Calcium aluminate infrared glass is the key material for the new generation aperture photoelectric detection system, featured by multispectral transmission, high transmittance, high hardness, high working temperature and stable physical and chemical performances, and making it an ideal material for manufacturing infrared transmitting windows. Currently, only a few countries including Russia and the US have grasped the complete set of manufacturing technology of large-size multispectral transmitting calcium aluminate infrared glass and have achieved engineering application, e.g. Russia's airborne OEPS-27 photoelectric radar radome, and the American radome of missile and airborne infrared nacelle, etc. In China, infrared detection most uses crystalline material, lacking systematic research of infrared glass; and thus there is still a blank in the aspects of calcium aluminate glass composition, melting technology, molding technology, and other related manufacturing technologies.
Large-size calcium aluminate infrared glass is a large-aperture multispectral transmitting infrared material with sound performance. It is not only the required photoelectric parts for multiple types of airplane in China, but also has significance for applying in the detection system of missile, naval vessel, armored vehicle, and other equipment. The manufacturing technology of large-size calcium aluminate infrared glass is one of the cutting-edge technologies in the infrared glass field, with high technology difficulty; in addition, infrared glass structure contains oxhydryl (OH-), which will greatly affect the transmitting infrared performance of the glass. How to remove oxhydryl (OH-) contained in the material and in the melting process is a technical problem that has long been bothering the domestication of calcium aluminate infrared glass. Therefore, China has relied on the export of relevant products for a long time, which has made a serious impact on the application of large-size infrared glass in China's advanced photoelectric detection system and defense models.
Based on the above situation, China Building Materials Academy has started research on the "complete manufacturing technology of multispectral transmitting calcium aluminate infrared glass", and has achieved a number of technical innovations in the fields of "irregular infrared glass product forming technology and equipment", "optical processing technology and equipment of large-size and irregular infrared glass" and others, providing a new process for the manufacturing of high-performance infrared glass.