Oblate Optics at Photonics West 2026: Let’s Talk Metalenses and EDOF

Oblate Optics will be on the show floor at Photonics West 2026 in the NextCorps booth (#258), ready to dive into practical conversations about metalenses and extended depth-of-focus optics. This is an opportunity to move beyond slideware and explore how flat optics are being designed into real optical assemblies, instruments, and production tools today. The goal is to connect with engineers, researchers, and product owners who are actively wrestling with system-level constraints—not just browsing emerging technologies.

Come Talk Metalenses and EDOF at Photonics West 2026

Metalenses and EDOF meta-optics have reached the point where they can meaningfully simplify optical systems instead of just adding complexity. At the booth, the Oblate team will be discussing:

• Where flat optics can replace or augment traditional lens stacks.

• How EDOF designs can relax mechanical tolerances and reduce refocus mechanisms.

• When meta-optics make sense for laser processing, sensing, or imaging—and when they don’t.

If you are curious about where “flat optics” stop being a buzzword and start solving real integration, cost, and performance challenges, this is the conversation Oblate wants to have. The emphasis is on grounded, technical dialogue, not hype.

Bring Us Your Constraints

Some of the most valuable discussions start with system limitations, not spec sheets. Oblate is particularly interested in hearing about:

• Tight tolerances and alignment budgets that drive cost and yield pain.

• Scan speeds and motion profiles that push existing optics to their limits.

• Surface variability and non-ideal parts that make focusing and imaging difficult.

• Cases where conventional optics have become the bottleneck—whether due to size, complexity, or sensitivity to misalignment.

These are exactly the types of constraints where metalenses and EDOF optics can sometimes remove components, relax tolerances, or enable architectures that simply are not practical with traditional lenses.

When to Find Oblate at the Booth

Oblate Optics will be at the NextCorps booth (#258) during the following windows:

Tuesday, Jan 20 – Morning

Wednesday, Jan 21 – Afternoon

Thursday, Jan 22 – Afternoon

If you want to make sure there is time for a deeper technical discussion, use these windows to stop by, bring your use case, and walk through requirements together.

Quick Survey + T-Shirt

To better understand how the community is thinking about flat optics today, Oblate is running a short survey for engineers and researchers at the show. The questions are focused on:

• How you currently evaluate new optical technologies.

• Where you see potential for metalenses, flat optics, and computational imaging.

• What keeps you from specifying or adopting them in current designs.

As a thank-you for taking a few minutes to share feedback, participants will receive a free Oblate Optics T-shirt (while supplies last). It is a small way to say thanks for helping shape where this technology should go next.

See You at Photonics West 2026

Photonics West is at its best when conversations on the floor are candid, technical, and grounded in real constraints. Oblate Optics is looking forward to comparing notes on where metalenses, flat optics, and computational imaging can deliver the most impact in next-generation systems. If you are designing laser tools, sensors, or imaging platforms—and suspect your optics are part of the bottleneck—booth #258 is where that conversation should start.