Opto-Mechanical Systems Design, Volume 1, 4th Edition

Preface to the First Edition (1986)

In the preface to his book on Fundamentals of Optical Engineering (McGraw Hill, 1943), Donald H. Jacobs wrote of his conviction that “in the design of any optical instrument, optical and mechanical considerations are not separate entities to be dealt with by different individuals but are merely two phases of a single problem.” I have seen the truth of this statement many times during the design, development, and production of a variety of optical instruments—many of these being highly sophisticated systems intended for military and/or aerospace applications. The close interrelationship of the optical and mechanical disciplines cannot be ignored or left to chance encounters when the performance and reliability ...