New up-to-date line of equipment for producing of trial samples was introduced into operating at LOMO PLC. It allows solving a very important task: to manufacture in small quantities complicated details (including details for corps) without application of expensive press-forms at the stage of trial sample creating.

   The line consists of three sections. At the first stage 3-dimensional electronic model of device is created, at the second stage prototype of the instrument is manufactured, at the third stage its replication – producing of several pre-regular samples - is made. It can completely provide demands of LOMO on this sort of works and will give a serious economic effect and significantly speed up the process of creating of new devices.

   Purchasing of the equipment happened stage by stage. At first LOMO bought the first and the last sections of the “chain” – advanced graphic units and equipment for founding in silicone  forms. Each of them allows producing up to 20 details for trial batch of devices, used both in the process of tests and at marketing researches.

   In the beginning of March two types of equipment for rapid prototyping were introduced into operating at LOMO. The first one – milling and engraving machine of firm Roland is capable of processing of blank at 3-D. It works with wood, plastic, soft metals (aluminium and bronze). The second machine, produced by Japanese firm Kira, uses the method of layer by layer growing of prototype from paper. As the result something, what remotely reminds papier-mache, is manufactured.  The density of received by means of such method material is 25more than density of wood. There is no analogous of such system at St. Petersburg.

   Now the line is introduced into operating. In the nearest future it’s planned to use it at producing of trial samples of new polarizing microscope.