About CraftOptics
CraftOptics focuses on the details
because everyone deserves to see their work with precision and comfort.
CraftOptics, LLC was founded in 2007 by Dr. Charles Caplan, founder of Orascoptic Research, the leading supplier of magnification devices for the international dental market. Orascoptic was born because Dr. Caplan, a dentist, needed to see his own work better and more comfortably to alleviate the physical stresses of performing dentistry. He developed an optical device that gave him the clarity and comfort he needed, and shared his personal experience with the dental community. The device, which had never been mass marketed to general dentistry before that time, is now the standard of care in the industry. Patient interest in this product, along with its widespread success, convinced Dr. Caplan that the same benefits dentists receive from using his magnification devices could and should be available to any detail-oriented hobby or profession. His goal was to develop a product that was optically comfortable, and cost-effective. After several years of development, such a product was created and CraftOptics was formed.
CraftOptics is a family-owned company whose team has extensive experience in the magnification market dating back to the early 1980s:
Jeff Caplan
Jeff has spent 23 years in international product marketing and sales, investment, and management, including the past 13 years launching US products in Europe and European products in the US. Mr. Caplan’s career included 3 years as Executive Vice President of Orascoptic, and 4 years living in Paris, France as General Manager, Europe for Orascoptic, where he established and trained the European distribution network. He holds a BSBA in Marketing from the Olin School of Business at Washington University and an MS in Business from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Charles Caplan
Dr. Caplan founded Orascoptic Research, now part of the Danaher-owned group of companies (DHR), in 1981. As CEO and primary product designer Dr. Caplan focused on product categories including optical/magnification, surgical lighting, and ergonomic seating. The company’s products are now sold worldwide and hold the largest worldwide market share. Dr. Caplan has a rare ability to effectively balance the desires of end users with the technological focus of his team of optical and mechanical engineers. This skill has created some of the most successful magnification and lighting products sold in the dental and surgical market today.
Dick Buchroeder, Optical Engineering
Holder of 13 US patents, Mr. Buchroeder has over 40 years of optical design experience, both as an independent consultant and with Hughes Aircraft, Bausch & Lomb, and several others. His client list ranges from nearly every major US defense contractor to international optical companies and numerous US Universities. Mr. Buchroeder and Dr. Caplan have collaborated on several optical products and patents, including those now in the dental and medical marketplace being sold by Dr. Caplan’s former company. Mr. Buchroeder has a BSME from UC Berkeley, an MS from the University of Rochester, and a PhD from the University of Arizona.
