Navitar Machine Vision

Navitar Expands Lens Design & Rapid Prototype Capabilities With Purchase of Special Optics

Rochester, New York – February 1, 2008 – Navitar, a global leader in the design, manufacturer and distribution of precision optics and opto-mechanical assemblies for the machine vision and digital projection industries announced today the acquisition of Special Optics, a privately owned manufacturer of optical assemblies for long range surveillance, laser scanning, laser projection, UV, visible, and infrared applications.

Headquartered in Wharton, New Jersey, and founded in 1965, Special Optics is a fully integrated provider of custom, precision optical and electro-optical solutions that span markets and applications from medical imaging, semiconductor metrology, digital projection, laser projection, laser scanning, digital radiology, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles, missile tracking, and homeland security & defense.

According to Julian Goldstein and Jeremy Goldstein, co-presidents of Navitar, the acquisition of Special Optics provides the following key benefits:

• Special Optics rapid prototyping and lens design capabilities will increase Navitar’s product offerings and complement Navitar’s strong lens manufacturing capabilities and ability to bring those innovative designs into volume production.
• The combination of Navitar’s volume production expertise and Special Optics rapid design and prototype capabilities is expected to enable Navitar to increase its competitive advantage and technical offering to military contractors and commercial accounts seeking to outsource optics based assemblies.

David Manzi, President of Special Optics explains “the acquisition by Navitar provides us with an expanded range of capabilities to offer our customers. Now, when the rapid prototyping stage has been completed, Navitar’s world leading production facilities can easily accommodate volume production as programs grow. With the design and prototyping strengths of Special Optics combined with the financial strength and production capabilities of Navitar, we can now accommodate anything from custom optical assemblies used in long distance surveillance or unmanned aerial vehicles to over 1,000 units per year for precision lenses used in new biomedical applications.

About Navitar, Inc.
Navitar is the leading supplier of optics, opto-mechanical sub-assemblies and opto-electronic system solutions for the machine vision, microscopy, automation, assembly, imaging, testing, measuring, inspection, nanotechnology and digital projection industries. Navitar, Inc. has offices and subsidiaries in the U.S., Japan, Germany, China, Israel, and the United Kingdom. For more information about Navitar, Inc. and their vast offering of innovative products, call 1-800-828-6778 or visit the company's web site at www.navitar.com.

About Special Optics
Special Optics is a vertically integrated supplier of precision optical components and assemblies for high-technology applications, serving the Medical, Defense & Security, semiconductor, and commercial OEM markets. For more information, call 973-366-7289 or visit the Special Optics website at www.specialoptics.com.