ULO Optics was founded as V&S Scientific by David Greening in 1982. In 2000 the company was acquired by Umicore. Following a management buyout in 2006, the company emerged as ULO Optics. Since the beginning, our manufacturing operations have remained in Hertfordshire, north of London, where an expert team of engineers and technicians continues to design, manufacture, and test the full range of ULO products.
A phase of expansion began in 2017, when ULO Optics acquired Laser Beam Products, subsequently operating as LBP Optics. This acquisition added more than 27 years of expertise in chemically polished metal mirrors, used across CO₂ and fibre laser machining, medical and dental systems, gas sensing, and spectroscopy.
LBP Optics further strengthened the group in 2019 with its acquisition of Symons Mirror Technology, a highly regarded diamond‑machining company with more than three decades of experience producing ultra‑precise optical and mechanical components. This brought advanced single‑point diamond‑turning capability and the ability to manufacture complex geometries such as aspheric, toroidal, ellipsoidal, polygonal, infrared domes, and off‑axis parabolic structures.
These two acquisitions significantly broadened our technical depth, positioning ULO the UK’s most comprehensive provider of infrared optics, laser mirrors, and high‑precision diamond‑machined components.
In 2025, ULO completed the next step in this evolution by fully merging ULO Optics, LBP Optics, and Symons Mirror Technology. This consolidation brought our optical polishing, coating, diamond machining, beam delivery engineering, and metrology expertise together, enabling a streamlined customer experience and improved production efficiency.
Today, ULO stands as a vertically integrated optics manufacturer spanning infrared optics, beam delivery systems, metal mirrors, and precision diamond‑machined components — all delivered from our expanded UK facilities by a team committed to quality, technical excellence, and continuous innovation.
Our zero defect manufacturing process ensures our focus is 100% on customer needs and satisfaction.
ULO Optics continues to design innovative new products for both standard and custom solutions. Products such as our range of pre-objective 2-axis galvo-scanner lenses have brought new levels of performance to the demanding scanner systems market.
Our optical and beam delivery engineers remain actively engaged in a variety of stimulating R&D initiatives, both internally and in collaboration with customers or academic institutions. These endeavors play a crucial role in propelling the industry forward.
ULO Optics is an ISO certified company and quality is at the heart of everything we do. Our Zero Defects Manufacturing process ensures the highest quality standards across projects, with minimal waste. With a host of industrial affiliations you can rely on ULO to deliver.
