Vision for success in quality control

01 Jun 2012

Adlens is a maker of adjustable lenses with an Innovation Centre in Oxford, UK. Their liquid- filled lenses allow the wearer to self-adjust the magnification of their spectacles manually. The lenses are adjusted by thumb-and-finger rotatable dials on the frame and are detachable once the correct magnification has been selected.

This highly practical, low-cost optical technology provides profound benefits to vision-impaired people in less developed countries where optical services are inaccessible to many. Adlens use a Mecmesin Vortex-i computer-controlled torque tester to ascertain that the rotating components of the lenses are reliable and easy to use.

A sample lens, with dial attached is fitted onto a specially designed fixture on the Vortex-i. The Vortex-i is pre-programmed to perform 10 or 1.5 rotations, 1.5. for end-of-line checks, and 10 for destructive verification testing of samples. As one of Adlens' goals is to ensure smooth operation of the dial, the graphical representation, provided by the systems software, Emperor™ means easy identification of anomalies in the dials movement.

The ability to perform calculations and program tests to their own exact specifications has proved very beneficial to Adlens. Introducing the Vortex-i on-site led to a substantial reduction in associated testing costs, as they no longer require the use of a specialist laboratory for testing their samples. It also enables much faster feedback to their design team.

“The Mecmesin torque products are simple to use, reliable and have significantly increased the speed of design development at the company. The programming was found to be intuitive and calculations and data export features particularly useful, especially when setting up programs for non-technical staff.” Lead Test Engineer, Quality, Adlens