Non-toxic, inert polymer systems designed to remove dust,
fingerprints, residues and other contamination from surfaces.
First Contact™ cleans diffraction gratings, nanostructures as well
as all precision optics like first surface mirrors and special
coatings. First Contact™ also protects optics from physical and
chemical damage in shipping and storage.
First Contact? covers from 5 to 6 square
inches (32 - 39 square cm) per 1 ml
of solution when used on smooth surfaces like mirrors. This
application rate
creates a thick, strong film which will lift easily from the
surface with no
tears or breaks. Heavier application may be necessary for larger
surfaces.
Surfaces like gratings or screw threads need much heavier
application to
create a film which is strong enough to peel off the surface
without
tearing. We recommend the user make several applications at time
intervals,
allowing the previous application an opportunity to set up. More
drying time
is needed when creating thick films.
Does First Contact?
leave a residue after cleaning?
No, First Contact? leaves no optically
active residue. First Contact?
actually leaves most optics cleaner than new from the factory,
including
pin-hole optics.
How
does First Contact? interact with light?
Colorless First Contact? is optically
transparent, it does not interact with
electromagnetic waves from 220 nm to 2500 nm. There is no
scattering in this
region. (Colored First Contact? solutions and films cannot make
this claim.)
What protection
does First Contact™ provide during handling, storage and shipping?
When properly applied, First Contact™
protects against scratching, abrasion, dirt, and water damage.
First Contact™ also protects against corrosion caused by water
vapor, oxygen, and sulfur.
First Contact™ dries to a strong solid film which
adheres to the surface tightly. The film covers the surface
intimately, providing an effective barrier to particulates.
Unlike other protective films in use today, the
tough, resilient First Contact™ film prevents scratches due to
particulate matter or abrasion from surfaces rubbing against the
protected surface. First Contact™ IS the protection, it does need
to be protected with expensive packaging designed to suspend the
optic to prevent any contact during transit.
Can
I lower packaging and shipping costs by using First Contact™?
Photonic Cleaning Technologies believes you
can! First Contact polymer film is tough, resilient, and protects
against many physical and chemical attacks. It provides a positive
physical barrier between the optic and the world. This physical
barrier allows the use of less sophisticated, less expensive
packaging options. By shipping with First Contact™ protection on
your optics, package cost and time spent packaging should drop
significantly.
Does First Contact™ protect against water
and water vapor penetration?
Yes, First Contact™ provides an effective
barrier to water and water vapor.
Does First Contact™ protect against oxygen?
Yes, First Contact™ provides effective
protection from oxygen. The dry, First Contact™ film is impervious
to oxygen.
Does First Contact™ Protect against sulfur
penetration?
Yes, First Contact™ is impervious to sulfur
vapors and provides effective protection against sulfur.
If First Contact™ sticks after storage, how
can I remove it safely?
First Contact™ polymer is inert so
it is unlikely it will stick too tightly to the surface even after
a lengthy storage period. However, if necessary, the polymer can
be re-dissolved using fresh First Contact™ solution. When the
fresh application dries, the polymer film will peel off quickly
and easily.
Can First Contact™ clean glass and coated
optics?
Yes, First Contact™ was developed with this purpose
in mind. The developers were researchers trained to use precision
optics in their research and knew there had to be a better way to
clean than drag wipe methods. They worked for several years to
attain a breakthrough technology for cleaning precision optics and
have spent several additional years proving the technology works
as well as improving the product.
First Contact™ is a single component cleaning
solution. Just apply First Contact™ from the bottle; there is no
need to ever touch the optic surface directly with a brush, mesh,
or tissue. First Contact™ penetrates every surface feature down to
50 nm and smaller. When the dried film is removed, the surface is
optically clean and the optic coatings remain intact.
First Contact™ is effective on rough surfaces like
diffraction gratings and frosted glass, too!
Can First Contact™ clean telescope optics?
Yes, First Contact™ cleans all telescope
optics, from mirrors to diffraction gratings to camera lenses,
quickly and effectively.
First Contact™ restores primary surface mirrors to
virtually new condition and can be applied to the surface while
the mirror is mounted in the telescope. Regular use of First
Contact™ can extend mirror life and reduce or eliminate the need
to recoat the primary surface.
Can First Contact™ clean metals?
Yes, First Contact™ cleans all metals.
Will First Contact™ remove blocking wax from
optics?
Yes, First Contact™ removes blocking wax
like that on the pictured x-ray optics much faster, more
effectively, and more completely than other methods.
All blocking wax is gone and so are all particles &
residues when First Contact™ is removed.
You may want to take advantage of First Contact’s™
impermeability to water, water vapor, oxygen, and sulfur to coat
the cleaned optic during storage. The dried First Contact™ film is
quickly and easily removed, within seconds, when the optic is
needed.
Will First Contact™ remove residue from
other attempts to clean optics?
Yes, First Contact™ is proven to remove
residues remaining when other products were used to ‘clean’ or
protect the optic.
Only First Contact™ protects, cleans, and leaves no residue!
Can First Contact™ clean crystals and
minerals?
Yes,
First Contact™ cleans crystals and minerals as long as the
material is not soluble in polar organic solvents. First Contact™
has been used to successfully clean laser rods and precious gems.
Can First Contact™
clean plastics?
Cleaning plastics is an area for caution.
First Contact™ can clean some plastics such as nylon and Delrin®
which are not soluble in polar organic solvents. However
polycarbonates and polyethylenes will dissolve in the First
Contact™ solvents.
If First Contact™ is going to be used on or near
plastics, use extreme caution. If possible, test a sample of the
plastic before using First Contact™ on the optic or optic
assembly. Photonic Cleaning Technologies will not accept
responsibility for damage to an optic or instrument due to
dissolved plastic components.
Can
First Contact™ clean camera lenses?
Camera lenses, lens
housings, and mounts may be composed of or contain plastics.
Caution must be exercised when using First Contact™ to clean
camera lenses.
Professional and research equipment lenses are
typically made with glass and high quality coatings. First
Contact™ is safe to use with these lenses. Many professional grade
lenses have metal housings and mounts which will not dissolve in
the First Contact™ solvents; it is best not to coat all the way to
these edges as the First Contact™ film will be more difficult to
remove. Even so, exercise caution and do not coat all the way to
the lens housing or lens mount if there is any chance these
structures are made of or contain plastics. Photonic Cleaning
Technologies will not accept responsibility for damage to an optic
or instrument due to dissolved plastic components.
First Contact™ cleans digital cameras, including IR
filters and C-mounts!
Can
First Contact™ clean camera CCD?
Yes First Contact™
does clean detector windows and unprotected CCD boards effectively
and completely. We have done it many times. However, the user must
proceed with caution and knowledge about the CCD he/she is going
to clean.
CCD boards which are not covered by a detector
window are very delicate and the user must understand issues
regarding static charges and CCD’s if attempting to clean this
type of CCD. If you are not familiar enough with CCD, it is
possible to create static charges when removing the dried film,
which can damage the CCD. If you did not know this before reading
it here, we do not recommend cleaning the CCD by yourself until
you get some more instruction.
Some CCD mounts are made of plastic. As always when
using First Contact™, the user must be careful not to brush the
First Contact™ solution onto the plastic mount. First Contact™
solution may adhere to some plastics too tightly to peel off or
could even dissolve the material. This is usually not a
consideration for high quality laboratory equipment.
Jet
Propulsion Lab
,
Lawrence Livermore National Lab, (LLNL)
,
LLNL National Ignition Facility
,
Los Alamos National Lab
,
NASA Lewis Research Center
,
Sandia National Lab
Boeing Aircraft
,
Boeing Space and Missile Systems
,
Daimler Benz Aerospace
,
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space
,
Coherent Laser
,
Continuum Laser
,
Corning
,
Crystal Systems
Epner Technology
,
KLA Tencor
,
New Focus
,
Phillips
,
Raytheon
,
Spectra Physics Laser
California Institute of Technology
,
Harvard University
,
The John’s Hopkins University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
,
MIT Lincoln Labs
,
Stanford University
,
SUNY Buffalo
,
University of Arizona
,
University of Georgia
,
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Rochester
,
University of Texas
,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
If you don't find what you're looking for,
Contact Us.
We may have a suitable product that's not listed, or we may be
able to develop a material to fit your specific needs.
Tel : (02)2217-3442 / Fax : (02)2704-4070
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