RL Associates
Scientific research and development company in Chester, PA providing electro-optic system design/fabrication; participates in NASA additive-manufacturing projects such as Gradient Alloy for Optical Packaging to explore AM for optical hardware.
- Stage
- Active
Technology & Products
Key Products
Electro-optic systems and devices; Narrowband volume holographic optical element (VHOE) arrays; Firelidar see-through-flame/glass imaging technology; Additive-manufactured gradient alloy optical packaging (NASA project)
Technological Advantage
RL Associates contributes electro-optic system design expertise to additive manufacturing, as evidenced by its supporting role in NASA's Gradient Alloy for Optical Packaging project and prior Navy SBIR work on volume holographic optical element arrays. No patents were identified; its manufacturing-process advantage appears tied to government R&D programs rather than proprietary commercial AM technology, making it replicable by other specialty optics R&D firms.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Offers specialized electro-optics R&D and fabrication capability with federal SBIR/STTR experience; engages in additive manufacturing for optical packaging hardware to reduce mass and improve thermal performance, though no quantified ROI data is available.
How They Differentiate
Specializes in design and fabrication of electro-optic systems and devices; developed a novel 12-channel multi-spectral beam splitter covering the visible spectrum.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
U.S. federal research and defense agencies (NASA, DoD/Navy) and defense/aerospace primes
Industry Verticals
Aerospace/Defense; Public Safety / First Responders
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
No public growth metrics; company has been active since at least 2008 (Rowan grant) and 2013 (SPIE conference), indicating sustained operations.
Major Milestones
2007: Presented systems to protect soldiers/first responders at GOMAC Tech, Chester, PA; 2016: Awarded Pennsylvania SBIR/STTR federal awardee status for 'Investigation of the Manufacturing Process for Volume Holographic Optical Element Arrays'; Participated in NASA TechPort project 'Gradient Alloy for Optical Packaging' exploring additive manufacturing for hardware fabrication
Notable Customers
NASA; U.S. Navy; U.S. Department of Defense