Week 5: Frame Materials/Adjustments & Multifocals Flashcards
List seven different plastic frames
- Cellulose acetate
- Cellulose propionate
- Polyamide
- Optyl
- Carbon fibre
- Nylon
- Polycarbonate
Describe Cellulose Acetate
- Best quality plastic
- Frames are cut from an acetate sheet
- Sheets are pre-coloured prior to cutting
- Labour intensive – 120 steps in the manufacturing process
Advantages & disadvantages of Cellulose Acetate
Advantages:
- Non-flammable
- Polishes well (maintains glossy appearance for long time)
- Colour-fast
- Easily repaired
- Acetate can be marginally shrunk if lenses have been cut too small
Disadvantages
- Plasticisers will deteriorate with time, forming a white film on the surface
- Small cracks may develop in frame
- Frame becomes brittle after exposure to sun or extreme heat
- May return to normal flat shape with time, or with extreme heat
Describe Cellulose Propionate
- Injected moulded
- Less labour intensive
- Less ‘off-cuts’ - ↓ waste material
- Requires more plasticisers, hence less stable & more heat sensitive
Advantages & disadvantages for Cellulose Propionate
Advantages:
- Slightly thinner & lighter than acetate
- Less expensive to produce
- Frames can be made & coloured later
- Better shape retention
- Hypo-allergenic
Disadvantages:
- Needs more heat than acetate for adjustments
- Cannot be shrunk
- Surface dye may become buffered off
- Tends to become brittle with age, sun & excessive heat
Describe Polyamide
- Injection-moulded, however plasticisers are not required
- Nylon-based material (strong & flexible)
- Do not need to be heated to make fitting/adjustments
Advantages & disadvantages of Polyamide
Advantages:
- Very lightweight
- Good shape stability
- Hard surface
- Heating not required for adjustments and fitting
- Hypo-allergenic
Disadvantages:
- Overheating can result in shrinkage
Describe Optyl
- Thermo-setting material
- Difficult to overheat
- Approximately 30% lighter than cellulose acetate
Advantages & disadvantages of Optyl
Advantages:
- Returns to original shape regardless of heating
- Does not age & become brittle
- Much lighter than most other plastics
- Hypo-allergenic
- Patterned/coloured after production
Disadvantages:
- Can be difficult to adjust
- Should not be cooled too quickly
- Adjustments will be lost if frame left in car/heat
- Ageing and exposure to sunlight decreases strength
- Colour can fade
Describe Carbon Fibre
- Injection-moulded
- Flexible nylon compound mixed with a fibre or whisker
Advantages & disadvantages of Carbon Fibre
Advantages:
- Lightweight
- Good shape retention & strength
- Hypo-allergenic
Disadvantages:
- Carbon fibre is quite brittle when dropped
- Difficult to fit and adjust carbon fibre frames
- Poor range of colours available
- Can break frame when fitting new lenses
Describe Nylon
- Most basic of the nylon-plastics
- Injection-moulded
- Typically used for safety specs and sunglasses
Advantages & disadvantages of Nylon
Advantages:
- Very strong and flexible
- Lightweight
- Not affected by heat and cold
Disadvantages:
- Poor surface finish
- Extremely difficult to adjust & to fit lenses
- Can be brittle
- Can only be manufactured in dark colours
Describe Polycarbonate
- Primarily used for safety specs and sports glasses
- If made with no prescription, the lens + frame are often moulded into one unit
Advantages & disadvantages of Polycarbonate
Advantages:
- Very impact resistant
- Can be used as shield over top of specs
Disadvantages:
- Poor surface finish – dull and not polished
- Extremely difficult to adjust and to fit lenses
- Can be brittle
List 5 different metal frame material
- Gold-filled
- Gold-plated
- Nickel Silvers
- Titanium
- Stainless steel
Describe Gold Frames
- Gold is mixed with other metals to produce an alloy
- Most ‘gold frames’ contain very little gold
- There are two processes for attaching the gold layer to the base metal;
- Gold-filled
- Gold-plated
Describe gold filled frames
- Layer of gold is brazed onto the surface of the base metal & becomes bonded. The frame is then produced
Advantages & disadvantages of gold filled frames
Advantages:
- High quality – tarnish & perspiration resistant
- Easy to adjust & align
- Very durable & maintain appearance
Disadvantage:
- Quite expensive
Describe Gold-Plated frames
- The base metal frame is produced, then suspended in an electrolyte bath with gold applied by electrolysis to the frame
Advantages & disadvantages of Gold-Plated frames
Advantages:
- High quality – tarnish & perspiration resistant
- Easy to adjust & align
- Very durable, & maintain appearance
- Easier and cheaper to produce than gold-filled frames
Disadvantages:
- Slightly more susceptible to corrosion from perspiration
- Still relatively expensive
Describe Nickel Silvers
- Contains more than 50% copper, 25% nickel and rest zinc – no silver
- Copper gives pliability, zinc adds strength, and nickel gives the whitish appearance
- May be most commonly found in hinges, end pieces, bridges and the inner core of temples