Making Optics Standards Global

The standards crafted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) facilitate trade by streamlining communication and cooperation across national boundaries. But, although many industries have harmonized their national standards and embraced the global approach, standards in the optics industry have largely remained fragmented and regional. ISO standards in optics, based primarily on the DIN standards developed by the German Deutsches Institut für Normung, are increasingly common in Europe and Asia. Yet many companies worldwide still use their own notes-based standards that rest on national or regional guidelines, such as the American military (MIL) standards—and that has hindered the adoption of ISO standards for optics in the United States and some other countries.