, Laser Modules, UV Engines) (IMAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Precision apertures
• Motion control
• Optical components
• Micro-positioning
• Precision manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Precision Aperture Products: One-time hardware sales of precision micro-apertures, pinholes, slits, bar patterns, and custom configurations. Standard pinholes range from 2µm to 1000µm and standard slits range from 2.5µm to 200µm with custom sizes available.
2. Motion Control Products: Sale of miniature translation stages (manual and motorized) and motion controllers including MC-5CD, MC-CQ-4X, MC-CQ-B series controllers and various stage models.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

National Aperture manufactures and sells precision micro-apertures and motion control products for optical, industrial, and research applications. The company produces both standard catalog components and custom-engineered aperture and positioning solutions for buyers requiring highly precise optical and mechanical hardware.

Product overview

National Aperture, Inc. is a precision manufacturing company offering two primary product lines: precision micro-apertures and motion control products. The aperture product line includes Standard Round Apertures, Standard Slits, High Power Round Apertures, High Power Slits, Spatial Filters, Mirror Apertures, Infrared Apertures, Custom Patterns & Arrays, Aperture Mounts, and Pinhole & Slit Positioners. The motion control product line (MicroMini™) includes manual stages (MM-1, MM-2, MM-3, MM-1R, MM-3GF series), motorized stages (MM-1M, MM-3M, MM-3MG, MM-3MR, MM-4M, MM-4MG, MM-4MR series), and controllers (MC-5CD, MC-CQ-4X, MC-CQ-B). Legacy products include MC-5B, MC-4SA, and USB Stick Drive controllers. The company serves semiconductor, manufacturing, microscopy, laser alignment, and medical robotics applications with over 50 years of experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MicroMini: Proprietary line of miniature and ultra-miniature precision servo motion products featuring sub-micron resolution and high speed in small footprints.
• MM Series
• MC Series

Products and services

• Precision Micro-Apertures Custom and catalog precision micro-apertures used in optical, imaging, instrumentation, and research applications requiring high dimensional accuracy.
• Motion Control Products Precision motion control hardware and positioning products for use in optical, laboratory, and industrial systems requiring controlled, repeatable movement.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• OptoSigma: OptoSigma manufactures optical components and a broad range of manual and motorized positioning stages, controllers, and mounts. It is a direct catalog competitor to National Aperture's aperture and MicroMini™ motion lines, particularly in laser and photonics applications.
• Thorlabs: Thorlabs is the dominant broad-line catalog supplier of photonics components, including precision pinholes, slits, spatial filters, and a comprehensive nanopositioning stage and controller family. It is the most direct competitor to National Aperture across both the aperture and motion-control product lines, serving the same OEM and research customers globally.
• Siskiyou Corporation: Siskiyou designs and manufactures precision positioning equipment, optical mounts, and motion accessories used in research and OEM photonics systems. Its manual and motorized micro-positioners overlap with National Aperture's MM-series stages.
• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics manufactures and distributes precision optical components — including pinholes, slits, spatial filters, and mounts — used in laser, imaging, and instrumentation applications. It directly overlaps National Aperture's aperture catalog and competes in the same procurement channels.
• Zaber Technologies: Zaber manufactures motorized linear stages, rotary stages, and motion controllers sold direct through an e-commerce catalog. Its direct-to-customer online model and product mix are highly comparable to National Aperture's MicroMini™ stages and MC controllers.
• SmarAct GmbH: SmarAct produces high-precision nanopositioning and micropositioning systems, controllers, and metrology tools for research and OEM applications. Its sub-micron and nanometer-resolution stages overlap directly with National Aperture's MicroMini™ motorized offering.
• Meadowlark Optics: Meadowlark Optics manufactures precision optical components including pinholes, slits, spatial filters, and polarization optics for laser and imaging systems. Its aperture catalog directly overlaps with National Aperture's standard and high-power pinholes and slits.
• PI (Physik Instrumente): PI is a global leader in precision nanopositioning systems and motion controllers with sub-nanometer resolution. It competes head-to-head with National Aperture's MicroMini™ motorized stages and controllers in semiconductor, photonics, and life-science applications.
• Aerotech: Aerotech is a precision motion-control and positioning-systems manufacturer specializing in high-performance stages and controllers for semiconductor, medical, and research applications. It competes with National Aperture in the higher-precision end of the motion-control market.

Broad incumbents

• Newport (MKS Instruments): Newport, part of MKS Instruments, offers an extensive portfolio of optical components, motion control, and vibration-isolation solutions for research and industrial customers. It competes broadly with National Aperture across both apertures and motion stages, but as part of a much wider catalog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalAperture

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 National Aperture