Tested and chosen by the US Navy and Army Optical Lens Surfaces The surfaces of a lens if made from CR39 material which has been standard lens material for the last 25 years are porous. These lenses are easily tint able. Polycarbonate lenses and the new High Index Lenses have no pores and are so soft a fingernail could damage them. They have to be protected by a protective hard plastic layer which is called a hard coat. Hard coats when fully protective are not tint able. Some of the newer hard coating materials are now tint able, however the more tint able a coating become the less protection it provides to the lens. With increased tint ability the coating becomes softer and less protection is provided. These tint able hard coatings have pores and the better they tint the less protection they provide. Polycarbonate and High Index lenses that have tint able hard coats and provide a good protection at the same time are only tint able to dark shades with the MICRO-TINT system. The conventional old antique dye baths can take hours to tint these lenses to a very light shade. All these tint able and porous surfaces provide have a very high surface tension. In order to tint the lens properly with an even tint without a cloudy appearance this surface tension has to be eliminated. This can be achieved by dipping a lens ready to be dyed for 10 to 15 seconds in a special surfactant solution that will eliminate this surface tension.
This solution has specially been developed to assure a 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 MICRO-TINTING system that that is done at room temperature.Just dip lenses into solution for a minimum of 15 seconds prior to tinting.
REMOVING OF DYES FROM TINTED LENS SURFACES The conventional way is to heat a solvent, ether-glycol, to about 200-205F in the tinting unit. Solvents are many times more potent and effective when hot. The Optical Trade has been using these solvents under the generic name "NEUTRALIZER" which are generally available from any lens dye supply distributor or manufacturer. MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) that are available in the optical market for these products can vary totally from brand to brand, even that all these products are ETHER-GLYCOL based. Some manufacturers claim that they are environment friendly and bi-degradable. Some just mark that the products are ETHER-GLYCOL based and no further health information is available. Actually ETHER-GLYCOL, the normally used "Lens Dye Neutralizer", when hot emits fumes that are very toxic and highly harmful to the human liver and kidneys. Optical stores are using it in their lab, Optometrists use it in their offices and are not aware that they put themselves and their employees health at risk by not knowing that they should have proper outside ventilation systems above their conventional tinting units. Information on this chemicals product can be found on the internet or any chemical information site.
This solution has been specially developed for radiation use. It is a water based surfactant (soap) 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 which are damaging to 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.
Material Safety Data Sheet Price List on request
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Chemical
Nano Technology
Chemical
Nano Technology 