Vertical Tray & Cover Protection for High-Value Optics in Cleanroom Manufacturing

An aerospace and defense manufacturer needed to protect extremely sensitive, thin, coated optics — each valued at $300–$400 and sensitive to any contact on the clear aperture — throughout the work-in-process, handling, and storage in the cleanroom. Each tray/cover set holds 100 parts, so a single tolerance failure could put thousands of dollars of product at risk. The customer also wanted to store WIP optics vertically to reduce footprint in already-constrained cleanroom work areas, while eliminating FOD, and physical damage during in-plant handling and rack storage.
We engineered a custom thermoformed tray and cover set from .03″ clear RPETG, selected primarily for its low outgassing properties in a cleanroom environment. The design features extremely tight-tolerance cavities that isolate each optic without contacting the clear aperture, nesting lugs that let trays stack precisely on top of one another for compact storage and rack use, and engraved cavity numbers so operators can visually confirm at a glance which cavities are loaded or empty. The result is a set that protects optics from damage during handling, supports vertical storage on cleanroom racks, and nests or stacks cleanly to minimize space — all without altering the customer’s WIP workflow.