Alternative Size Options
16 mm Cage Plates
30 mm Cage Plates
60 mm Cage Plates

The Cage Assembly System provides a convenient way to construct large optomechanical systems with an established line of precision-machined building blocks designed for high flexibility and quick, accurate alignment. The 30 mm cage plates featured below provide a means for mounting Ø1/2" or Ø1" optical components within a cage system. Many of the components are post mountable via an 8-32 (M4) tap in the cage plate (see below for details).

Cage System Compatibility: Thorlabs offers 16 mm, 30 mm, and 60 mm cage systems primarily designed for Ø1/2", Ø1", and Ø2" optical components, respectively. The parts on this page are compatible with our 30 mm cage system and utilize Ø6 mm ER cage rods.

Selection Guide

Item #	Outer Shape	Inner Bore	Post Mountable	Mounting Hole
CP11(/M)	Square	SM05 Threaded	Yes	8-32 (M4)
CP02(/M)	Square	SM1 Threaded	Yes	8-32 (M4)
CP02T(/M)	Square	SM1 Threaded	Yes	8-32 (M4)
CP4S, CP6S, and CP8S	Square	SM1 Threaded	No	N/A
CP08(/M)	Square	SM1 Threaded	Yes	8-32 (M4)
CP06(/M)	Square	Ø1" Double Bore with Setscrew	Yes	8-32 (M4)
CP12	Square	Ø1.2" Double Bore with Setscrew	No	N/A
CP03(/M)	Square	Ø35 mm Smooth	Yes	8-32 (M4)
CP07	Round	SM1 Threaded	No	N/A
CP07T	Round (SM2 Threaded)	SM1 Threaded	No	N/A
CP01(/M)	Square	None	Yes	8-32 (M4)
CPG3	Cage Plate Gasket for Light-Tight Applications
ERCPS	Cage Plate Stops for Precise Alignment
VRC4CPT, CPA2, and CPA1	Alignment Guides for the 30 mm Cage System

An example of the standard cage
plate measurements determining
cage system compatibility.

Cage System Overview

16 mm, 30 mm, and 60 mm Cage System Standards

Thorlabs offers three standards defined by the center-to-center spacing of the cage assembly rods (see image to right). The 16 mm cage, 30 mm cage, and 60 mm cage standards are designed to accomodate Ø1/2", Ø1", and Ø2" optics, respectively. Specialized cage plates that allow smaller optics to be directly inserted into our larger cage systems are also available.

Standard Threads

The flexibility of our Cage Assembly System stems from well-defined mounting and thread standards designed to directly interface with a wide range of specialized products. The three most prevalent thread standards are our SM05 Series (0.535"-40 thread), SM1 Series (1.035"-40 thread), and SM2 Series (2.035"-40 thread), all of which were defined to house the industry's most common optic sizes. Essential building blocks, such as our popular lens tubes, directly interface to these standards.

Standard Cage System Measurements
Cage System	16 mm	30 mm	60 mm
Thread Series	SM05	SM1	SM2
Rod to Rod Spacing	16 mm (0.63")	30 mm (1.18")	60 mm (2.36")
Total Length	25 mm (0.98")	41 mm (1.60")	71.1 mm (2.8")

Cage Components
Cage Rods	16 mm	These rods are used to connect cage plates, optic mounts, and other components in the cage system. The SR Series Cage Rods are compatible with our 16 mm cage systems, while the 30 mm and 60 mm cage systems use ER Series Cage Rods.
	30 mm
	60 mm
Cage Plates	16 mm	These serve as the basic building blocks for a cage system. They may have SM-threaded central bores, smooth bores sized for industry standard optics or to accommodate the outer profile of our SM Series Lens Tubes, or specialized bores for other components such as our FiberPorts.
	30 mm
	60 mm
Optic Mounts	16 mm	Thorlabs offers fixed, kinematic, rotation, and translation mounts specifically designed for our Cage Systems.
	30 mm
	60 mm
Cage Cubes	16 mm	These cubes are useful for housing larger optical components, such as prisms or mirrors, or optics that need to sit at an angle to the beam path, such as beamsplitters. Our cage cubes are available empty or with pre-mounted optics.
	30 mm
	60 mm
Post and Breadboard Mounts and Adapters		Mounting options for cage systems can be found on our Cage System Construction pages. Cage Systems can be mounted either parallel or perpendicular to the table surface.
Size Adapters		Cage System Size Adapters can be used to integrate components from different cage system and threading standards.
Specialized Components		Thorlabs also produces specialized cage components, such as Filter Wheels, a HeNe Laser Mount, and a FiberPort Cage Plate Adapter, allowing a wide range of our products to be integrated into cage-mounted optical systems. Explore our Cage Systems Visual Navigation Guide to see the full range of Thorlabs' cage components.

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Posted Comments:

Poster: gir

Posted Date: 2013-05-14 21:54:02.91

FYI: the #8-32 threaded hole on the CP06 is shown in the AutoCAD PDF file, but not in the SolidWorks model.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2013-05-15 12:45:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for pointing this out! We will fix this shortly.

Poster: david.baddeley

Posted Date: 2013-05-14 13:17:16.063

Would you consider offering cage plates with 4-40 threaded holes (to accommodate screws on the ends of cage rods) the drilled and tapped on the sides to allow a second cage system to be attached at right angles. I've previously had this done on existing plates in a local machine shop, and have found it to be a very efficient way of making 3D cage structures. I now have less access to machining facilities, and though it might be worth suggesting as a product variation. Ideally this would also involve a slight increase (~ 1-2 mm in the width of the plate) as the length of the rod threads is such that they will often engage the rod running through the plate before the end of the rod at right angles is flush with the cage plate surface. Cage cubes and right angle rods (ER90C) don't work for my application as the position of the right angle needs to be adjustable. Cross couplers (C1A) won't work as they are too large (I'm putting a KC45D gimbal mirror at the intersection of the two cage systems to deflect the beam from one to the other and it won't fit with the C1As there). many thanks, David

Poster: cdaly

Posted Date: 2013-05-16 15:37:00.0

Response from Chris at Thorlabs: Thank you for your suggestion. I will suggest this within our internal discussions. As a quick solution though, would it be possible for you to use C1A, C2A, or ER90C to achieve this as well?

Poster: cdaly

Posted Date: 2013-03-06 17:59:00.0

Response from Chris at Thorlabs: We haven't specifically tested the gasket in vacuum, but I was able to find another resource that tested the material. The CPG3 is made of Buna-N, which at an exposure to 10^-6 Torr for 336 hours, experienced a weight loss ratio was 1.06, which is a pretty large value as far as outgassing is concerned. At the moment, we do not make a delrin version. These are intended for light tight purposes in a non-vacuum environment. For general purposes the compressiblity of the material is ideal as it allows it to conform to the objects it is between.

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2012-08-09 09:33:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. The CPG3 is designed with a large aperture in mind. It is unfortunate that it does not work with the CP08 because of the slits of the side. I have submitted this feedback to our engineering group and we will look into improving this.

Poster: matthias.sauer

Posted Date: 2012-08-07 13:48:39.0

The gasket is not covering the slits of a CP08 cage plate. To fulfill its intended use, it would be helpful if it optically sealed one side of the cage plate from the other.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-05-01 12:23:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Both the cage system and traditional posts have their uses. The cage system provides an easy way to quickly align along a common optical axis. Posts and post holders allow the flexibility to quickly drop in and adjust the height of a component. Different setups may benefit from one over the other but they are also subject to personal preference. If there is ever a question of which would be preferred, please contact us at techsupport@thorlabs.com where an Applications Engineer will be able to discuss your application and the suitability of the products to fit into your ideal setup.

Poster: Carlos.Gulien

Posted Date: 2012-04-26 22:33:16.0

Yes, can you provide your professional opinion on using a cage system vs. using standard posts, post holders, pedestals and so on...can you comment on when I should use each system and what are the pros and cons of each, like ease of use vs. stability vs cost vs anything else you have experienced as a scientist. What system are most people using these days? I tend to trust the "herd" if you know what I mean.

Poster: apalmentieri

Posted Date: 2010-02-08 08:55:52.0

A response from Adam at Thorlabs to Dan: Thank you for your feedback. This does count as customer inspired and I have informed our mechanics division of your feedback. I agree that this would make a good addition to the product line. If it is added, we would offer you a prototype to test out the new design. In the meantime, we can offer this item as a custom.

Poster: flickingerd

Posted Date: 2010-02-04 18:19:11.0

I wish you had a product like CP06, but for a 2in optic in the 60mm cage system. I can use the FMP2 for my design, but it seems like it will be relatively very wobbly since it doesnt look beefy enough. Does this count as "customer inspiration"?

Poster: Laurie

Posted Date: 2008-08-07 09:25:07.0

Response from Laurie at Thorlabs to xavier.schwab: The new metric indicator (i.e., the dot) is a very recent addition to our metric mounts. Unfortunately, this new information must have been added to our website prior to stock depletion of the ones without a metric indicator. There is no difference in the physical functionality of the product. We are merely trying to make it easier/quicker for our customers to look at our parts and know whether they are imperial or metric. That being said, if you would like to return your CP02/M and receive one with a metric indicator, please feel free to speak to our RMA department. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience we may have caused.

Poster: xavier.schwab

Posted Date: 2008-08-07 07:17:31.0

Dear Mr., dear Madam, I will purchase new cage system products. I have a question about the dot near a thread which may signified "Metric". In our actual CP02, we have no dot near the thread but it is a Metric thread. As we would like to keep the same standard, could tell me if its normal? Best regards, X. Schwab

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