Photonic Cleaning Technologies

Can First Contact™ clean glass and coated optics?
Can First Contact™ clean telescope optics?
Can First Contact™ clean metals?
Can First Contact™ remove blocking wax?
Can First Contact™ remove residue from attempts to clean with other products?
Can First Contact™ clean crystals and minerals?
Can First Contact™ clean plastics?
Can First Contact™ clean camera lenses?
Can First Contact™ clean camera CCD?

Can First Contact™ clean glass and coated optics?
Yes, First Contact™ was developed with this purpose in mind. The developers were researchers trained to use precision optics in their research and knew there had to be a better way to clean than drag wipe methods. They worked for several years to attain a breakthrough technology for cleaning precision optics and have spent several additional years proving the technology works as well as improving the product.

First Contact™ is a single component cleaning solution. Just apply First Contact™ from the bottle; there is no need to ever touch the optic surface directly with a brush, mesh, or tissue. First Contact™ penetrates every surface feature down to 50 nm and smaller. When the dried film is removed, the surface is optically clean and the optic coatings remain intact.

First Contact™ is effective on rough surfaces like diffraction gratings and frosted glass, too!

Can First Contact™ clean telescope optics?
Yes, First Contact™ cleans all telescope optics, from mirrors to diffraction gratings to camera lenses, quickly and effectively.

First Contact™ restores primary surface mirrors to virtually new condition and can be applied to the surface while the mirror is mounted in the telescope. Regular use of First Contact™ can extend mirror life and reduce or eliminate the need to recoat the primary surface.

Can First Contact™ clean metals?
Yes, First Contact™ cleans all metals.

Will First Contact™ remove blocking wax from optics?
Yes, First Contact™ removes blocking wax like that on the pictured x-ray optics much faster, more effectively, and more completely than other methods.

All blocking wax is gone and so are all particles & residues when First Contact™ is removed.

You may want to take advantage of First Contact’s™ impermeability to water, water vapor, oxygen, and sulfur to coat the cleaned optic during storage. The dried First Contact™ film is quickly and easily removed, within seconds, when the optic is needed.

Will First Contact™ remove residue from other attempts to clean optics?
Yes, First Contact™ is proven to remove residues remaining when other products were used to ‘clean’ or protect the optic.

Only First Contact™ protects, cleans, and leaves no residue!

Can First Contact™ clean crystals and minerals?
Yes, First Contact™ cleans crystals and minerals as long as the material is not soluble in polar organic solvents. First Contact™ has been used to successfully clean laser rods and precious gems.

Can First Contact™ clean plastics?
Cleaning plastics is an area for caution. First Contact™ can clean some plastics such as nylon and Delrin® which are not soluble in polar organic solvents. However polycarbonates and polyethylenes will dissolve in the First Contact™ solvents.

If First Contact™ is going to be used on or near plastics, use extreme caution. If possible, test a sample of the plastic before using First Contact™ on the optic or optic assembly. Photonic Cleaning Technologies will not accept responsibility for damage to an optic or instrument due to dissolved plastic components.

Can First Contact™ clean camera lenses?
Camera lenses, lens housings, and mounts may be composed of or contain plastics. Caution must be exercised when using First Contact™ to clean camera lenses.

Professional and research equipment lenses are typically made with glass and high quality coatings. First Contact™ is safe to use with these lenses. Many professional grade lenses have metal housings and mounts which will not dissolve in the First Contact™ solvents; it is best not to coat all the way to these edges as the First Contact™ film will be more difficult to remove. Even so, exercise caution and do not coat all the way to the lens housing or lens mount if there is any chance these structures are made of or contain plastics. Photonic Cleaning Technologies will not accept responsibility for damage to an optic or instrument due to dissolved plastic components.

First Contact™ cleans digital cameras, including IR filters and C-mounts!

Can First Contact™ clean camera CCD?
Yes First Contact™ does clean detector windows and unprotected CCD boards effectively and completely. We have done it many times. However, the user must proceed with caution and knowledge about the CCD he/she is going to clean.

CCD boards which are not covered by a detector window are very delicate and the user must understand issues regarding static charges and CCD's if attempting to clean this type of CCD. If you are not familiar enough with CCD, it is possible to create static charges when removing the dried film, which can damage the CCD. If you did not know this before reading it here, we do not recommend cleaning the CCD by yourself until you get some more instruction.

Some CCD mounts are made of plastic. As always when using First Contact™, the user must be careful not to brush the First Contact™ solution onto the plastic mount. First Contact™ solution may adhere to some plastics too tightly to peel off or could even dissolve the material. This is usually not a consideration for high quality laboratory equipment.