Click here to go to OMS Main page ► OMS Optochemical Main Page Click to go to Original Patent and Description►United States Patent To see copy of original patent click ► Copy of European Patent |
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| United States Patent | 6,464,73 |
European Patents 1117866
Australian Patents 762568
Canadian Patents Pending
Mexican Patents Pending
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Tint
a CR39 in 60 seconds to No 3 shade. Tint
a Polycarbonate lens in 4- 6 minutes to a No 3 shade. Tint
a High Index lens in 4 to 8 minutes to a No 3 or 4 shade. Tint
without distorting the lens. Over
140 different shades available. Many sunglass shades are UV400 protecting. |
Updated 05/04/2008 |
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TINT HIGH INDEX LENSES TO 3 - 4% TRANSMISSION IN 5 MINUTES SYSTEMS TO TREAT FROM 1 PAIR A DAY TO 40,000 PAIRS OF LENSES, DEPENDING ON SIZE OF EQUIPMENT |
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Only a fraction of dye required to do the job. |
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Over 400 Water based and biodegradable colors available |
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10 times longer pot life than conventional systems. |
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UV one step 2 minutes treatment will last over 40 heating cycles. |
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Dye removing without damage to high index or polycarbonate hard coatings and without toxic fumes |
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Equipment cost from $ 75.00 to - $70,000 depending on capacity needed. |
| Micro-Tints ® | |
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The only non toxic lens tinting system on the market Tint lenses from a one or 2 pairs at a time with a system that can supply thousands a day
click on pictures to enlarge OMS 2003 Technology and still progressing for the next century has produced a revolutionary new product to facilitate and shorten processes in lens finishing. Lens tinting, from the light skin color to a dark sunshade and permanent UV protection. No more cooking in the tinting unit and wait 25 minutes for dark tints to happen. You just zap it in a small amount of chemical in the microwave from 2 seconds to 60 seconds and clean the lens. Even the UV treatment done in 120 seconds, has permanently penetrated into the lens surface and will not result in a yellowish tinge, but will still measure 99% absorption on the uv-meter. In 60 seconds of radiation treatment you will achieve 72% absorption and a 50% absorbing sunshade will only take 30 seconds of radiation treatment, not to speak of a skin color that only takes 2 seconds of radiation. No more need for heat transfer oils. No more smell or fumes. No more space taking tinting units in a small laboratory needed. Go from cold dye to finished tint in 2 minutes.PRINCIPLE
OF MICROWAVE TECHNIQUE ON OPTICAL LENS TINTING. Microwaves creates a heating up of aqueous particles by wave action. The heat applied to a lens opens the pores of the lens surface. The microwave action then actually forces dye pigments into the surface. This is proven by the fact, that even the hardest non tint able hard coats will tint slightly when using this system. In a inexpensive micro wave oven the microwave generator emits waves in only one direction, therefore the object (lens) has to be moved constantly (turn table) during the tinting process which results in perfect even tinted surfaces.. If the object (lens) would be stationary the microwaves would force the dye pigments in concentration on particular spots and spotting would occur, as for example dark points and streaks. Using this principle, hard coated lenses, as CR39, Polycarbonates and High Index Lenses which are difficult to tint the conventional way, will react very favorably to microwave tinting and actually dark shades can be achieved in record short times without distortions to the lens surfaces.
This tinting system works on the principal that the hotter the dye, the faster it will tint optical lenses. By using high heat and radiation at the same time we can reduce the tinting time by ten folds or more. Newly formulated ionized dyes, ionized UV solutions, will penetrate a lens surface 10 to 20 times faster than the conventional methods developed in the 1960’s.and 70's. Only very small amounts of dye or UV dye have to be used at one time. (Enough dye to cover lenses). The dye with the inserted lenses is brought to a boil (conventional tinting units are used to prevent boiling of the dyes which will bring them fast to a stage of decomposition) in a microwave and then it can be re-used over and over again until pigments are exhausted. Conventional dyes will disintegrate when heated to the boiling point and get exhausted with the amount of time spent under heat. The new OMS ionized dyes will withstand the boiling and radiation process. As they are heated only for 2 to 3 minutes at a time, they will last considerably longer than conventional dyes. EQUIPMENT NEEDED 1)
Microwave oven with a turntable (very important. The
higher the wattage the faster the initial heat up cycle. The
microwave oven should settings to have constant microwave emission
contrary to intermittent emissions. (important for hard coated lenses)
2) Horizontal lens holder (optional) This will assist the liquid to circulate around the lens. The system will work without the use of a lens holder for one pair of lenses only. Tinting pot and strainer
3) Microwave-safe plastic containers with covers. Containers are supplied with each purchase of dyes. 4) Plastic optical laboratory tray. Used to catch any dye spilling over and to remove hot dish from microwave.
TESTING OF HEATING CYCLE
PREPARATION 1) Pour enough conditioner into a plastic container to cover a pair of lenses, either with or without lens holder. 2) A good rule of thumb would be to fill the containers to a standard 1/3 then mark the level of fluid with a marking pen. Continue this process for all subsequent colors and UV’s. Identifying the contents of your container can be accomplished also by using the marking pen. When not in use. Simply cover your container with a lid to prevent evaporation of the product. 3) Make a test heat-up of the dye. Different size microwaves have shorter or longer heat- up times, depending of the wattage of the microwave. Place the dye pot in the plastic tray and place it in the microwave. Adjust the setting on high and start it. Observe the boiling point – this is your startup time. For Example: if the start-up time takes 60 seconds add another 60 seconds for the actual tinting time. The dye should be at a slight boil. Should you reach a violent boil with the dye spilling around the microwave, use a lower setting. Never leave the jar cover on when heating the dyes. TINTING PROCEDURE
A) Dip clean lens into surface conditioner at room temperature for 15 to 30 seconds, remove and rinse under water. (The conditioner will break the surface tension of the lens surfaces to ensure equal tinting without spotting) B) Insert lenses HORIZONTALLY into the still cold dye. (Horizontal tinting works faster and more even). If no lens holder is used place the lens with the plus side up, unless the lens holder is used. (Plus side down without lens holder will result in one untinted spot where the lens touched the bottom of the container) C) Place the container on the lab tray and insert tray into the microwave. D) Adjust the setting to the one you previously used to test your heat-up time and add the time for the desired absorption level or shade. E) Start the microwave. When the cycle is finished remove the lab tray from the microwave and rinse lenses thoroughly under running water. You should now get an even absorption level or shade, lens after lens. F) Replace evaporated water with fresh tap water to the level you marked on the container. This will not affect the tinting quality of the dye. G)
Caution: Higher altitude locations result in boiling at lower
temperatures. The actual tinting time will then have to be adjusted for
a slightly longer process. HOW THIS TINTING SYSTEM WORKS The high-energy dyes used in the MICRO-TINT SYSTEM have been ionized and suspended in a special surfactant mix. The dye penetrates the lens pores while cold and heats up quickly under when exposed when exposed to the microwaves. Also, the lens pores open up much faster and let the pigments penetrate the surface at an accelerated speed. We achieve a 72% absorption level in only 60 seconds from the boiling point. HOW LONG WILL THE DYE LAST? Under continuous boil the dye has tested to last 12.45 hours. At an average of 60 seconds of boil to tint lenses made of CR39 this would translate into 765 pairs or until pigments are exhausted. REPORT OF JANUARY 2002 Small retail Laboratories are repeating dye orders after having used the same bottle of Micro-Tints between 8 to 13 Month. Larger production labs are using the Micro-Dyes specially for hard to do hard coated CR39, Polycarbonates and High Index Lenses.. The straight one color dyes will last until there
are no pigments left without decomposing that happens with all other
optical dyes, while the mixed colors may shift as pigments of one color
will be used up. Conventional dyes are
made from low energy dyes.
The higher the temperature the faster they will tint and the faster they
will disintegrate. Their perfect working temperature is between 75C and
85C. Color mixes have been developed to work at the conventional
temperatures. MICRO-TINTS are
manufactured from high-energy
dyes with new type additives that withstand temperatures up to 135C without
disintegration for a prolonged period of time. Under heat in a normal tinting unit, this
material would have a lifespan of at least twice the time span before
disintegration compared with a conventional lens dye. (115 hours under constant heat of 93C, compared to one
of today’s standard brand name dyes that disintegrate in 57 hours).
Conventional lens dyes decompose quickly when exposed to high heat levels. Used in the Micro
System, dyes are actually only heated a few minutes a day versus a
normal full 8 hour working day. Therefore these dyes will last until the
pigments are fully absorbed by the lenses. At that stage the solution
will become weaker until it is no longer usable.
(Conventional dyes sold on the market will work one time only
with the use of a microwave and then disintegrate). STORAGE OF THE DYES MICRO-TINTS
should be stored in the plastic containers and lids that are
supplied with the purchase of each bottle of dye. Just snap on the cover
to stop evaporation of the dye.. All dyes can be stored cold and be used
at any time when needed. These dyes have an unlimited shelf-life. Patents have been filed for the MICRO-TINTS and its application in 47 Countries. These products are only available from OMS or OMS licensed distributors.
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| Micro-Tints ® Quick Training Instructions | |
| Laboratory employees
that have been tinting lenses the conventional way for years are in
general opposed to any new method that changes their habits of
working, even if a new process will be saving time and money. They
will have to be instructed to follow the rules and instructions or the
new process will not work for them. 1. When starting your training in the use of the Micro--Tinting System,
you will need: A) Microwave oven with a turntable. These are available at any department store and range in price from $ 85.00 (in the USA) and up B) to know how you keep the microwaves radiation on constant mode and not
intermittent mode. 2) Products
required: A) Micro-Conditioner B) Micro-Remover C) Micro-Tints (all colors – sold in ½ or 1 liters) D) Micro-UV (sold in 1 liters) E) Containers with lids. These are supplied with each purchase of
product. Note: lids are not to be used in the microwave, they are
meant for storage only. 3) How to
instruction: A) Fill container to 1/3rd full of water. B) Run trials in microwave with constant radiation. Using water only, you need to time the liquid from cold product to the non-violent boil time. C) Note the time it takes. The product only works from start of boil to the time Your microwave turns off and the boil stops. Example: for a dark tint, tinting time is approximately 1 minute and your microwave starts to boil at 90 seconds. Therefore, the total time needed for a dark tint is 2 minutes and 30 seconds. D) Now that you have the timing worked out, shake product vigorously before using. Fill container 1/3rdfull. Use 24 to 48 lenses to train yourself how to use the system. E) As the product level drops due to water evaporation, simply add more water to replenish the level of product in the container. Use until the color ceases to work, then discard. F) Shake bottle vigorously and refill container to 1/3rd full. G) Tint lenses preferably in a horizontal position which ensures faster and more even tinting and saves on the usage od dyes. H) Evaporation on the liquid level should be replaced with regular tap water. Dye pigments do not evaporate. v
HOW TO MAKE A FAST COSMETIC
TINT, DARKEN OR ADJUST A LENS COLOR Shake
the container (cover on) with the desired dye to mix the pigments into
solution. Heat in microwave oven to boiling point. Remove from
microwave oven, insert lens or lenses on a lens holder into dye and
swash them around for 2 to 4 seconds and the lenses are tinted or
adjusted. Repeat if needed. Note: Always shake
product thoroughly before adding new product. Water can be added to
container to keep level at 1/3rd full. Use a marker to mark the liquid
level in your container. This makes it much easier to know if water
should be added.
POLYCARBONATE
LENSES NOW TINT IN 8 - 15 MINUTES TO A DARK SHADE WITHOUT DISTORTION TO ABSORBTION RATES OF 80% OR NO: 4 SHADE. ORACLE
Polycarbonate lenses are fully tint able to
HIGH INDEX LENSES LENSES THAT TAKE HOURS IN THE DYE POT TO TINT BELOW 50% TRANSMISSION WILL NOW TINT IN 4 – 6 MINUTES TO A DARK SHADES WITHOUT DISTORTION TO TRANSMISSION LEVELS OF 10% OR NO: 4 SHADE Click to see transmission curves on tinted high index lenses at 5 minutes tinting time ►High Index Tints
TINT ABLE HARD COATED LENSES NOW TINT IN 2 - 3 MINUTES TO A DARK SHADE WITHOUT DISTORTION TO ABSORBTION RATES OF 80% OR NO: 4 SHADE “NON TIN TABLE HARD COATED” LENSES NOW TINT IN 6-8
MINUTES TO A LIGHT SHADE WITHOUT DISTORTION TO ABSORBTION RATES
OF 20%-30% OR NO: 1 – 2 SHADES
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Click on the items below for details and MSDS.
| Micro-Tints® Accessories | Item # | Packaging | Units/Case |
| Micro-Tints | 182 | 1 liter | 12 |
| Micro 4 in 1 Solution | 175 | 1 liter | 12 |
| Micro 400 UV Solution | 191 | 1 liter | 12 |
| Micro Scratchguard | 170 | 1 liter | 12 |
| Micro Conditioner | 185 | 1 liter | 12 |
| Micro Tint Remover | 187 | 1 liter | 12 |
| Lens Holder - Horizontal |
NOW A TOTAL OVER 400 SHADES AVAILABLE
| BLACK-GRAY 23 DIFFERENT SHADES | BLACK 100 TO 123 |
| GRAY IN 2 DIFFERENT SHADES | GRAY 101 TO 105 |
| BROWN IN 36 DIFFERENT SHADES | BROWN 101 TO 137 |
| GREEN IN 6 DIFFERENT SHADES | GREEN 101 TO 107 |
| RED IN IN 5 DIFFERENT SHADES | GREEN 101 TO 107 |
| BLUE IN 3 DIFFERENT SHADES | RED 101 TO 105 |
| MARINE / MAGENTA | BLUE 100 TO 103 |
Special
Color Copies:
Vermillion / Serengeti Driver
Blue-Blocker regular / blue-Blocker light
Matching of Colors:
New OMS Technology allows us to match any color you are used to. Very possibly, we have one ready in the shade you want.
If not you can send us your own tinted lenses and we can match the color to 99%. We can even adjust a color so it will come out right on hardcoated, high index or polycarbonate lenses which show a slight difference to colors on CR39 lenses.
| Category | Colors | Appearance | Colors | Appearance |
| GREY | black |
natural no red |
G15 |
grey |
| BROWN | sunbrown |
bright reddish |
grey-brown |
earth color |
| GREEN | spring green |
bright green |
sun-green |
Rayban type |
G15 |
as the G15 glass |
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| BLUE | blue |
natural blue |
marine |
aqua blue |
| YELLOW | yellow |
bright yellow |
soft yellow |
subdued |
| ORANGE | orange |
natural |
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| RED | red |
natural |
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| PINK | pink |
soft pink |
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| MAUVE | mauve |
fashion mauve |
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| BLUE-BOCKER | blue-bocker |
orange |
can be dyed over with green or brown |
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Ophthalmic
Specialty Type Dyes
530 / 540 / 550
Now available
in Micro-Tint
easily applied also on Polycarbonate and High
Index Lenses
530
For developing cataracts / Diabetic retinopathy / Corneal
distrophy / Albinism / Light sensity / Exposure intense UV-Light /
540
Contact lens wearers / Senior citizens / Mountain climbing
550
Macular degeneration / Retinitis pigmentosa / Anridia / Glaucoma /
Extreme photo phoby / Exposure to welding flash /
These dyes are in demand as they are not obtainable as standard lenses since the original manufacturer has discontinued to supply them.
OMS has now added
these specialty colors to the range of over 400 color tints that are now available
within the Micro-Tint System.
Matching of Colors:
New OMS Technology allows us to match any color
you are used to. Very possibly we have one ready in the shade you want.
If not you can send us your own tinted lenses and we can match the color to 99%. We can even adjust a color so it will come out right on hardcoated, high index or polycarbonate lenses which show a slight difference to colors on CR39 lenses.
Resistance to change over to A new technology
Laboratory technicians that
have been using the dye pot and conventional tinting systems for years, tend to
show a very strong resistance to make changes. The regular arguments are that it
has worked all this time the conventional way and why should one change and
relearn a technology that they have not mastered yet. They are quickly ready to
claim that this new system is not working right. It part of the human nature
that it is easier to continue the way it was done for any length of time than to
change to a more efficient and faster way but having to learn again.
Contrary
to the older lab technician the people who have never tinted before and have
started with the Micro-Tints are enthusiastic because they are now able to
supply a service in house, faster, cleaner and more efficient than they could
get from their suppliers.
How does the micro-conditioner work?
This solution has specially been developed to assure an even and clean tinting result.
The action on the lens reduces the surface tension so that the dye , which works at high temperatures, can work on the surface evenly. If this pre-treatment is not used the tinting action might result in a blotchy or cloudy tint.
This is the only product in the line of the patent pending tinting system that that is done at room temperatureThis solution has been specially developed for radiation use. It is a water based surfactant solution that will remove tints from lens surfaces by using radiation combined with heat. It will not damage high index or polycarbonate hard coats and therefore can used just on any lens on the market. Because this solution is water based there is no smell or fumes that is damaging for your health. It is used the same way as the dyes, a small amount in the plastic beaker and then heated in the microwave until dye is gone.
WARNING: Use only * OMS Micro-Tint Remover * in the microwave oven. Any other regular lens tint Neutralizer (usually ether-glycol based solvents) will emit dangerous fumes when boiling. These fumes are dangerous to your health and can be lethal. ( serious Liver + Kidney damage)
MICRO 4 IN ONE SOLUTION
SCRATCH RESISTANT, UV400 CLEAR,
ANTI STAT + ANTI FOG,
Treatment
time 2 minutes,
200 pairs per bottle
Full UV absorbtion from 270nm to 400 nm
How to treat a lens:
Pour a small quantity of the solution into a plastic dish. Insert lenses with +side up, unless the lens holder is used. put dish into a microwave and heat on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave, let the lens cool down and wash under water tap. Measure UV transmission in your uv meter. The reading should be 1 or 2% transmission. The lens surface is now slippery for scratch protection including anti-fog and anti-stat properties. Any loss of solution is evaporated water and can be replaced. use solution until UV transmission decreases.
Dispose through a chemical waste company or bring it to one of the periodic free municipal collections of chemicals.
This product will treat more lenses than any other one on the market.
MICRO
UV-400 SOLUTION
UV400 CLEAR
(no yellow appearance while absorbing to 400 nm)
treatment
time 2 minutes,
200 pairs per bottle
Full UV absorbtion from 270NM to 400 NM
How to treat a lens
Pour a small quantity of the solution into a plastic dish. Insert lenses with +side up, unless the lens holder is used. Put dish into a microwave and boil on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave, let lens cool down and wash under water tap. Measure UV transmission in your uv-meter. The reading should be 1 or 2% transmission. Any loss of solution is evaporated water and can be replaced. Use solution until UV transmission decreases. Solution can be reheated without the breakdown of the regular UV solutions.
Dispose through a chemical waste company or bring it to one of those periodic free municipal collections of chemicals.
Micro-UV Solutions can be heated more than 70 times compared to all other UV Solutions on the market that disintegrate after 6 to 8 reheating cycles.
MICRO - SCRATCH GUARD
SCRATCH RESISTANT, ANTISTAT, AND ANTIFOG
4
MINUTES TO MAKE A BAKE ON SCRATCH RESISTANT TREATMENT
This treatment will fill the pores with siloxane mixed with antistatic and anti-fog chemicals and producing a lens surface that is super slippery. This super slippery surface will let objects slide off the surface instead of hooking onto it and marking it.
How to treat a lens:
Pour a small quantity of the solution into a plastic dish. Insert lenses with +side up. Let lenses soak for at least 2 to three minutes. Remove from liquid and place in microwave, heat lens on high for 30 seconds. Then remove from microwave and let lens cool down to room temperature and wash under water tap. The lens surface is now slippery for scratch protection including anti-fog and anti-stat properties. Any loss of solution is evaporated water and can be replaced. Use solution until chemicals are exhausted.
Dispose through a chemical waste company or bring it to one of those periodic free municipal collections of chemicals.
EXPLANATION OF THE MICRO-TINT TECHNOLOGY
The higher the temperature the faster the substrate
will accept the dye. There is also faster disintegration of the dye as more heat
is applied. Low energy or low temperature dyes (conventional) will disintegrate
during or after a boiling cycle
Color shades will have to be matched for different types of lenses as Polycarbonates or High Index. These lenses are hard coated with a protective layer made from different materials than the lens. Hard coats are in general 2 microns thick (2000th of a millimeter). This layer has to accommodate an amount of dye pigment in order to tint the lens to a certain degree. In conventional tinting systems the pigments are transported into the lens surface purely by the action of heat.
With the Micro Tint system
the microwaves add a tremendous power to the pigment transfer originated by
heat. We are now dealing with 2 factors to promote the pigment transfer into the
substrates (lens) surface. The microwave action loads a much larger amount of
pigment into regular CR39 or a hard coated lens surface at a much faster rate
and the saturation point is being increased by nearly 50% in some cases.
Temperatures
used:
Microwave
= 104C (boiling)
Heat transfer tinting unit = 93C using high temperature dyes
Conventional tinting unit and dyes = 80C – 88C using low temperature dyes
|
Lens
Type |
Color |
Time
in Microwave |
Time
in Tinting Unit |
Absorption
level % |
UV400 |
Micro
Time time factor |
|
CR39 |
530
Orange |
2
Minutes |
12
Minutes |
61% |
100% |
6x
faster |
|
CR39 |
540
Brown |
8
Minutes |
38
Minutes |
71% |
100% |
4.5x
faster |
|
CR39 |
550
Red |
15
Minutes |
90
Minutes |
70
% |
97% |
6
x faster |
|
Tintable
Hard coat |
Black |
1
Minute |
6
Minutes |
75% |
|
6x
faster |
|
CR39 |
Black |
1
Minute |
9
Minutes |
71% |
100% |
9x
faster |
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Polycabonate |
Black |
6
Minutes |
------ |
71% |
----- |
20x
faster |
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Polycabonate |
Black |
---- |
128
Minutes |
51% |
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20x
slower |
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High
Index |
Black |
12
Minutes |
|
79% |
|
20x
faster |
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High
Index |
Black |
|
240
Minutes |
48% |
|
2ox
slower |
CONCLUSION
In the age of the computer the corrective curve calculations for prescription lenses have become easy. Therefore many different plastic materials are now used to produce optical lenses
It is now a fact that tint able plastic materials will tint different when treated with the same dye. (A perfect black dye made for one of the newest high lenses made by one of the major lens manufacturers will tint a CR39 lens to beautiful brown color)
We can achieve about 55% absorbtion on some of these new lenses by tinting the conventional way in 45 to 50 minutes, while we easily arrive at 85% absorbtion using the Micro-Tint System in 2 minutes.
The Micro-Tint systems
tint all lenses including the hard to do ones up to 40 times faster than by the
conventional 30 year old techniques. The dyes will outlast the old fashioned
dyes many fold so that the Micro-Tint system actually becomes the least
expensive way to tint lenses ever, and all that in a clean environment without
smell, toxic fumes and expensive equipment.
For
the large Laboratory this is the perfect way to dye all these hard to tint
lenses. Microwave systems do exist that will allow tinting to up to 50,000 pairs
a day.
Micro-Tints are only way to tint Polycarbonate and High index lenses to dark shades.
Special shades can be designed to match the regular CR39 or any other colors
Now the optical professional can be confident that all the lenses that could not be tinted properly, can now be treated as easy as any regular CR39 lens.
Price List on request:
Click To Return to ► OMS Optochemical Main Page
Click to go to Patent description► United States Patent
To see copy of original patent click ► Copy of European Patent
- OMS, 177108 Canada Inc.
97 Columbus
Pointe Claire, Québec
Canada
H9R 4K3
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