ABSTRACT
Nonimaging optics is often presented in academic settings as a clean, linear process: design an optic, add tolerances, and hand it off to be manufactured. Yet, in practice, especially in high-volume manufacturing, the workflow is rarely this smooth and often requires a root cause analysis phase when mysterious errors emerge. This paper presents a series of informal, real-world case studies that illustrate the gap between academic learnings and the types of techniques and mindset necessary to engineer for unpredictable manufacturing environments. Specific examples drawn from Synopsys LightTools, Ansys Speos, and Breault’s ASAP demonstrate how simulation defaults, software limitations, and scatter modeling peculiarities can produce misleading results if applied without comparing to real-world measurements. Additional sections highlight how errors and misunderstandings made by other departments such as manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and even accounting can lead to system failures that an optical engineer will often be tasked with untangling. This paper offers cautionary tales and example solutions to help prime engineers’ thinking on how to prevent failures. Or, when the inevitable happens, to inspire them to let their imaginations soar while brainstorming root causes.