This is a question which confused many people who working in optical field. In this industry, we heart the PC frames, PC glasses, PC lens, Poly lens. What are theirs meaning?By this chance, I would like to introduce you clearly.
Generally speaking, PC lenses have 2 descriptions:
1st is Plastic, PC lens means plastic lens, PC frame means plastic frame. (Plastic is a material, It is very inexpensive and the material is easily fragile. )
2nd is the polycarbonate lens, sometimes there’s a short name Poly lens as well. It means lens material is Polycarbonate and much stronger material compare to all of other normal resin lens.
What is the Polycarbonate means?
This is a type of a high-strength engineering material, it is solid, it will be formed under high pressure into the specific mould then made into PC lens.
What are the Policarbonate lens (PC lens) characteristics?
- Has an extreme impact resistance, it’s most safety material optical lens.
Its impact resistance is 10 times compare to ordinary CR39/1.56 resin and dozens of times compare to glass material lens; If there’s a heavy impact will only cause dents without cracking, and when it shatters, there will be no sharp fragments.
- Its raw material is 100% UV prevent.
The material itself can completely prevent ultraviolet lights, has a very good base color, and can also protect the eyes from the sun harmful ray.
- High temperature resistant and uneasy to be deformed by heat environment.
When you put the lens at a car under the sunlight at a long time, resin lens is easily to have issues like Melting, Coating bursting, or deformation, but Polycarbonate lens will never.
- The lenses are hard, tough, and not prone to chipping.
We call it safe lens also, the edges are not easily broken during processing, polishing, or dropping. Children will not get harmful easily from eyeglasses lens when wear this lens material.
- Lightweight
Its density is lower than that of all regular resin lenses, PC lens is more lightweight in same power compare to resin lens, for high-prescription lenses, pressure on the bridge of the nose can be reduced.
What are its disavantages:
- Abbe value is lower compare to resin lens
Its ABBE value is about 32, it’s lower compare to resin lens (About 34-58)
- Chemical resistance is average.
Connect with alcohol, acetone, and some cleaning agents can easily corrode the coating layer. Cleaning can only be done with a regular lens cloth and normal water.
- With a fixed refractive index of 1.59, its ultra-thinning capability is average.
There are no high refractive index specifications like 1.67/1.74, and the thickness of high prescription lenses will be thicker.
Want to take some samples to test? Contact us now to start!
