In this episode of Focus on Precision, host Justin Starbird kicks off the 2026 season with a look ahead to the industry's premier event: SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco.

Joining the conversation are Janice Hunter from Precision Optics (POC) and Carlos Penalbert from Ross Optical. Together, they bridge the gap between high-level design engineering and global component sourcing, sharing their unique perspectives on why 2026 is poised to be a breakout year for the optics industry.

In this episode, we explore:

• The ”Reunion” of Photonics: Why in-person trade shows remain the ”grad night” of the optics world, where handshakes turn into high-stakes partnerships.

• A Rosy Outlook for 2026: Carlos and Janice discuss the shift from the economic caution of 2025 to a more stable, aggressive planning cycle for the year ahead.

• The Trend Toward Miniaturization: Insights into the growing demand for compactness, fitting 6 or 7 optical elements into a 1–2mm housing for medical and defense applications.

• Coatings: The ”Icing on the Cake”: Why the right thin-film coating is the critical difference between a theoretical design and a high-performance functional system.

• The Unity Platform: How POC’s out-of-the-box solution is shortening development timelines and validating customer concepts faster than ever.

• Design for Reality: Real-world stories of ”hashing it out at the podium” to turn impossible drawings into manufacturable, high-performance optics.

Are you heading to San Francisco? Visit the team at Booth 1462 during the Photonics West Exhibition, January 20–22! Tune in to the podcast to learn more!