Momentum Optics

Market position

The company competes against traditional grind-and-polish custom optics suppliers, where it states typical lead times of about six weeks to two months and high prototyping costs, and positions its laser-based process as delivering roughly 5x faster production and at least 10x lower cost according to accelerator materials. It targets a size range it describes as between semiconductor processing and CNC polishing or diamond turning. Recognition includes 2026 SPIE Prism Award finalist, DBX Award, CPIA Photonics Innovator of the Year, SPIE Startup Challenge finalist, Defense Innovation Tech Award, EforAll Table Award, Hello Tomorrow Deep Tech Pioneer, and the University of Northern Colorado Monfort Entrepreneur Challenge.

Differentiators cited by the company include a fully non-contact fabrication method that avoids subsurface damage, super-polished freeform and aspheric surfaces at 0.25 nm RMS roughness, closed-loop in-tool metrology that verifies every surface against spec during machining, quotes returned in under two minutes, lead times as short as five days for in-stock materials, clear apertures up to nearly 99% of edge diameter, and an ordering model with no tooling, NRE or minimum order quantities. The company also states it does not store customer design files after manufacturing specifications are generated.

Technology

The company's approach rests on two elements. The first is laser-chemical machining, in which a laser heats a liquid etchant to accelerate a reaction with a glass workpiece, removing material without physical contact and avoiding grinding and polishing; the process is described as producing no scratches, digs or subsurface damage. The second is an in-tool sensor with nanometer resolution that provides real-time surface measurements used for closed-loop feedback control of the laser, supporting both precision and fast material removal. Reported results include surface roughness to 0.25 nm RMS on fused silica (AFM-verified), also demonstrated on N-BK7 and high-index lanthanum flints, and achievable RMS surface figure of 50 nm (0.25 µm typical), verified with white-light interferometry, laser scanning confocal microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Laser damage resistance has been tested independently by Spica Technologies and AmeriCOM, showing no damage at high fluences at 320 nm and under continuous-wave irradiation at 1070 nm. Fabricable geometries include freeforms, aspheres with large spherical departures, cylinders, toroids, off-axis parabolas, lens arrays, diffusers and phase masks, including monolithic components combining multiple optical functions, plus directly machined datums, fiducials, mounting holes and alignment grooves. Separate laser processing covers holes, notches, through-glass vias, texturing and scribing of glass, metals and ceramics. The technology is protected by US patents 11313813 and 11313997 and CN 114041205 B, with further applications pending.

Go-to-market

Sales run through the company's website, where customers obtain instant quotes (stated at under two minutes) by uploading files or using online design tools with built-in DFM feedback, then order directly. The company also markets through industry channels: it is a listed member of the Colorado Photonics Industry Association, the American Precision Optics Manufacturers Association and an SPIE corporate member, appears in the APOMA supplier directory, and exhibits at SPIE Photonics West (Booth 2542, Moscone Center, San Francisco, January 2026). Award recognition and accelerator participation (Luminate Cohort 4) provide further visibility.

Business customers developing optics-enabled products and research applications, including designers and product developers needing rapid prototyping and multi-iteration design cycles. Cited application areas include freeform optics for AR glasses and heads-up displays, aberration-corrected imaging systems, quantum devices, space-based sensors, and microelectronics supply-chain resilience.

Geography

Headquartered and manufacturing in Longmont, Colorado (2113 Seaway Ct), with US-based production emphasized; in November 2025 it added 2,000 square feet of production space.

History

Momentum Optics participated in the Luminate accelerator (Cohort 4) and received support from the State of Colorado's Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), NSF, NASA, AFWERX, Next Corp Luminate, Innovate Longmont and Innosphere. In December 2023 it received a DBX Challenge award tied to microelectronics supply-chain resilience, and in March 2024 it completed a NASA SBIR Phase II project developing freeform optics fabrication technology. It raised an over-subscribed financing round led by Praxis Ventures. In November 2025 it added 2,000 square feet of production space in preparation for new manufacturing services and was named a Prism Award finalist, and it planned to exhibit at SPIE Photonics West in January 2026.