Also called: Optics Recycle Technician, Optics Processing Technician
Cleans, inspects and repairs the big glass lenses and mirrors damaged by laser shots at fusion labs so they can go back into the beam.
A meter-wide lens comes out of the laser with tiny pits burned into it. You scan it for damage, then carefully etch and polish each spot so it won't grow. After cleaning in a spotless room, the lens is coated and sent back to be reinstalled.
Estimated from national lab technician pay.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in optics or precision manufacturing.
Ways in: 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Optics Technology, Precision Manufacturing, Physics.
Growing about average. A handful of jobs at big laser labs; more if laser fusion plants get built.
Low risk for 10 years. Automated scanners find damage, but repairing and cleaning precision optics stays careful hands-on work.
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, Geometry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9199.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.