What is an optical table?
Optical table is a piece of equipment - a table or platform - used engineers in performing optical tests. Such a table is designed to maintain all optical devices in place during experiments to avoid the smallest vibrations by disruption of gentle and demanding work. This type of table is incredibly stiff and inflexible and can use magnets and mounting holes to secure optical devices on site. To avoid vibration problems, the legs on the optical table have vibration shock absorbers that prevent the table movement. Even rigid tables can bend or strain if the load changes, and it should also be avoided. This is because optical devices must be sufficiently sensitive to nanometer measurements and even the smallest movement could destroy careful calibrations. To ensure that there is no movie table is made of thick steel, carbon or aluminum. The table is usually produced in a honeycomb grid to provide better support and better dampen vibrations.
To ensure that optical devices remain in place, most optical table units have mounting holes. Small rays on optical devices feed on the mounting holes, so they cannot move unless the device manually lift the device. Another reason for these mounting holes is to help with precise location. Most grids have holes that are from 0.5 to 1 inch (12.7 to 25.4 millimeters) apart.
During operation, it is easy for optical devices to move slightly, even if they are in the mounting holes, as the energy output can cause the device to vibrate. An optical table is usually magnetized to solve this problem. This also prevents the equipment from moving outside the experiments when engineers are set by optical formulas, as disturbances at any stage can destroy experiments.
When optical devices are running, they can generate moderate to medium vibrations. For other devices would be tNormally there was no problem, but with measuring in the range of nanometers, even the smallest vibrations can throw an optical device. Typically an optical table has strong legs with pneumatic vibrations. These legs absorb vibrations, so optical devices do not move at all during use.