OPTICAL SYSTEMS DESIGN

Area Luce designs and manufactures optical components and systems for the automotive, aerospace, medical, and industrial sectors.

Founded in 2020, the company evolved from the former Optical Design Center (O.D.C.), a consulting firm active since 2010 in the design and development of optical and opto-mechanical systems and components.

Our goal is to provide both optical design expertise and manufacturing capability, offering our customers a comprehensive solution — from concept development and feasibility studies to the final product, whether individual components or complex systems.

To achieve this, we collaborate with highly qualified partners and specialized suppliers. This synergy allows us to maintain full control of the production process and ensure consistent quality across every stage.

We provide support at every stage of the production process, adapting to each customer’s specific requirements — from the initial concept, where we evaluate feasibility and define technical specifications, to design, prototyping, and final production.

When customers manage manufacturing internally, we can assist during the design phase or supply the required optical components. Conversely, if they develop the design in-house, we offer support in prototyping and production.

We also work closely with our clients to assess feasibility, functionality, and identify opportunities for design simplification and optimization.

Our expertise covers both optical imaging and lighting systems.

We are committed to delivering the best possible visual experience across a wide range of contexts — from urban, interior, and museum lighting to medical applications.

Beyond the visible spectrum, we also design systems that extend human vision into other wavelength ranges, enabling access to valuable — and sometimes vital — diagnostic information.

In addition to ensuring the highest lighting quality in terms of uniformity, intensity, and color performance, we pursue excellence in optical imaging, providing our customers with the most effective imaging solutions — from camera optics and microscopy to projection systems.

IMAGING OPTICS

In the field of imaging optics, once the project goals are defined, a preliminary paraxial design of the optical system is developed and then processed using Zemax.

The ideal optical system derived from this process defines the focal points, focal plane, and conjugate points of the final model, allowing for the calculation of its magnification.

Once the paraxial analysis is completed, we evaluate the real dimension of the object, considering off-axis aberration and providing their minimization. This optimization activity involves the modification of the power of the optical elements, splitting some of them into additional parts and modifying their positions.

NON IMAGING OPTICS

In the case of non-imaging optics, namely systems in which the main objective is represented by the radiative energy transmission, a different approach is required. In such instances, sources are carefully modelled, and radiation is analyzed in the way it interacts with the specific targets. These are firstly modelled in the mechanical CAD, then characterized and simulated in the optical CAD.

In the optimization of the system, the characteristics of the active parts are modified in order to achieve the required illuminance/luminance at the targets.

Depending on the aim of the study, the distribution of irradiance is optimized or, alternatively, the spectral composition or the total amount of energy collected/gathered and emitted/channelled in specific directions.