New MEI System machine has the edge

Italian machinery producer MEI System has released the RacerTBA ophthalmic lens edging unit.

The RacerTBA was described as a significant in lens edging because it combines the throw the block away (TBA) inspection style process and an edging system in one single unit with an industrial design that makes it extremely compact.

The unit performs two specific operations - lens loading and inspection, and edging. Through the use of an indexed rotating table with four positions for each side, the two operations are carried out simultaneously, allowing it to process eight lenses at the same time – something which MEI Systems said  made it the fastest edging machine on the market. First productivity tests showed that the machine can process approximately 150 lenses per hour, the equivalent of 1,200 lenses per eight hour shift.