Finishing Up
Today's finishing equipment has exotic features that benefit ECPs through user ease and output versatility, even when the jobs get tough
By Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC

ODI/Topcon's EZ-200 Automatic Rx Analyzer

The days when a lab technician had to take a lot of time and multiple steps to output a cosmetically appealing and visually accurate pair of eyewear are now history.

Today's finishing equipment has features that make creating lenses easier than ever for ECPs, even for drilled rimless and other challenging jobs. Push-button technology helps ease operation and aids in error control. Small and sleek with clean lines and colorful displays, these machines are fun to run.

Here's a guide to some of the latest finishing equipment enhancements and how these perks can reduce remakes and improve your output. Whether you're adding new equipment or considering starting an in-house lab, it's worth finishing up.

USER-FRIENDLY TOUCH-SCREENS

Features: Today's top edging systems sport user-friendly color display touch-screen panels. Error messages and help screens make the finishing process go easily and smoothly, showing options and walking the operator through step-by-step.

Benefits: Touch screens can help ease inexperienced operators through the process and make learning easier. Plus, touch screens help with error control.

For experienced operators, processing goes faster. And color touch screens are easy on the eyes, too.

A detailed drilling function at work is part of Santinelli's ME-1000 finishing system. This is one of the examples of today's finishing equipment that works well with rimless drill mounts

MULTIPLE-DIMENSION TRACING

Features: Frame tracing, available on all of today's high-tech systems, includes 3-, 4-, and 5-D capabilities. Several of today's tracing systems help with fitting challenging frame shapes and materials, as well as providing highly accurate standard frame measurements.

Benefits: Dimensional tracing delivers precise lens-to-frame fit and ensures functional and cosmetically pleasing lens placement.

AUTOMATIC CENTERING AND BLOCKING

Features: Totally automated layout and blocking eases a classic lab task by analyzing the lens, locating the blocking target, orientating the block on the lens, and automatically blocking the lens.

Benefits: This helps avoid operator errors and speeds processing.

Machines such as Gerber Coburn's Kappa Tracer and Edger unit and Lab-Tech's E900 represent finishing equipment with many high-tech features But the equipment's simple touch-screen operation also can be used to great success by inexperienced and experienced operators alike

AUTOMATIC POLISHING

Features: Automatic polishing means no more time spent at the polishing wheel being careful not to slip and mar the lens. Today's polishing systems auto-polish lens edges to a soft or high luster on all types of lens materials.

Benefits: While they're not for everyone or every job, polished lens edges add a touch of elegance to any eyewear, particularly rimless styles.

One practice calls polished edges their "diamond-look lens," and many practices charge more for a polished edge for a revenue increase. 

CHOICE OF AUTOMATIC OR SELF-PROGRAMMING

Features: Quick-set controls help with fast programming. Operators can choose between lens menus or à la carte programming. Systems are prearranged and self-programmable.

Benefits: Auto programming helps walk inexperienced employees, and those who may need a refresher, through the steps for edging lenses.

It also helps in-house labs run smoothly, reduces remakes, and allows even inexperienced operators to easily output quality work. Experienced operators can also choose self-programming for a more customized job.

Multiple materials can be worked by (top to bottom): Briot Axcell CL-D Edging System with drill from Briot USA; Maxima Patternless Edging System from AIT; National Optronics' 7E Patternless Edger

HIGH-TECH FEATURES

Features: More and more edging systems incorporate automatic grooving, specifically specialty grooving. For example, some systems offer double-wide grooving for rimless lenses, while others feature customized grooving.

Automatic safety beveling helps provide consistent lens retention and quality.

Benefits: Auto grooving and beveling offers faster, more accurate output and makes lenses safer to process and wear with less remakes.

AUTOMATIC CALIBRATION, SELF-DIAGNOSIS, AND MAINTENANCE

Features: Regular automatic calibration keeps edgers running at top performance, and self-diagnosis can help swiftly locate a possible problem. Self-cleaning wheels and auto-log updates help operators keep track of and perform routine maintenance.

Benefits: Systems that automatically calibrate and self-diagnose help save operator's time and tempers. They also take two necessary, but often overlooked, tasks off an in-house lab's to-do list.

PRESSURE INCREASE OR DECREASE

Features: Some edgers allow the operator to increase or decrease the pressure exerted on a lens during processing.

Benefits: Polycarbonate and AR lenses require less pressure to finish, while other lenses need more pressure. Being able to increase or decrease pressure helps reduce processing remakes.

ALL LENS MATERIAL CAPABLE

Features: More and more edgers are capable of handling all lens materials, including poly, high index, and Trivex. Others can edge specialty lenses, such as biconcave or lenticular lens styles, well. Dry cutting lets operators edge any lens material.

Benefits: Dry cutting is generally considered faster and more accurate than most wet edgers. Plus with dry cutters, there are no messy coolants to dispose of or to handle.

That remains true even if handling the specialty work from the nearby ophthalmic clinic as well.

CREATIVE PERFORMANCE

Features: Rimless lens dimensions and shapes can be custom designed. If filling an order for an aviator-shaped rimless lens, it can be sized-down to fit a small face. Some systems offer customized techniques, such as fancy cuts and engraving.

Benefits: Patients and ECPs who want to design unique lenses can let their creative spirit loose on the design table, see it come to life in today's edgers, and make a fashion eyewear statement that no one else is wearing.