Segment, Customer and Geographical Reporting (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 11,296,000	$ 9,895,000	$ 22,493,000	$ 19,506,000
Gross Profit	$ 4,078,000	$ 3,760,000	$ 8,042,000	$ 7,352,000
GM %	36.10%	38.00%	35.80%	37.70%
SG&A	$ 4,037,000	$ 3,746,000	$ 7,843,000	$ 7,952,000
Gain on sale of assets	0	0	(4,000)	(185,000)
Operating Income (Loss)	41,000	14,000	203,000	(415,000)
Depreciation and Amortization	327,000	293,000	652,000	586,000
Capital expenditures	379,000	212,000	982,000	456,000
Intangibles, Net	1,156,000	1,235,000	1,156,000	1,235,000	$ 1,225,000
Goodwill	6,048,000	6,096,000	6,048,000	6,096,000	6,131,000
Total Assets	26,726,000	25,619,000	26,726,000	25,619,000	$ 24,462,000
Optics [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	6,428,000	5,220,000	12,635,000	10,168,000
Gross Profit	$ 2,208,000	$ 1,808,000	$ 4,318,000	$ 3,302,000
GM %	34.30%	34.60%	34.20%	32.50%
SG&A	$ 1,882,000	$ 1,580,000	$ 3,634,000	$ 3,670,000
Gain on sale of assets	0	0	(4,000)	(185,000)
Operating Income (Loss)	326,000	228,000	688,000	(183,000)
Depreciation and Amortization	225,000	204,000	454,000	408,000
Capital expenditures	329,000	152,000	894,000	396,000
Intangibles, Net	608,000	699,000	608,000	699,000
Goodwill	1,109,000	1,157,000	1,109,000	1,157,000
Total Assets	17,653,000	16,038,000	17,653,000	16,038,000
Contract Research [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	4,868,000	4,675,000	9,858,000	9,338,000
Gross Profit	$ 1,870,000	$ 1,952,000	$ 3,724,000	$ 4,050,000
GM %	38.40%	41.80%	37.80%	43.40%
SG&A	$ 1,800,000	$ 1,896,000	$ 3,506,000	$ 3,778,000
Gain on sale of assets	0	0	0	0
Operating Income (Loss)	70,000	56,000	218,000	272,000
Depreciation and Amortization	85,000	74,000	164,000	148,000
Capital expenditures	30,000	4,000	37,000	4,000
Intangibles, Net	247,000	282,000	247,000	282,000
Goodwill	4,939,000	4,939,000	4,939,000	4,939,000
Total Assets	8,502,000	8,887,000	8,502,000	8,887,000
Biomedical [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue	0	0	0	0
Gross Profit	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
GM %	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SG&A	$ 355,000	$ 270,000	$ 703,000	$ 504,000
Gain on sale of assets	0	0	0	0
Operating Income (Loss)	(355,000)	(270,000)	(703,000)	(504,000)
Depreciation and Amortization	17,000	15,000	34,000	30,000
Capital expenditures	20,000	56,000	51,000	56,000
Intangibles, Net	301,000	254,000	301,000	254,000
Goodwill	0	0	0	0
Total Assets	$ 571,000	$ 694,000	$ 571,000	$ 694,000