A trip through the LOMO factory... by Mahlon G. Kelly For eight days I had the chance to see in detail the making of microscopes at LOMO. The experience was at once amazing, fascinating, bizarre, and a trip in time. Ten years ago my visit would have been impossible. LOMO was one of the largest and most secret companies in the Soviet Union. They employed more than 30,000 in Leningrad alone. Now that number is down to 10,000; they are still the largest firm in St. Petersburg, but they have lost most of their military and scientific contracts, and Russia lost her client states. LOMO designed and made virtually all of the optics for the Soviet military and space program. Routine products included submarine periscopes and artillery sights. Less routine were surveillance cameras, tracking telescopes, and a spy camera the size of a shirt button. While the United States relied on European companies such as Wild and Hasselblad to supply optics and cameras for the space effort and military reconnaissance, the USSR made their own, at LOMO. LOMO cast and ground the largest telescope mirror ever made, 6 meters in diameter. Their reconnaissance lens designs were "discovered" by the West and duplicated. In the West one would expect such a company to use the best computers and CNC controlled machinery. Yet there are only a handful of desktop computers in the company, and virtually all work is done by hand. That is not because of a lack of electronic sophistication. I saw an interferometric microscope capable of scanning and displaying (on a desktop computer screen) variations in surface height of a sample at sub-micron levels. Rather, hand labor is used because skilled artisans can do a better job than can any computer-controlled equipment. A skilled technician can detect minor blemishes in, say, a casting and reject it, or compensate for the problem. A computer would produce a defective part. And perhaps part of the reason for hand-work is simple pride in craftsmanship. About a year ago one of the best optical firms in Germany tried to buy LOMO because the skilled workers were no longer available there. LOMO has been intimately tied to the German optical industry. The microscope part of the company was founded in 1936. Companies from Jena supplied technicians and designs, and the microscopes were very similar to Zeiss units of that time. The company was then called "Progress". Above is the first progress microscope produced, the OM3, with serial number 01. One would expect such an item to be treasured, but it just sits on a workbench with other old scopes. In 1945 Russia captured Jena, and the Zeiss factory, and in 1946 transported the equipment, technicians, and engineers to Leningrad. Now the cooperation was less than friendly, involving captives and the spoils of war. Yet perhaps it is understandable. The siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days, destroying almost all of the industry, and killing more than a quarter of the residents of the city. The German captives were repatriated in 1953 and 1954 (some stayed in Russia). In those eight years they trained an entire work-force. The present workers like to brag that their teachers were taught by Germans. And they are quick to point out that they have learned not only skills, but an entire work ethic. They consider the quality of their workmanship to be as important as their wages and other rewards. Cooperation continued with the East German Zeiss (or Aus Jena) factory until recently. LOMO, by the way, stands for Leningrad Optical and Mechanical Enterprise. The logo (tm) is topped by the symbol of the city of Saint Petersburg, a sailing ship. Peter the Great built the city as a window to the West. On the Gulf of Finland, it was the only Russian city with ready access to the Western Europe, and was a center of shipping. The first construction in the city was the Peter and Paul fortress, with a cathedral inside. The "spike" in the LOMO logo represents the spire of the cathedral, but also it is a stylized Cyrillic "L". On entering the workshops the first impression is one of intense concentration. Technicians rarely look up even when being photographed with a camcorder. Yet an American with a camcorder is a radical thing. Another impression is of slow, steady, careful work. Nobody paces the aisles encouraging quick production. In fact, workers seem to be trusted to work at the pace that will produce the best quality. Quality control is strict, and any errors will be quickly detected. Technicians seem to be about equally divided between men and women, and ages range from 19 to 65. The most delicate and skilled work is in the construction of microscope objectives. Optical glass is made from Baltic sand, and is used throughout the world. However, although careful work, lens making is not as important as mounting the lenses. If there is even a fraction of a micron of misalignment in the lenses, aberrations will destroy their usefulness. There may be as many as eighteen separate elements in an objective, as well as mechanical units such as iris diaphragms. Lens mounts must first be prepared, on a jeweler's lathe. They are turned to the correct dimensions, and then adjusted by hand to fit a particular piece of glass. Then it is adjusted by hand with a graver and magnifier. This involves "feel" rather than precise measurements. The objective body must be equally precise so as to accept the elements without misalignment. The body is turned from bronze after being carefully aligned in a lathe. If all is done correctly, assembly is routine. But often further adjustment is needed. The work is steady and slow, but it produces an amazing quantity of very precise lenses in a short time. Beyond making the objectives, by far the most critical part of manufacture is the turret. Whenever a lens is installed it must be parfocal and parcentric. That means that the turret must be perfectly centered, and that the threaded holes for the lenses must be perfectly placed. Turning the turret must not change focus or centricity. The turret is made and adjusted by the most senior technicians. The holes are drilled and checked for precision in a lathe. The axis and center are then drilled and turned. All are then adjusted by hand. Larger parts of the microscope are made on specialized equipment, and although not as critical in their dimensions, are nevertheless finished with great care. For example the sliding grooves on the edge of a mechanical stage are cut with a two-headed milling machine. They are then buffed by hand on a fitted wheel to produce a silky-smooth surface. The same is true for all of the sliding and contacting parts. These parts are made of bronze because it holds oil and produces a smoother sliding contact. Finally, the microscope must be assembled. This may be simple, but it involves very precise quality control. All optical parts must be very precisely aligned, and that is done with specialized optical equipment. And mechanical function must be smooth and precise. The latter is assured by, if necessary, careful fitting with files and abrasive cloth. Of course, the skilled artisan is of fundamental importance for any maker of precision instruments. But what about the design of new products? What about innovation? In other words, what about skilled research and engineering? LOMO has about 1500 employees in the microscope division. Between 200 and 300 of them are scientists and engineers. Many of LOMO's scientists and engineers hold joint positions in the finest universities and technical institutes in Russia. When the Soviets needed very innovative products, it was LOMO they called upon. My greatest pleasure during a visit last July was working with the 10 leaders of LOMO's design team. We met for a week. We started with a translator, but he soon became unnecessary. We were able to communicate with equations, diagrams, paper, and a blackboard. I have worked with many engineering teams. None gave me the pleasure that the LOMO people did. Best of all, we came up with about 6 new ideas during that week. They were all available as prototypes in 2 months. LOMO's ability to design new equipment probably surpasses that of any other optical company in the world.