First Contact™ is a one-part easy to use strip coating. It cleans and protects precision optics, telescopes, mirrors and surfaces in use, during storage, assembly and in shipping. Paint, spray, dip or pour liquid on, let it dry and peel off the flexible, strong, resilient film. First Contact is specially formulated to minimize surface adhesion and yet clean surfaces safely and effectively while leaving zero residue. Safe. Accepted. No residue.*
It is an inert, non-toxic polymer system designed to remove dust, fingerprints, residues and contaminants from delicate, sensitive, and precision surfaces without scratching or damage. First Contact™ Polymer film also protects optics from physical and chemical damage in assembly, shipping, use and storage.
First Contact Polymer™ Solutions safely clean and protect nanostructures, precision surfaces, optics, glass, fused silica, silicon, crystals, non-linear crystals, metals, Ge, ZnSe, NaCl, KBr, KRS-5, first surface mirrors and precision aerospace surfaces. First Contact™ Polymer also cleans and protects diffraction gratings, phase masks, and pinholes! Smooth or rough, flat or curved; AR and reflective coatings, all surfaces can be safely, easily cleaned and protected with FIRST CONTACT™. The fluid solution conforms to any contour, including nanostructured features, dries, and then the polymer film releases easily.
*NOTE: Certain coatings have inherently poor adhesion, especially if manufactured without effective substrate preparation. Always test a non-critical section first, especially with gold and silver coatings. That being said, we and our customers have successfully protected and cleaned lots of gold and silver mirrors and gratings including those on LIGO, the WM Keck Telescope and the Gemini North Silver. While we routinely clean diffraction gratings, the old adage about gratings still holds - don’t touch them unless you have to!
