Medical Imaging Systems
Sunex designs, manufactures, and tests custom lenses and camera module solutions — helping make life better, one image at a time.
We deliver Optical Solutions for Medical Imaging that are critical to our customers’ success.
Diagnostic
Endoscopy
Surgical
Veterinary
Life Science
Contract MFG.
Large off-the-shelf portfolio: Get real images from the real sensor as early as possible.
Our lens portfolio covers production lenses in M7, M8, M10, M12, M14, and M16 mounts, with focal lengths from under 1 mm (miniature fisheye) to about 20 mm (narrow field of view), and filter options that include IR-cut, no-IR, dual-band day/night, and NIR bandpass versions. Sample quantities can be ordered online, so a feasibility camera can be imaging within days rather than months.
30+ years of custom design and high-volume manufacturing: Custom solution to lead your market.
Over three decades, we’ve designed and built all-glass and hybrid (glass-plastic) lenses, including proprietary approaches such as Tailored Distortion® (controlling how the field maps onto the sensor), NoGhost™ (suppressing ghost reflections at the design stage), SuperFisheye™ wide-angle optics, and the DXM™ dual-lens, single-sensor stereo platform. The same experience and processes that produce millions of automotive-grade lenses drive custom designs, so prototypes don’t need to be re-engineered when they ramp to production.
Diagnostics Imaging
What does a diagnostic reader really need from its lens?
THE IMAGING CHALLENGE
- Short, fixed working distance; the image feeds an algorithm, not a person
- Low distortion and a flat field, so regions land on the same pixels on every unit
- Uniform relative illumination and filters matched to the assay markers
OFF-THE-SHELF STARTING POINTS
- DSL949A / DSL355A: low-distortion M12 lenses, EFL 3.4 / 4.16 mm
- DSL829L: low-profile M7 glass lens when reader height is tight
WHERE CUSTOM TAKES OVER
- Finite-conjugate design optimized at the exact working distance
IN PRACTICE
A few percent of illumination falloff across a lateral-flow strip shifts results. Calibration absorbs it only if every unit falls off the same way.
Examples: Microfluidics, strip readers, dermatoscopy, lab-on-chip, Telemedicine, 3D scanning, Exoscopy, Video monitoring systems, …
Endoscopy (incl. single-use)
How small can endoscope optics get before you need a custom lens?
THE IMAGING CHALLENGE
- Small diameter, wide field of view, depth of field from millimeters to centimeters
Small-pixel chip-on-tip sensors in sealed, reprocessable or single-use housings
OFF-THE-SHELF STARTING POINTS
- DSL235D: low-profile M8 lens, EFL 3.02 mm, sealing cap with O-ring gland
DSL180A: miniature Tailored Distortion fisheye, EFL 0.97 mm, F/2.0
WHERE CUSTOM TAKES OVER
- Distal tips under roughly 8 mm need a custom miniature design from the start
IN PRACTICE
In a single-use scope, optics can be one of the largest cost lines in a device discarded after one procedure. That favors molded plastic and assembly that scales.
Examples: Gastroscopy, Colonoscopy, Duodenoscopy, Laparoscopy, Bronchoscopy, ENT, Arthroscopy, Dental Cameras, …
Surgical Imaging
Why do surgical systems live or die on stray light and depth?
THE IMAGING CHALLENGE
- Intense illumination and specular reflections from wet tissue and instruments
HDR sensors, strict color fidelity, growing use of NIR fluorescence
OFF-THE-SHELF STARTING POINTS
- NoGhost™ DSL977A / DSL957A: HDR lenses, EFL 7.7 mm, F/1.8
DXM™: two optical paths on one sensor for synchronized stereo depth
WHERE CUSTOM TAKES OVER
- Coatings matched to the fluorescence dye, with VIS and NIR correction
IN PRACTICE
DXM’s stereo baseline is limited by the sensor width. It excels at short working distances; for precise depth farther out, two cameras may serve better.
Examples: Single-use cameras, Stereo cameras, Viewers/Googles, Fundus cameras, Ophthalmoscopes, …
Veterinary Imaging
Can veterinary imaging reuse human medical optics?
THE IMAGING CHALLENGE
- Lower price points, so off-the-shelf lenses carry more of the load
Patients from cats to horses: equine scopes can run 3 m or more
Barns, mobile clinics, washdown and drops are normal use
OFF-THE-SHELF STARTING POINTS
- DSL958R: front-side sealed to IP6K9K, EFL 4.6 mm, F/1.7
DSL383G: SuperFisheye™ with NoGhost™ and optional HP3 coating
WHERE CUSTOM TAKES OVER
- Derivatives of human-medical designs with lower-cost materials
IN PRACTICE
In the US, the FDA does not require 510(k) or premarket approval for veterinary devices, so the route from prototype to product is usually shorter.
Life Science
What makes lab-automation optics different from a microscope?
THE IMAGING CHALLENGE
- Plates, tubes, colonies and labels imaged around the clock
Accuracy over large fields, matched cameras, stable focus at 37 °C
OFF-THE-SHELF STARTING POINTS
- DSL958G: low-distortion M12, EFL 4.6 mm, in F/1.7, F/2.8 and F/4.0
DSL330A / DSL331A: narrow-field glass lenses, EFL 12 and 19.8 mm
WHERE CUSTOM TAKES OVER
- Near-telecentric and athermalized designs, matched lens sets
IN PRACTICE
Imaging a full SBS microplate (about 128 × 85 mm) in one frame? Corner distortion decides whether well positions need per-unit calibration.
Contract Manufacturer
How should OEMs and contract manufacturers engage an optics partner?
THE CHALLENGE
- Building to someone else’s design while carrying the supply risk
Lifecycle, change control and inspection data often come up too late
HOW WE SUPPORT
- Off-the-shelf lenses as fast references for quoting and DFM reviews
Custom designs to your specification, built in high volume
WHERE SETTLE EARLY
- Lifecycle, change notification, per-lot inspection data, documentation
IN PRACTICE
We design and build optics and camera modules. Regulatory responsibility for the finished device stays with the device manufacturer.
Single-use Endocopes
Endoscope optics are at the core of who we are since the first Sunex laparoscope design , nearly thirty years ago.
Medical Camera Modules
In-house expertise and capabilities for lens and board design, manufacturing, and testing to deliver a full solution.
Medical Imaging Portfolio
View our products and expertise and use our free resource to explore products, customer success stories, articles, white papers, and more
“When we began developing our disposable medical endoscope, Sunex was our go-to supplier for a custom lens design and manufacturing. Over the years, their role grew far beyond optics — they became a true partner, applying active alignment of lens and sensor, and integrating electronics and mechanical components into the assembly. From our first feasibility study through prototyping, FDA approval, and into mass production, Sunex’s expertise, responsiveness, and precision have been essential to our success.”
VP of Product Development, Medical Device Company
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