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Breadboards and Table Tops
Frequently Asked Questions
Optical Tabletops and breadboards are platforms commonly used by optical engineers to stabilize and support components during manufacturing and experimentation processes. They are frequently used for optics and photonics research, and often utilized for the testing and repair of standard optical devices (e.g. lasers, microscopes, telescopes).
Optical Tabletops isolate surrounding environmental vibrations with an extremely stiff and structurally damped honeycomb structure. The support stands are also vibration-isolating structures, isolating the table from ambient background vibrations.
Optical Tables are essentially a larger version of Optical Breadboards. So, yes, they are breadboards. However, although Optical Tables and Breadboards share many of the same properties, this does not mean they can always be used interchangeably. Depending on the needs and size of the project, a smaller Optical Breadboard may be preferred over a larger Optical Table.
The top and bottom sheets of Optical Tables are typically made of rigid materials: steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, and other materials with little deflection to maximize stability.
Frequent applications include microscopy, interferometry, metrology, and optical fiber alignment. They are used in projects where a vibration-free environment is desired for data collection. Because Optical Breadboards are smaller, they are oftentimes used for academic demonstrations and research laboratory experiments.
Optical Tabletops can cost from $800 to upwards of $5,000 depending on the size and material. Optical Breadboards are typically within the price range of $80-$800, with some outliers in the $2,000 range for those made of more advanced materials.
Seeing as the two are very similar, it depends on the project it’s being used for. Tabletops are better for large-scale manufacturing or experimentation projects, whereas Breadboards are preferred for academic demonstrations and smaller lab experiments.
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