How
we make Zurich SportsGlasses The Zurich SportsGlasses manufacturing process evolved over
several years of testing and refining state-of-the-art molding and
coating techniques. Zurich SportsGlasses manufacturing process starts
with the lens being molded in a special and high quality stainless
steel mold.
At left is a picture of our mold with two new
pair of Zurichs’ inside.
The lens is molded with (prescription) optical quality General Electric
Lexan, resulting in exquisitely clear optics and extraordinary strength,
which gives Zurich SportsGlasses their tremendous impact resistance.
After the lenses are molded, they are hard coated. This is a process
that cleans the mold release from the lens and treats the Lexan
with a bombardment of radioactive alpha-particles, creating an antistatic
condition that repels other pollutants.
The lenses are next coated with a poly-silicious resin (quartz,
silex, silica) which is baked on at about 260 degrees Fahrenheit,
producing an extra hard coating (our standards require that the
lens must withstand fine steel wool applied with 10 pounds of pressure
for a total of 50 strokes without scratching) similar to coatings
applied to prescription lenses.
While they may still scratch, if cared for
properly, they will last many years.
Zurich’s are then sent to another coating laboratory specializing
in color coating of high quality dark glasses. The lenses are run
through a very complicated procedure of Ultrasonic cleaning, including
a seven bath soap-rinsing-acidic-deionizing-high temperature treatment
process.
Next they are processed through a cryogenic vacuum with an M-Bar
scale of -1 with argon gas to prepare the lens for color coating.
The coloring stage takes place in a vacuum at a temperature of 14
degrees Kelvin.
The glasses are sprayed with negative ions, metallic chromium which
refracts the light, and the colors, which provide aesthetic beauty
and a variety of choices of light transmission. (The colors starting
with the lightest to the darkest are Silver, Blue, Gold, Emerald,
Teal and Magenta being the darkest tint. We also omit the color
from the bottom third of the lens on the Silver, Blue, and Gold,
creating a single gradient lens of lighter tint at the bottom. We
also make a rose lens using the same process.
The rose lens is for high definition, low light, hazy and dark
weather days. The lenses are then sent to Elk Grove, California
where the name Zurich USA is applied. The glasses are inspected,
assembled, and placed in their case ready for shipment.
How
we make Zurich SportsGlasses
