LONDON, 13 Sept. 2007. Electro-optics companies SCHOTT North America's Fiber Optics Defense Division in Southbridge, Mass., and Clear Align in Eagleville, Pa., are joining hands to design, prototype, and produce electro-optical solutions for defense and security applications.

The two companies announced a partnership agreement where Clear Align will provide designs, prototype, and production capabilities to help SCHOTT's Fiber Optics Defense Division to meet demands for robust electro-optic systems and subsystems. They announced their partnership at the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition 2007 (DSEi) this week in London.

The partnership is to emphasize the strengths of each company; SCHOTT will benefit from Clear Align's electro-optics knowledge, while Clear Align will benefit from SCHOTT's optic, fiber optic, and fiber optic component expertise, large-scale manufacturing capabilities, and defense market experience.

"Given the current demand for integration of SCHOTT components, a reliable supply of design, prototype and assembly services is essential to SCHOTT North America's growth targets," says Rick Miller, manager SCHOTT's fiber optics defense division.

"The recent expansions of our production capacity to include full cleanroom assembly, ensures the partnership will be able to serve a broad spectrum of the imaging and sensing market," says Angelique X. Irvin, Clear Align's president chief executive officer. "This relationship validates Clear Align's position as an innovative supplier of custom optoelectronic modules, subsystems and systems."