Hands On - Eye on Equipment
When Size Matters
by Susan P. Tarrant

Four feet by two feet. Or even less, given the right configuration and attitude. That's about all the space you need to bring your edging in house and save thousands of dollars a year on your lab bills. Yet sometimes, ECPs still cling to the space issue as an excuse not to make the leap into edging.F

"If you're going to save $50,000 a year, it's worth getting rid of something else to make room," says Andrew Bumerts, sales rep for Briot-Weco USA.

"There is somewhat of an assumption that you need a ton of space," agrees Lisa Smith, national sales manager for National Optronics. "Any reputable vendor will work with the ECP to come up with the right solution, anywhere."

The newest generation of edging equipment, across the board, puts a premium on size, combining functions and packaging it in the smallest footprints yet.

"It comes down to integration of systems, with all-in-one systems, and a good organization system so you have everything you need in a small amount of space," says Jay Cohen, sales manager for Gerber Coburn.

THE BARE NECESSITIES

Edging equipment can be set up in unusual spots because the equipment itself is so self-sufficient that virtually no special utilities or facilities are needed to run it.

■Electricity: Nothing needed here but a basic wall plug. Only very high-volume industrial edgers need a special 220 electrical line. If there
is no outlet in the closet or in the
corner you're using, an extension cord will also do the trick.

■Water: The majority of retail edgers are wet-cut, meaning they introduce water during the cutting cycle. In a perfect situation, a plumber would be able to run a thin water line from your water source to your lab to be attached to the edger.

But if that's not possible, all wet-cut edgers can be easily fitted with a water tank and recirculating pump—making it possible to run the equipment just about anywhere.

For a dry-cut edger, both the vacuum and the tank need no utilities other than electricity.

■Work area: Obviously, you need a place for a job tray so you have a little space to do things like insert the lenses and hold what few supplies may be needed.

How much space is needed generally depends on the operator. For some people, another foot or two is all that's needed, while others may like a little more elbow room in their workspace.