Light Absorption Materials Compared: Thorlabs BKF12 vs. Acktar MetalVelvet
October 9, 2025
In scientific and engineering fields, the control of stray light is critical. Two standout foil products have established themselves as go-to solutions for reducing unwanted reflections:...
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Acktar Metal Velvet vs. Aeroglaze Z306 – Engineering Insights on the Blackest Black Coatings
September 8, 2025
Why Black Coatings Are More Than Just “Black” In optics and aerospace applications, “black” is not a choice of color, it’s an engineering requirement. The world’s...
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Acktar’s Space Heritage: A Legacy of Excellence
August 11, 2025
Acktar’s Space Heritage exhibits the company’s pivotal role in advancing space exploration through its contributions to technological advancements. This section highlights Acktar’s contributions to a wide...
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High-Performance Coatings – Now Also Available to Listen To
July 27, 2025
Our technologies don’t just perform in space – they now speak for themselves. In addition to our products and technical insights available online and in person,...
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Introducing Acktar Core Black™
June 16, 2025
The ultimate ultra-black coating for wafer chucks and mounting applications In a world where precision, abrasion resistance and cleanliness can mean the difference between success and...
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The Importance of Outgassing
June 12, 2025
What is outgassing? Outgassing is the release of trapped gases from a solid or liquid material, typically when exposed to vacuum, heat, or specific environmental conditions....
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Introducing Acktar Diffusive Mirror™
May 28, 2025
A High-Performance, PFAS-PTFE-Free Lambertian Reflector for Optical Applications Acktar is proud to launch its newest innovation — the Acktar Diffusive Mirror™, a high-reflectance optical foil designed...
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From Atomic Precision to Timeless Elegance
April 20, 2025
Acktar’s Ultra-Black Coatings Bridging Science and Luxury Timekeeping has evolved dramatically—from mechanical escapements to microwave-based atomic clocks, and now to ultra-precise optical lattice clocks. Today’s scientific...
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Infrared, Emissivity, and Black Coatings: Clearing Up Common Misunderstandings
April 20, 2025
When engineers talk about “black coatings,” they often mean very different things. Some think in terms of aesthetics, others of visibility, and many about infrared absorption...
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Mitigating Stray Light in VR & AR with Magic Black™ and Vacuum Black™ Coatings
February 16, 2025
1. Introduction The performance of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) optical systems is heavily influenced by light control within their complex optical architectures. One...
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Everything you need to know about MaxiBlack™
February 5, 2025
Maxi Black™ is a top-tier light-absorbing material designed to control light reflection outstandingly across a wide spectral range, covering UV, VIS, and SWIR regions. However, where...
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Understanding Stray Light: Impact, Causes, and Solutions in Optical Systems
February 5, 2025
Source: Clermont, L., Uhring, W. & Georges, M. Stray light characterization with ultrafast time-of-flight imaging. Sci Rep 11, 10081 (2021). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89324-y Stray light poses a well-known challenge in optical...
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Acktar’s Involvement in the Europa Clipper Mission
December 18, 2024
Acktar’s Involvement in the Europa Clipper Mission: Mapping Europa’s Surface Temperature to Discover Extraterrestrial Life On October 14, NASA successfully launched the Europa Clipper mission, an ambitious project...
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Specular Reflectance – The foundation of Precision
December 17, 2024
When thinking about reflection, the first thought that comes to mind might be a mirror – a surface that immediately outputs an accurate image. This phenomenon...
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Balancing Full Qualification, Screening Tests, and Targeted Testing for the New Space Era
December 17, 2024
Introduction: The Changing Landscape of Space Testing The space industry is evolving rapidly. Traditional flagship missions like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and JUICE prioritize...
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Acktar at Space Tech Expo 2024: Celebrating Innovation and a Year of Accomplishments
December 11, 2024
The Space Tech Expo is a leading event for the global space industry, presenting cutting-edge advancements in satellites and space subsystems. As a company that always...
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Far Infrared (FIR)
December 11, 2024
What is the source of the warmth that we fill? How do human beings generate heat? The answer is – Thermal Infrared Radiation The unseen radiation that...
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Everything you need to know about coated black foil
December 11, 2024
Coated black foils is a specialized material designed to absorb light and minimize reflections across a wide spectrum, including UV, VIS, and IR. So where is...
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The Use of Light Absorbing Acktar Black Panels – Hexa Black and Their Benefits
October 7, 2024
Acktar Black Panels, specifically the Hexa Black variant, which actually combines macro, micro and nano structure, are widely used in industries and scientific applications that require...
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Lambertian Black™ Foil: What It Is, Its Uses, and Its Benefits
October 7, 2024
Lambertian Black™ Foil is a highly specialized, light-absorbing material developed by Acktar. Known for its ability to absorb light with extreme efficiency, this foil is an...
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Exploring Acktar’s Cutting-Edge Black Coatings: Applications, Industries, and Innovations
September 3, 2024
Acktar’s advanced black coatings are designed to meet the demanding requirements of industries like space, optics, semiconductors, and medical devices. With superior performance in low reflectance,...
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How Acktar’s Black Foils Made a Sumo Robot Hard to Beat
September 3, 2024
Sumo wrestling isn’t just for humans—it’s a challenge for robots, too! In one of the recent sumo robot competitions in Brazil, the University of São Paulo’s...
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Optimizing Free Space Optical Communication in Space with Acktar Black and White Stray Light Suppression Coatings
August 18, 2024
Versatile Solutions for Zero Background in Analyte Detection Introduction: Free Space Optical (FSO) communication systems employ laser-based technologies to transmit high-bandwidth data across the vacuum of space....
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ENHANCING OPTICAL PERFORMANCE WITH ACKTAR COATINGS: A COMPRHENSIVE REVIEW
July 3, 2024
1. STRAYLIGHT SUPPRESSION Optical systems, including telescopes, cameras and spectrometers, rely on precise light pathways to function correctly. Straylight is light in an optical system which...
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Advancements in Cryogenic Applications Enabled by Acktar’s Fractal BlackTM and Ultra BlackTM Inorganic Coatings
June 18, 2024
Cryogenic applications, characterized by extremely low temperatures below -150°C (-238°F), play a significant role across various industries, including aerospace, astronomy, medical imaging and transportation. These applications...
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Protecting the Earth, one satellite at a time
May 12, 2024
Happy belated Earth Day! We want to keep our Earth green, but greenhouse gases absorb radiation from the Sun, trap heat in our atmosphere, leading global...
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Enhancing Optical Detection Sensitivity with Acktar Black Coatings
April 25, 2024
Versatile Solutions for Zero Background in Analyte Detection” Acktar Black Coatings proves invaluable in a variety of optical detection scenarios where filtration of media or support...
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Virtual Reality, Light Management and Black Coatings
March 18, 2024
Virtual reality (VR) devices have revolutionized the way we experience digital content by immersing users in simulated environments. These devices come in various forms, from standalone...
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Acktar Black and Self-Driving Cars
March 10, 2024
Self-driving cars rely heavily on sensors such as LIDAR and cameras to perceive the surrounding environment. These sensors emit and capture light signals to detect obstacles,...
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Acktar is helping you get to the Moon!
March 3, 2024
Happy Moon Day! On March 4, 55 years ago NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the Moon. Acktar has also coated...
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Acktar is Powering the Winds of Change
January 25, 2024
At the start of 2024, Acktar is looking to further empower the future with our black coatings. Whether rain or shine, we rely on apps to...
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From the Solar System to the Human Brain- Acktar’s space imagery and tiny brain endoscopes redefine exploration
December 28, 2023
As 2023 comes to a close, we at Acktar are proud to look back at what we have accomplished this year. From the largest telescopes exploring...
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Exploring the Use of Acktar’s Spectral Black For Pattern Generation of Spider Silk
November 16, 2023
Spider silk is of great interest for scientists due to strength and flexibility, hence, valuable various applications, in medical and engineering fields. Researchers have been studying...
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Vantablack vs. Acktar Black – what is the difference?
August 6, 2023
To fully appreciate the light absorption properties of Acktar black and Vantablack, it’s crucial to recognize that despite their similar ability to absorb visible light. Acktar...
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Why is regular black paint not suitable for high precision optical instruments with sharp edges?
June 7, 2023
Regular black paint can cause unwanted diffraction, scattering, and aberrations in high precision optical instruments with sharp edges due to its tendency to accumulate on edges...
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Self-adhesive Coated Foils
February 27, 2023
Acktar light-absorbing high-emissivity coatings are considered the “best in the industry” for demanding applications – typically in stray light suppression.The coatings are typically applied to customer...
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Black coating services
February 15, 2023
Black coating services are used to improve the performance of high-performance optics by suppressing stray light. This aids in improving clarity, contrast, and preventing ghosting when digitizing...
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Coated Black Foils kit packages
January 23, 2023
Acktar Coating is an ideal product for those looking to maximize their performance without the hassle of directly applying it. Coated foils are a great solution...
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Advantages of Using Aluminum Coating
January 3, 2023
Aluminizing steel is a process in which an aluminum coating is applied to a metal surface. This coating provides a number of advantages, primarily corrosion resistance....
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What is Black anodized aluminum?
December 26, 2022
Anodizing is an electrochemical process that thickens and toughens the naturally occurring oxide layer on metal surfaces, providing excellent corrosion and wear resistance. This process is...
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Black oxide coating
December 21, 2022
Black oxide coating is an efficient method of protecting metals from corrosion, wear and tear and other environmental hazards. It is a chemical bath process which...
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Precise analysis of water, soil and air in environmental analysis applications
November 14, 2022
Climate change and the pollution of soil, air and water increasingly threaten the balance of our habitat and pose numerous global challenges. Microplastics, pesticides, tensides and...
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Acktar’s Ultra Black Coating helps take amazing solar images!
September 11, 2022
The ultra-black ACKTAR Magic BlackTM coating the Metis measuring instrument of the Solar Orbiter, prevents stray light from outshining the fainter solar corona and thus making...
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Emmisivity in Passive Thermal Management
August 15, 2022
All devices generate waste heat as a by-product of their operation. This heat needs to be dissipated in order to avoid the generation of undesirable high...
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Everything You Need To Know About Black Wrinkle Powder Coatings
July 20, 2022
Wrinkle powder coatings appear textured and crackled. They come in single color tones, and many include additional metallic for elevated color and shine. Wrinkle powder coatings...
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Anti reflection Film – The Best Solution to Glare on Reflective Surface
July 12, 2022
What is an Anti-Reflection Film? Anti-reflection film is a type of optical coating that minimizes reflection when placed on surfaces of optical materials such as lenses....
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Where Can We Meet Infrared Waves Every Day?
July 4, 2022
Infrared waves are electromagnetic radiations invisible to our naked eyes, and their frequency band lies between 740 nm and 400000 nm. Since our eyes can not...
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BRDF + TIS Database Of Acktar’s Light Absorbing Coatings
March 15, 2022
SUPRESS STRAY LIGHT, ABSORB LASER POWER, CREATE HIGH EMMISSIVITY Alexander Telle CEO ACM Coatings GmbH – subsidiary of Acktar Ltd. WHY & WHEN to think about...
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A Detailed Exploration into The Blackest Black
December 23, 2021
About Light and Color Visible light is a category of electromagnetic waves that we are capable of seeing. When light hits an object, some of it...
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An In Depth Guide To Understanding Black Bodies
November 11, 2021
What Is The Meaning of a Black Body? A black body, also written as blackbody, is a theoretical construct describing an object that absorbs all electromagnetic...
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Everything You Need To Know About Black Anodizing
November 7, 2021
What is Anodizing? Before we can begin to answer the question “what is black anodizing?” we must understand what anodizing itself is. Anodizing is the electrochemical...
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Stray light – what is it, and what kinds of stray light exist?
June 27, 2021
What is stray light? Stray light is light which enters a system from outside the field of view and therefore is reflected from internal part surfaces...
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What is Black Oxide Coating and What Are The Benefits?
May 31, 2021
Black Oxide Coating – Definition and Process Black oxide is a material used for coating materials such as stainless steel, copper, and zinc, which are all...
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SWIR Sensors
April 13, 2021
What is Short-Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) and Electromagnetic Spectrum? Did you know we can only 0.0035% of the world around us? The Electromagnetic Spectrum comprises of radio waves,...
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High Absorptance Coatings for GHGSat Nanosatellite
March 11, 2021
Vincent Latendresse, Jonathan Lavoie, Roman V. Kruzelecky and Wes Jamroz MPB Communications Inc, Pointe Claire, Quebec, Canada Dina Katsir and Keren Shabtai Acktar Ltd., Israel Victor...
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Low reflectance at Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV)
March 11, 2021
EUV Reflectivity measurements on Acktar Sample Magic Black S. Doring, Dr. K. Mann Laser-Laboratorium G¨ottingen e.V. October 28, 2011 Measurement report *Download now: Low reflectance at...
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Acktar Magic Black Coating for the Challenging Environmental Conditions of METIS
March 11, 2021
ABSTRACT A dedicated thermal-vacuum cycling test was conducted to qualify the ACKTAR Magic Black™ coating stability in the light of its use in the challenging...
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A Cryogenic Infrared Calibration Target
March 11, 2021
Description: In a recent assessment of the performance of different absorptive coatings as compact cryogenic infrared calibration targets, Acktar Fractal Black products exhibited lower diffuse and...
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Black & White Thermal Control Coatings Comparison Experiment
March 11, 2021
ABSTRACT In space applications, thermal control, emissivity and absorptivity are critical factors to the optimum performance of space vehicles or satellites. Thermal control coatings (TCC) are...
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Stray Light Reduction in Industrial Optics
March 11, 2021
Getting to know the principles of stray light reduction is key to getting accurate measurements while working with your optical device. Whether it’s a telescope, microscope,...
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Qualification of Acktar Vacuum Black coating for space application
March 11, 2021
Description: This paper describes comprehensive testing carried out in order to qualify Acktar Vacuum Black coatings for space applications. Y. Miron Salomon(1), N. Ariel Sternberg(1) I....
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Hemispherical Reflectance and Emittance Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Coatings at Infrared Wavelengths
March 11, 2021
Description: In this NASA – Goddard paper the hemispherical reflectance and emmitance properties at IR wavelengths of experimental nano-tube coatings are compared with Acktar Fractal Black....
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Thermal Infrared Spectrometer MERTIS for The Bepicolmbo Mission To Mercury
March 11, 2021
Zeh, T(1); Kaiser, S.(1); Lenfert K.(1); Peter, G.(2); Walter, I.(2); Hirsch, H.(2); Knollenberg, J.(2); Helbert, J.(2); K. Multhaup(3), H. Hiesinger(3); Gebhardt, A.(4); Risse, S.(4); Damm, C.(4);...
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What Exactly Is Black Oxide Coating And What Does It Do?
March 11, 2021
Black oxide coating is the process of coating ferrous materials, stainless steel, copper, copper based alloys, zinc, materials with a chemical coating process. It takes products,...
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Object Identification for Autonomous Cars
March 11, 2021
Autonomous vehicles are expected to result in fewer road casualties and more efficient traffic. But driver assistance systems also protect lives. For a safe function of...
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Product papers
March 11, 2021
Get the desired PDF brochure if the relevant product here. Metal Velvet Light Absorbing Panels Hexa Black Light Absorbing Panels Spectral Black Light Absorbing Panels Hexa...
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Deepest Black Absorber-Layers for Safe Satellite Navigation
March 11, 2021
Similarly to how sailors have done for thousands of years, the navigation sensors of satellites now operate in space. With ultra-black layers, which reliably absorb scattered...
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What are light modifiers and how to use them?
March 11, 2021
As we all know, correct lighting crucial to a professional looking photograph. It’s also in the literal meaning of the term photography – “drawing with light”....
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Infrared Spectroscopy (IRS) – A Molecular Overview
March 11, 2021
What is infrared spectroscopy? infrared spectroscopy (also known as IR spectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy, or – IRS) is the measurement of infrared radiation as it interacts with...
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Aluminum coating – uses and advantages
March 10, 2021
As opposite to light absorbing coatings in many parts there are areas with highly reflective surface, like mirrors or semi mirrors. One of the popular reflective...
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What Is Optical Coating?
March 10, 2021
A proper definition of an optical coating is one or more thin layers of material creates an effect and interaction between light and a certain optical...
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How to Increase Surface Emissivity & When It Is Essential?
March 9, 2021
We have always been fascinated by how engineering systems handle all sorts of critical environmental challenges. Whether it is NASA dealing with high temperatures (up to...
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Comparison of IR Absorber Coating Methods
March 9, 2021
Infrared radiation characterized by wavelengths ranging from 0.700 – 1050μm is no exception. Absorption and reflection of IR radiation on a specific surface can be altered...
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Enhancing LWIR Sensors with Acktar Coatings
March 1, 2021
Long-Wave Infra-Red (LWIR) refers to multi and hyperspectral data collected in the 8-15 µm wavelength range. People often call LWIR surveys “thermal imaging.” They can find warm...
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