DFM Engineering, Inc. was founded in 1979 by Dr. Frank Melsheimer, a recognized authority in telescope design and manufacturing. DFM designs professional telescopes, satellite trackers, beam directors, and control systems for programs where delivered image quality, tracking stability, and uptime decide outcomes.
Our design rule is simple. Engineer the full system as it is actually used, with optics, instruments, cabling, wind, and thermal behavior accounted for. We design for operational realities and for organizations that do not accept “good enough” as a permanent solution. That philosophy shows up at the focal plane as lower jitter, faster settling, repeatable focus behavior, and stable performance night after night.
With more than four decades of innovation, DFM has become a global leader in this field. DFM systems are built on proven reliability, with telescopes still operating after 40+ years. Where others chase lower costs or unproven designs, DFM focuses on sustained mission grade performance verified in the field. Institutions that choose DFM are not just buying a telescope. They are investing in infrastructure designed to deliver precision, and confidence for decades.
A core part of that continuity is Dr. Melsheimer's lifetime of photonics experience designing, building, testing, retrofitting, and rebuilding older telescopes, instrumentation, and control systems. His daily technical leadership at DFM reinforces continues to assure quality products and customer satisfaction.
Dr. Melsheimer and his team have designed, manufactured and installed over 100 professional telescopes worldwide with an additional 10,000+ amateur telescopes being built based upon his designs. Always a front runner in the astronomical community, DFM has evolved to offer a wide selection of telescope systems and upgrades, optical services, electro-optical-mechanical-systems, instrumentation, lidar components, satellite trackers, and observatory design consulting.
The experience that DFM Engineering brings to every new project is based on our long and rich history of innovation:
1979
DFM Engineering opens for business
1981
DFM Sets up Meade Instruments optical shop
1982
Designs and Builds 18” Telescope for Colorado University using Apple 2e control system
1983
Design and commissions 2.4M Telescope
Design and builds first CCT-24 Telescope
Design and builds first LIDAR scanner
Begins retrofits of older telescopes
1985
Designs and builds first CCT-16 Telescope
Designs and builds first Guide Acquire Module (GAM)
1986
Designs and builds first 0.8M Beam Director Tracker (BDT) for AMOS AVCO/Textron
1987
Designs and builds first Cassegrain Spectrograph
1988
Designs and builds first CCT-32 Telescope with PC based control system
1989
Keck Telescope design and review
32-inch Beam Director Tracker (BDT) software with pointing model adapted to other telescopes
1990
Designs and builds first 48" Telescope
Rebuilds Keck Telescope motors
1991
Designs and builds Optics In a Box
Designs and builds Keck Telescope F25 Offset Guider
1992
Designs and builds first X-Y Guider for Lunar Ranging
1993
Designs and builds first 10-inch Laser Beam Director
1994
Designs and builds first Photometer
Designs and builds first Heliostat
Designs and builds first Siderostat
Designs and builds first 3-axis Shipborn LIDAR Scanner
1997
Designs and builds first Coelostat
1999
Designs and builds first computer controlled Filterwheel (FW82)
2001
Designs and builds first Slide Mirror (SM125)
2004
Designs and builds first Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM)
Designs and builds first Articulated Relay Eye-piece (ARE-125)
2005
Designs and deploys first Satellite Tracking Software
2008
Designs and builds first 1-meter 40-inch CCT-40 Telescope
2009
Designs and builds first 1.6-meter 63" Solar Telescope
Designs and builds larger version of Articulated Relay Eye-piece (ARE-125EX)
DFM Optical Shop opens producing 1.3M mirrors
2012
Designs the Galileo Mobile Interferometric Telescope
Begins Integrated Observatory Design and Consulting Service
2013
Designs and builds first 1.3-meter Double Horse Shoe Mount with Hydrostatic Bearing Telescope (alt-alt) / (low-lattitude equatorial)
2014
Introduces 3rd Generation Telescope Control System: TCS Galil
2015
Designs and ships first Integrated Dome Design
2016
Designs and builds first Lunar Instrument
2017
Designs and builds first Killer Asteroid ATLAS OTA
Designs and builds Large Aperture Shutter
Designs and builds 8-Cassette Filter Changer for large filters
2018
Refurbishes Optical Tube Assembly for US Spaceforce's Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance System (GEODSS)
Designs and builds first Collimated Beam Projector for LSST
2019
Upgrades the Modular Precision Absolute Control System (MPACS) for US Spaceforce's Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance System (GEODSS)
2022
Designs and builds LEO ScopeTM Fast Wide-field Prime Focus Telescope/Camera for Satellite Tracking and Laser Communications
2024
Designs and builds first Multiple Instrument Adapter (MIA)
DFM supports programs that need accountable outcomes. We provide system engineering, retrofit design, and observatory integration with acceptance criteria tied to operational performance.
- System assessment and architecture: requirements review, technology assessment, failure analysis, and performance recovery planning
- Concept to validated design: conceptual design, design studies, trade analyses, detail design, and prototype verification
- Control and automation: real time motion control, servo control, DC and stepper motor integration, and observatory automation interfaces
- Precision mechanisms and positioning: robotics and mechanisms, precision positioning systems, and repeatable assembly for long duty cycles
- Optics and instrumentation: instrument design, optical testing, and metrology driven verification
- Manufacturing as a quality system: specialized fabrication, precision machining, and controlled assembly processes
- In house integration resources: full machine shop with machining center, CAD and CAM workstations, electronics assembly and test, and experienced precision assembly personnel
We report system measurements (with OTA and payload installed), focus on operational outcomes rather than marketing components, and back every claim with field heritage. We design for real-world performance and total system performance. The goal is not a spec sheet. The goal is delivered image quality and mission continuity over decades.
You are guaranteed quality products, expert professional service and customer satisfaction in all facets of the DFM experience as well as timely response to your inquiries.
For more than four decades, DFM has built telescopes that define reliability and precision. The DFM Engineering experience is best described by our customers. Simply put, choosing DFM Engineering, Inc. assures a high quality return for generations to come.
Schedule a briefing to see how our heritage in mission-grade engineering continues to shape the future of optical tracking and research.
Dr. Frank Melsheimer
Founder. President. Chief Engineer.
fmelsheimer@dfmengineering.com
University of California - Berkeley
Doctor of Engineering Degree
Mechanical Engineering Design
minors:
Structural Engineering
Aeronautical Engineering
Operations Management
Master of Engineering Degree
Bachelor of Engineering Degree