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Equipment designed for automated, computer-aided, manufacturing of corrective (i.e., graduated) plastic eyeglass lenses from lens blocks. These machines perform the process by taking the prescription data (e.g., using a bar-code reader) and then: (1) surfacing: shaving layers of plastic from lens blocks appropriate for the requirements of the user (e.g., single-vision, bifocal, progressives) to obtain lenses with the required curvatures and thickness; (2) fining: polishing both sides of the lenses (i.e., by turning the lenses when needed) by mechanical means; (3) edging: reducing the lens to a shape, size, and edge finish (E.G., beveled) that fit the chosen eyeglass frames. Some machines can only perform the first two steps or the procedure and require an additional eyeglass lens edger to finish the procedure, When lens coating is required (e.g., to resist scratching, reduce reflection) an additional machine is usually needed to finish the manufacturing process. Some machines may use laser-based technologies for eyeglass lens manufacturing.
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