Company Profile
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Bolder Vision Optik (BVO) designs, develops, and manufactures precision polarization control
components for OEM equipment manufacturers worldwide. Operating from Boulder, Colorado since
1994, BVO covers the full electromagnetic spectrum from UV (320 nm) through SWIR (1700 nm)
with linear polarizers, achromatic waveplates, and liquid crystal devices.
Company Identity
BVO is a precision optical component manufacturer specializing exclusively in polarization
control. The company's core competency is translating difficult polarization requirements —
unusual wavelength ranges, tight tolerances, complex geometries, volume OEM pricing — into
manufacturable products. BVO supplies both standard catalog components and fully custom
designs developed from initial concept through volume production.
BVO's engineering team consults directly with system architects and optical engineers,
providing polarization expertise from component selection through system-level integration.
Rapid prototyping capability allows new designs to be qualified quickly before committing
to volume production.
Key Facts
- Founded approximately 1994 — 30+ years of polarization manufacturing expertise
- Located in Boulder, Colorado, USA — all manufacturing on-site
- Wavelength coverage: 320 nm (UV) through 1700 nm (SWIR/IR) in a single supplier
- 10–25 micron precision cutting to customer-supplied .dxf geometry
- Rapid prototyping to volume OEM production in the same facility
- PSA conversion, glass lamination, and BBAR anti-reflection coating in-house
- Custom component formats: film stock, PSA sheet, BK-7 glass, Corning glass, acrylic
- Film cut tolerances: ±50 microns standard; precision cutting to 10–25 microns
- Maximum film format: up to 1000 mm × 620 mm depending on product
- Global shipping to major optics markets
Product Lines
Linear Polarizers
| Product |
Range |
Type / Key Feature |
| BVO UV |
320–760 nm |
Cost-competitive UV absorptive polarizer |
| BVO UV DS |
365–450 nm |
Dyestuff, high damage threshold, 3D printer LCDs |
| BVO UHC |
400–700 nm |
42% transmission, high contrast visible, 135 µm thin |
| BVO VIS DS |
410–675 nm |
Rugged dyestuff, high temperature, blue LED tolerance |
| BVO 244 |
400–700 nm |
45% ultra-transmission, multi-stage systems |
| BVO 38 |
420–760 nm |
Legacy HN38 replacement, 38% T, 2,500:1 contrast |
| BVO NIR family |
400–1065 nm |
Four absorptive broadband NIR variants — Ultra (imaging, 20,000:1), HD (high durability, LED burn resistance), DS2 (highest contrast, 28,000:1), 4ST (hybrid) |
| BVO IR |
700–1700 nm |
Absorptive NIR/IR, imaging, cameras, LED sources |
| BVO SWIR |
SWIR range |
Short-wave infrared absorptive polarizer |
| BVO Wire Grid |
400–1600 nm |
Reflective hybrid, 0° and 45° AOI, beamsplitter capable |
| BVO 1000 |
400–1600 nm |
Ultra-broadband hybrid, single element covers full VIS/NIR |
Achromatic Waveplates
| Product |
Range |
Type |
| AQWP2 |
400–625 nm |
Achromatic quarter-wave — visible compact |
| AQWP3 |
425–750 nm |
Achromatic quarter-wave — visible broadband |
| AQWP6 |
700–1100 nm |
Achromatic quarter-wave — NIR |
| AHWP3 |
425–750 nm |
Achromatic half-wave — visible broadband |
| AHWP6 |
600–1100 nm |
Achromatic half-wave — NIR |
Liquid Crystal Devices
| Product |
Mode |
Key Characteristic |
| ECB Nematic |
Electrically controlled birefringence |
Variable retardance, voltage-tunable |
| PI-Cell Shutter |
Pi-cell |
Fast switching optical shutter |
| Twisted Nematic |
TN |
Classic 90° twist, low-voltage switching |
| VA Mode Nematic |
Vertical alignment |
High contrast, dark state stability |
Manufacturing Capabilities
- Precision film cutting to 10–25 microns, any geometry supplied as .dxf
- PSA (pressure-sensitive adhesive) conversion for direct lamination to optical surfaces
- Glass lamination — BK-7, Corning Eagle XG display glass, non-birefringent acrylic
- BBAR anti-reflection coatings — 400–900 nm, 400–950 nm, 700–1100 nm ranges
- Large aperture film — up to 1000 mm × 620 mm on select products
- Mounted components — 25.4 mm OD standard, custom sizes available
- Patterned waveplates — geometric patterned polymer for structured light applications
- PBS cubes — 3M PBS 1000 film laminated to prism for wide FOV beamsplitter cubes
- Volume OEM pricing — contact BVO for quantities over 100 units
Target Markets
AR / VR
Waveplates and polarizers for augmented and virtual reality optical stacks — key growth market
Medical & Life Science
Fundus cameras, vein viewers, fluorescence polarization microplate readers, NIR biometrics
Machine Vision & Industrial
Glare reduction, defect inspection, multispectral imaging, food and plastics sorting
Defense & Aerospace
NIR/IR polarizers for cameras, sensors, targeting, and airborne imaging systems
Sensing & Detection
NIR solid-state sensors, retroreflective sensors, LIDAR, NIR cameras, SWIR/InGaAs detectors, broadband polarimetry
Semiconductor & Inspection
UV and NIR polarizers for wafer inspection, lithography, and microplate readers
3D Printing
UV dyestuff polarizers for LCD/DLP-based resin 3D printers — high damage threshold
Display & Projection
UHC, colored, and VIS DS polarizers for TFT display and projection systems
R&D & Universities
Rapid prototype capability, small quantities, engineering consultation available
Key Differentiators
- Broadest wavelength coverage from a single supplier — 320 nm through 1700 nm
- True zero-order polymer waveplates vs compound zero-order competitors
- Purely absorptive NIR polarizers — no back-reflection artifacts unlike wire grid alternatives
- Large aperture availability at OEM-friendly pricing — waveplates ≥100 mm, polarizer film to A4+
- 10–25 micron precision cutting to .dxf — complex geometries produced at volume
- Advanced lamination — AR-coated polymer bonded onto customer-supplied components
- 30+ years domain expertise — engineering team consults from concept through production
- Rapid prototyping capability in the same facility as volume production
Contact