I have been using my new AIT Practica Evolution and CNC-3D tracer for one month now. This system has a separate tracer/blocker and edger. It replaced my Gerber Gamma. I will be referring to my old Gamma often because that is my only reference point.
Here is the company spec sheet: http://www.aitindustries.com/images/...aevolution.pdf
Here is what I see so far.
1. The tracer doesn't have a frame clamping motor and it doesn't have a motor to move the stylus to the other lens. These are done manually.
2. The tracer allows you to store 40 jobs in the memory without a barcode reader.
3. Tracing of patterns and demo lenses requires a supplied attachment.
4. Modification of the B and A is possible while keeping the fitting parameters on specs.
5. The A, B, ED and C are displayed after the trace for Rt and Left individually in hundreths of millimeters. This is a nice feature if you want to give the lab the info but don't have remote tracing.
6. The blocking is straighforward and trustworthy with the manual push mechanism.
7. The layout screen is easier to see than the camera system on my old Gamma.
8. The latest firmware version of the tracer allows remote tracing according the the company, but I have yet to try it out. Apparently this trace and transmit function is supported through VisionWeb without extra expense or software.
Summary of the CNC-3D Tracer/blocker: At first I thought that the tracer and blocker were kinda cheesy and cheap. But this is a high quality tracer that seems to be more consistant that my old tracer. It has 3 fewer motors than the older Gamma. Which really doesn't equate to more work, just less to go wrong and less initial and repair expense. The tracer is also much more compact than my previous tracer. It also is able to trace high BC frames with less hand-holding and cajoling. Not only the sizing but the bevels seem to be right on.
Blocks: I will offer observations and opinions on the blocks because they have been a source of contention for me in the past.
The blocks are not the old AIT design. This unit is branded "Indo" and any Indo machine has a new block design. The new blocks don't have different BCs like the old ones. As far as I can tell there are no aftermarket suppliers for these blocks, so they are expensive. The metal blocks have a soft rubber coating on the front. This allows a firm and complete adhession to the front of the lens, regardless of the BC. The smaller blocks are oblong which allows much more area for adhesion compared to the small round design. Unlike any of the blocks I have used for my Gamma (and I tried them all), these are superior in design. No slippage (due to the larger surface area on half-eyes, I believe), and no twisting of the block itself like the plastic ones can sometimes.
Practica Evolution groover:
The Evolution model means that this unit adds grooving and safety bevels to the basic Practica model. I'll start with the grooving/bevel function.
1. The grooving mechanism uses a separate motor as opposed to a belt or friction disk design. I have been told by reputable sorts that this is a better design, but I have no direct knowledge.
2. The grooving function has a default of 0.5mm deep and 0.5mm wide, but it is adjustable. You need to know though that if you make the groove wider than 0.5mm, it takes twice as long to groove. And it already takes a while.
3. The unit actually grooves the lens twice. I think the second time is to remove swarf. It does a pretty good job at removing it.
4. There is an auto groove setting and manual. You can also set the auto defaults. I set the minimum thickness to 1.2mm and it did a good job at this thickness. If a minus lens is thicker than 2.5mm, the auto function will move the groove toward the front. It will half a plus lens for goove placement. But you can override any of these settings.
5. If the lens it too thin, the safety bevel will turn itself off
6. The safety bevel takes too long, I just shut it off.
Summary of the groover/bevel: It is slower than doing it by hand, but does a nice job.
Edger: Finally I get to the edger.
1. The unit lacks an automatic door with the annoying sensors and closing mechanism and all than stuff. It just opens and closes with your hand. It's refreshingly retro, and surprisingly effective.
2. It has separate settings for CR, H.I., Trivex, poly, and glass. Pick any 4, but only 4. It ships standard with a glass wheel. If you do glass, just double up on poly w/ trivex.
5. Polish is very nice. No lines across the edge like I am used to.
6. The unit is very much quieter than I am used to. However, it does have a low frequency growl that could be heard and felt down the hall. Some accoustical foam pads from McMastercarr took care of that.
7. The mini-bevel: after using the mini-bevel for a month I can tell you it is not just a gimmick. The mini-bevel looks better and fits better in small metal eyewire frames. But it takes twice as long to bevel. First it cuts a bevel and then the wheel moves over and cuts half of it off.
8. There are special settings for execs and 8 BC wraps. The wrap edging function works well. This expands my edging capabilities. Wraps were a problem for me, but this machine allows me to do more in house and with less hand work and a better fit.
9. The unit is designed for low production labs. It is not as fast as the Gamma. If you need a high production, they have the Maxima or Combimax or other models that I'm not familiar with. It is also possible according to the manual to attach multiple edgers to the tracer.
10. I have had no lens slippage. It does have a "Fragile" setting for thin glass or super-slick coatings. This cycle takes a while longer to process, so I just skip it.
Service and Support: The service and setup support and was good, but I have had no problems to really test them yet. They return my calls. The tech really knew his stuff. They are based in Chicago. The sales rep for my region is in San Antonio.
You will have to get your own price quote. I don't know what a new one costs.
One other thought. I like the separate tracer and edger system. It allows for tracing while edging without worrying about vibrations causing errors. Also it allows you to swap out the tracer if any problems occur with calling a service tech to your shop. I'm sure Santinelli fans will have a different take, but the separate systems make more sense to me.
Summary of the complete system: Edging is fun again:D
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