--- title: How XVP Photonics automates high-precision optical assembly with the Meca500 description: Explore how XVP validated the Meca500’s performance, unlocking a versatile, cost-effective platform for high-precision applications in optics and photonics. image: https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/hubfs/glue-dispensing-process-in-a-micro-camera-assembly-application.jpg --- [![home](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Canadian%20Robotics%20Council/images/module-icons/House.svg)](https://www.roboticscouncil.ca/) ![arrow](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Canadian%20Robotics%20Council/images/module-icons/left-arrow-canadian.svg) [ CASE STUDIES ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/) # How XVP Photonics automates high-precision optical assembly with the Meca500 [ Manufacturing ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/manufacturing) [ Quebec ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/quebec) [ Small-Sized Business (~5-99 FTE) ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/small-sized-business-5-99-fte) [ Indoor ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/indoor) [ High Mix/Low Volume (HMLV) ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/high-mix-low-volume-hmlv) [ Pick & Place, Sorting ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/pick-place-sorting) [ Dispensing ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/dispensing) [ Quality Control ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/quality-control) [ Resilience & Risk ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/resilience-risk) [ Talent Acquisition & Retention ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/talent-acquisition-retention) [ Collaborative ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/collaborative) [ Specialized (Humanoid, Soft, Micro/Nano) ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/specialized-humanoid-soft-micro-nano) [ Implementation & Integration ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/implementation-integration) [ Structured ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/structured) [ Gluing & Bonding ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/gluing-bonding) [ Production & Efficiency ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/production-efficiency) [ Quality, Consistency & Waste ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/quality-consistency-waste) [ Industrial (6-axis, SCARA, gantry, etc) ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/industrial-6-axis-scara-gantry-etc) [ Canadian-Based Suppliers ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/canadian-based-suppliers) [ Manufacturing & Assembly ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/manufacturing-assembly) [ Material Handling & Logistics ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/material-handling-logistics) [ Inspection & Analysis ](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/tag/inspection-analysis) Show More BY: Mecademic Industrial Robotics | Dec 12, 2025 ![glue-dispensing-process-in-a-micro-camera-assembly-application](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/glue-dispensing-process-in-a-micro-camera-assembly-application.jpg?width=600&height=768&name=glue-dispensing-process-in-a-micro-camera-assembly-application.jpg) #### AT A GLANCE ###### CLIENT: [![XVP Photonics](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/20067422/65dbdda3-370b-45f1-8cd6-94b45b992d34.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/20067422/65dbdda3-370b-45f1-8cd6-94b45b992d34) LOCATION: ###### Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada SECTOR: ###### Manufacturing, Foundational Technologies & Research SUPPLIER: ###### Mecademic Industrial Robotics [![Mecademic Logo](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/mecademic-logo-white.png?width=245&height=62&name=mecademic-logo-white.png)](https://mecademic.com/)   TECHNOLOGY / PRODUCT USED: ###### Meca500 Six-Axis Industrial Robot TARGETED APPLICATION ###### Photonic product and manufacturing process development, High-precision optical assembly LEARN MORE ###### Read the full case study **[here](https://mecademic.com/insights/case-studies/how-xvp-photonics-automates-optical-alignment-assembly-with-meca500/)** ### Unlocking a versatile, cost-effective platform for high-precision applications in optics and photonics. 90% ##### Of current projects ##### can utilize the robot ↑↑↑ ##### Assemblies' repeatability Simple ##### System design ###### "By removing the human factor when you apply the glue or align the lens, you have optimization. You don’t have to realign it. Everything is where I should be.”   ###### **Sébastien Allen, XVP’s Process Development Director** ###### *How XVP Photonics automates micro-optical alignment and assembly with the Meca500 six-axis robot* ### The Problem   **XVP Photonics, a leader in product development in optics and photonics, provides assembly process automation for most of its projects.** At XVP Photonics, developing advanced photonic products begins with understanding customer needs to deliver tailored technical solutions, starting with proof-of-concept demonstrations and functional prototypes. This is followed by developing manufacturing processes and equipment to achieve a scalable, reliable, and manufacturable product. In that aspect, one of XVP’s challenges is the inherent high cost and complexity of automating product assembly, given the ultra-high precision required in optics and photonics.   Photonic systems typically demand highly precise positioning, obtained using specialized motion actuators like high-precision linear motor stages and Piezo-actuated flexure positioners. While highly accurate, these tools are expensive and have a restricted range of motion and little flexibility due to their movement limitations.   XVP’s customers can’t always justify the high cost of a fully automated assembly system in the context of a new product introduction. Starting production with semi-automated, operator-assisted processes is far more common—at least until the product’s commercial viability has been demonstrated in the field, which can hinder market penetration. ### The Solution   **This gradual approach to photonics automation was challenged when XVP was introduced to the Meca500, Mecademic’s six-axis industrial robot.** At a similar price to a three-axis ball-screw linear positioner (only one of the many elements comprising a typical optical assembly system), the Meca500 seemed precise, flexible, and cost-effective enough to bridge to a fully automated photonics assembly and achieve a seamless transition from low-rate initial production to full-scale automated assembly.   However, six-axis robots were not seen as precise enough for optics and photonics tasks, which made XVP weary of using Mecademic’s robot. “When we started discussing using the Meca500 to replace optical positioners, I was skeptical,” says François Séguin, XVP’s President and Founder. “I had been doing that for 40 years, so it was a sort of knee-jerk reaction to go to traditional photonics positioners.”   Determined to validate the Meca500’s potential, XVP embarked on a rigorous series of tests. The Meca500 delivered the precision needed for critical applications like TO-laser diode collimation and objective lens focusing onto CMOS sensors. The Meca500 shined when aligning pre-collimated fiber assemblies, owing to its impressive angular precision. These measurements and simulations confirmed that the Meca500 could be used for photonics alignment in optical systems with focal lengths above 0.5 mm and mode sizes larger than 5 µm. In addition to those studies, XVP built a photonics assembly application for lens alignment and glue dispensing using one Meca500 in a fixed station. With this setup, they can demonstrate to clients the kind of automation the Meca500 can deliver in real life. These are the main steps in the optical application built by XVP with the Meca500:   1. Rest neutral robot position 2. Pick up one lens from a lens tray 3. Present lens to glue application site and perform glue bond line dispense 4. Move the lens over to a selected camera insertion site on the active camera assembly cassette—with a companion movement of a retro-illuminated resolution target over the camera being aligned. 5. Live camera image acquisition and sharpness diagnostics over five regions of interest to drive lens placement optimization – stop at optimal lens placement 6. Initiate UV cure cycle 7. Release the lens and move the robot back to the lens pickup location 8. Start over at step 2 while incrementing the target camera and target lens pickup location   One key difference to the traditional systems developed by XVP Photonics is the number of degrees of freedom required to integrate all movements needed for process automation. With the Meca500, a single robot can perform all those movements from a fixed station, simplifying system design. Moreover, with its small size, the Meca500 saves space and is flexible enough to be mounted in various positions over the assembly area. Sébastien Allen, XVP’s Process Development Director, also praises the Meca500’s ease of use and plug-and-work capabilities, enabling quick integration. The robot’s primary benefit to him, however, is the repeatability. “By removing the human factor when you apply the glue or align the lens, you have optimization. You don’t have to realign it. Everything is where I should be.”. ### KEY FEATURES ##### Precision and Range:   A six-axis industrial robot that met the ultra-high precision for optical tasks, including impressive angular precision, confirming suitability for systems with focal lengths above 0.5 mm and mode sizes larger than 5 µm. ##### Cost-Effectiveness and Design:   Available at a similar price to a three-axis ball-screw linear positioner, its small size saves space and is flexible enough to be mounted in various positions. ##### Seamless Integration:   Features plug-and-work capabilities, enabling quick integration, and its six degrees of freedom allow a single robot to perform all movements from a fixed station, simplifying system design. ### RESULTS   **The Meca500 was rigorously tested using optical methods and simulations, confirming it met the precision requirements for photonics alignment in optical systems with focal lengths above 0.5 mm and mode sizes larger than 5 µm**. Building on this technical proof, the robot delivered significant qualitative results. After testing the Meca500 and building the application, Séguin concludes that XVP can use the robot for about 90% of its current projects. The Meca500 produces highly repeatable assemblies in an autonomous process from initial low-rate production, which ensures quality; as Process Development Director Sébastien Allen noted, “By removing the human factor when you apply the glue or align the lens... you don’t have to realign it. Everything is where I should be”. Furthermore, its versatility also promises to reduce the mechanical layout variability between different applications. This means the same actuator, the same robot, performing tasks that might vary from customer to customer, but from a mechanical standpoint, it can all be done with the same robot. 0 ###### Focal lengths confirmed for optical systems 0 ###### mode sizes confirmed for optical systems ###### Improved repeatability ###### Reduced cost and complexity barrier  ###### Reduced mechanical layout variability  ###### François Séguin, XVP’s President and Founder ###### "When we started discussing using the Meca500 to replace optical positioners, I was skeptical. I had been doing that for 40 years, so it was a sort of knee-jerk reaction to go to traditional photonics positioners.”  ![meca500-robot-compact-position-with-power-supply](https://resources.roboticscouncil.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/meca500-robot-compact-position-with-power-supply.webp?width=553&height=600&name=meca500-robot-compact-position-with-power-supply.webp) ###### *The Meca500 is by far the smallest and most compact six-axis industrial robot arm. 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