Satisloh wins German Federal Ecodesign Award

Market leader Satisloh wins German Federal Ecodesign Award

Plastic components instead of toxic heavy metal compounds in the ophthalmic lens manufacturing convince the jury of the German Federal Environment Ministry, the Federal Environmental Agency and design experts in Berlin.

The swiss based Satisloh with its subsidiary for developing and producing machines in Wetzlar / Germany wins the German Federal Ecodesign Award. With the submitted subject “Heavy metal-free lens manufacturing”, made possible by Satisloh’s ART/Nucleo technology, the federal award jury has honored an innovative production process for the first time.

"The company Satisloh has managed to replace heavy metals and rare earths, which are needed in the production of optical lenses. So they improve both the occupational safety and the environmental impact of the production of ophthalmic lenses. With the method for heavy metal-free ophthalmic lens manufacturing we honor an innovative production process for the first time," said Dr. Thomas Holzmann, Vice President of the Federal
Environmental Agency and member of the jury of the Federal Ecodesign price.

The German Federal Ecodesign Award
German Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Environment Agency has awarded the Ecodesign prize since 2012. It honors innovative products, services and concepts that have an outstanding ecological quality, an innovative approach and high design quality. The now-honored method from Satisloh, developed over several years, to manufacture ophthalmic lens corresponds in the choice of raw materials and materials, manufacturing techniques, production, use, continuing / re-use, recycling and disposal of the components with the criteria matrix, which is the basis for applicants of the Federal Ecodesign Award.

Design aspects in the spectacle lens production
In ophthalmic optics, the term "design" has many aspects. The layman probably mainly thinks of the design of the spectacle frame. If glasses originally have had the status of a “prosthesis" or a medical device, so they have now become an element of personal style, are subject to fashion trends and have become a mass product. With the machines built by Satisloh, ophthalmic labs manufacture spectacle lenses all around the world. For this field of mechanical engineering, the design of machines and the production process are of great importance. On one hand they need to fit into the scheme of the lens manufacturers, on the other hand, consume as little space, resources and energy as possible. Glasses are produced using a process in which the lens blank is connected with a "block-piece" for machining. This block-piece, until now, consisted of cast aluminum. Block-piece and lens blank were bonded by a heavy metal composition, the so called "Alloy".

Protection of health and environment
In the innovative production process ART/Nucleo, for which Satisloh received the Federal Ecodesign Award, the "Alloy" is replaced with a largely environmentally friendly organic adhesive. Also, the lens holder is now made of plastic. The entire process was further integrated into a fully automated system, so that virtually no manual operations are necessary.