Anna Maria Nicholson and Ikuo Nakamura, Rayvel NYC’s principal holographers and General Manager and Director of Development, respectively, help Rayvel chart new paths into the future of holography.

Although originally conceived to be a “straight forward” development for a consumer product, the multiple technical obstacles encountered and then overcome, classify the Holocator street address numbers as a pioneering product. 

Most holograms become visible with an “angle of reconstruction” of about 45 degrees. Basically, the light is between and well above the hologram and the viewer. In contrast, the application for the HoLocator required a very narrow angle, about 10 degrees, so that the vehicle headlights illuminate the HoLocator numbers, producing maximum brightness with a wide viewing angle. Hologram masters required for mass production are made on a photosensitive glass plate exposed to laser light. We discovered that the laser beam incident to the glass plate at such a narrow angle caused the light to reflect off the back of the plate and “bounce” between the faces of the glass, causing fringe distortions (several lines throughout the hologram). This tested the patience and ingenuity of Ana Maria and Ikuo at Rayvel (NYC). Through relentless experimentation, they devised an optimized optical configuration and chemical process for this product.

Particularly noteworthy was their “index matching” technique of laying the glass master in a thin layer of mineral spirits to absorb the laser light after it initially passed through the glass plate, preventing back reflections. The Holocator numbers are now ready for mass production. Ana and Ikuo have my deep gratitude and commendation for their tenacious effort.