As manual edgers are almost passe, and we all know it takes only a bit more time for today's edgers to make than bevels or grooves, how is this still justified?
As manual edgers are almost passe, and we all know it takes only a bit more time for today's edgers to make than bevels or grooves, how is this still justified?
Breakage.
Because they can and you can't!
If you are unhappy paying someone else to do your work for you start doing it yourself.
The drilling features on edgers aren't free!
Partly for what Dick said, but also, time is money. They take longer to cycle through the edger, they take longer to mount and as CME said, the feature is't free. Replacing the drill motor on my ME1200 cost around 2k!
I am more than happy to pay it. I have too much to do and have no time to drill and mount! I think it's worth every penny to pay someone to do it right than to be rushed and screw it up.Originally Posted by rbaker
The drilling features on edgers aren't free! ...................
In the old days labs did only surfacing for opticians and optometrists. The cut and grind was done in the in house workshop as we called it at that time.
There was a time when rimless frames was the big fashion, first the 4 holes and then followed by the Numont , and and other brands and so forth.
The lenses were glass only whatever the Rx. The drills were simple small stand drills with a diamond drill bit and linseed oil for lubrication and cooling so the diamond bit would not burn up.
A good minus lens with the thick lense edges could take 10 minutes to drill the hole and sometime even more. You had to know what you were doing. In the 1960s somebody came up with the carbide drills which were easier and faster to work with, than the diamond bits.
These days the machine is doing it all and we complain that the machine is not doing the job and for nothing.
These days the machine is doing it all and we complain that the machine is not doing the job and for nothing.[/QUOTE]
Who's complaining about the machine? today's machine's are wonderful, which is why I cant understand the high cost. The ME1200 is great but it's not an industrial edger. The MEI's are the ones doing all the high volume at the labs.
Go to your lab and see what it takes to set them up properly and assemble after guessing what they really want based on the hand drawings. The charge is a bargain vs buying the equipment for an extra 25K++ and then the person with the most experience to do them all who makes $75K++ per year.
Maybe they don't charge enough?
Having worked for a large national lab, I learned that all aspects of processing are tracked and analyzed to maximize profit. Jobs per man per hour is standard in industry and since drill mounts require additional labor (not to mention probably a higher paid technician) to assemble an additional fee is charged. So the charge may not be for actual drilling but the lab passing on the additional labor cost and supplies needed to process drill mount eyewear. Now ask why they charge an edging fee per job. Again revenue.
Someones has to maintain and update the database for drill data, either in LMS or on the edger itself. For POFs, time is involved in plotting drill points and hole diameters. This takes time and resources.
Someone has to mount the 3 piece and this also takes time. The charge is less for precuts, as labor time and costs are lower.
Someone has to pay for the edgers and its maintenance. Drill capable edgers cost more than standard edgers. There are more parts that need to be replaced.
All of this adds to the cost of goods. Someone has to pay their share for the additional cost of goods.
And that someone is the client.
Why not do it yourself?
The machine is only as good as operator! They dont do everything for you! And they are significantly slower on drills!
I can have the right lense drilled in the time it takes my edger to complete the left lense. I use a NOP 7Ex and a Santinelli Less Stress drill. Using this method I can have a pair finished in under 30 minutes.
Clinton Tower
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