The Bonding of Optical Elements

Techniques and Troubleshooting

by
Summers Optical
A Division of EMS Acquisition, Inc.
PO Box 380 - 1560 Industry Road
Hatfield, PA 19440

Tel #: 215-412-8380 - Fax#: 215-412-8450

E-Mail: SGKCCK@AOL.COM

This writing is an attempt to prevent many of the common errors and failures that occur
when an optician or technician begins bonding optics with synthetic adhesives. In many
places the experienced optical technician will be strained to endure what to him seem
only common sense. In these instances patience is requested. It is experience that has
prompted this writing. Many duplications of errors have occurred over the years
because what was taken for granted by some was totally new and unexpected by others.
There is also the chance that there are a few new aspects to be learned by the
experienced. Designers may after reading, be able to design out some of the problems
mentioned before they reach the cementing department.

Information Requirements
Prior to 1946 optical elements were bonded with purified, filtered Canada balsam.
Balsam was easy to apply and in most cases an optically compatible bonding medium
except that it had little thermal or solvent resistance. The war and advances in aviation
underlined these limitations and so a synthetic resin adhesive was developed. This
adhesive required very high temperatures and long curing times, so research was
conducted by DRs. Souren Sadjian and Marco Petronio to develop a low or room
temperature, catalyst cured adhesive. The research was done under the auspices of the
U.S. Government at the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia. The result of that research
was a two component polyester resin based cement that many optical companies use
today.

Since then, private adhesive manufacturers have developed a myriad of polyester,

epoxy and urethane based single and two component adhesives for bonding optical
elements. All of these adhesives are more complex than balsam and demand a thorough
knowledge of what the finished optics will experience in order to choose the correct
one. Before choosing, the technician must take into account physical aspects of the
elements as well as the optical properties and the environmental conditions the finished
optics will be expected to withstand.

Listed below is some but perhaps not all of the information that must be known to
correctly choose the adhesive to bond an optical element.
PHYSICAL

1. Do the elements have chamfers?

2. Depth and radius of curvature.
3. Will there be post cementing processing? (Cutting or Grinding)
4. Types of materials to be bonded.
5. Coefficients of thermal expansion.
6. Bond line configuration.
7. Surface area vs cement viscosity.

OPTICAL

1. Refractive indices of the elements.

2. Transmission of the elements.
3. Tolerance of internal reflection and absorption.

ENVIRONMENTAL

1. Working temperature extremes.

2. Mechanical Shock requirements.
3. Chemical resistance requirements.
4. Pre-bonding chemical and substance exposure.

All of the items listed must be known by the bonding technician and perhaps
communicated to the adhesive manufacturer in order to correctly choose the cement to
be used. However, even with this done, witness pieces or samples of the elements
should be tried and tested prior to production. It will be made evident in the following
sections why they are important and how they can adversely affect the finished optics if
overlooked.

We will first discuss bonding a simple crown and flint doublet with a two component
adhesive in order to establish the proper preparation of this type of adhesive and also to
establish a technique for applying a cement whether it be of the single or two
component variety. We will also discuss the preparation of the elements themselves. A
section is devoted to UV curing adhesives to show their advantages as well as some of
the problems that can arise with their use. Because of the difficulty in trying to itemize
all preventative measures that should be taken to avoid bond failures, a section on bond
failures themselves is discussed including the causes and preventative measures.
Finally an overview on perhaps some of the equipment a cementing department should
have to insure successful bonding.

Substrate and Correct preparation is the key to the successful bonding of

optical elements. Thorough cleaning of the elements and
Cement careful, accurate preparation of the cement is absolutely
Preparation essential.

Preparation of The two major considerations in preparing elements for

bonding are proper cleanliness of the elements as well as the
the Optical equipment to be used in cementing, and orienting the
Elements elements so that the matching surfaces go together the first
time without having to remove the upper element because it
was mistakenly inverted during the final cleaning process.
 One cannot bond optical elements that are not clean.
Residues left from the manufacturing and handling of the
elements will place a barrier between the bond surface and
the adhesive. In most cases a light wiping with reagent
acetone just prior to the application of the adhesive will be
sufficient if the elements have gone through several cleaning
stages during their manufacturing phase. However, the
technician must be aware that through the physical location
of the elements in any bulk cleaning bath or because of the
pitch or polishing compounds used in manufacturing, some
residue that is resistant to a drag cleaning process might still
exist. There is also a possibility that the element is of a
material that precludes the use of solvents i.e. plastic
elements. Therefore, an immersion or ultrasonic cleaner
should be part of the cementing department. Usually a few
minutes in a mild acid solution followed by a deionized
water rinse and then a mild alkaline solution and then again a
deionized water rinse will remove most common soils. The
drying can be by solvent if the element material will tolerate
it. If not, hot, filtered nitrogen can be used on acrylics.

In final analysis it is incumbent on the technician to know

the chemicals and materials that come in contact with the
element, the cleaners or solvents that will remove them, and
the process that will do it most effectively.

Properly orienting the elements prior to bonding may seem a

rather elementary step. However, it is very important to
know that the surface you place down will match with the
surface containing the cement. It is very easy to forget what
surface is what. If done incorrectly, the elements must be
taken apart, cleaned and the process started over. There is
also the possibility of scratching the mismatched surfaces.
Leaving some reminder may prevent loss of time and even
elements.

Preparation of Read the manufacturers instructions carefully. Follow the

instructions exactly or your only source of technical help, the
the Optical cement manufacturer, will be lost to you because you may
Adhesives have stepped beyond the limits of their experience with the
cement.

Since we have decided to conduct this particular exercise

with a two component cement and have already been warned
to follow the instructions exactly, we will assume that the
manufacturers suggested catalyst to cement ration will be
used. We will also assume that we will not mix too much
more cement than we can use in the manufacturers stated pot
life. Do not mix such a small quantity that proper mixing or
accurate ratios are jeopardized. The next area to consider is
the mixing container and mixer. Small amounts of cement
can bond a relatively large number of lenses. Do not use a
30cc container to mix 3cc of cement and do not use a
 metallic container when the catalyst or hardener is an
oxidizer such a methyl ethyl ketone peroxide. If the
container is too large in comparison to the quantity of the
cement, you will not be able to accurately assess whether the
two components have reached homogeneity. Compatibility is
also important. A metallic stirrer or mixing container could
react with either of the components causing a runaway
polymerization or worse, discoloration or hazing of the
cement upon cure. For our purposes let us choose a 10cc test
tube and a polypropylene stirring rod to mix 3cc of cement.
We accurately measure the cement into the test tube and
drop in the catalyst according to the manufacturers suggested
ratio. We will mix the cement for approximately 60 - 90
seconds or until the mixture is visibly homogeneous. In
many cases the hardener or catalyst will have a different
optical density from the cement and this will aid in checking
the homogeneity. The cement will be left to deaerate for 3 -
5 minutes depending on the manufacturers pot life time.
Since we are only bonding a single doublet we will use the
stirring rod to apply the cement. The use of other applicators
for production quantities will be discussed in a later section.

A Cementing The doublet we will join is a double convex element to a

concave-plano element. After the acetone wipe, we will
Technique apply the prepared cement to the center of the concave
surface of the concave-plano element. Three or four drops
off of the end of the stirring rod will create a puddle in the
center of the concave surface. Now we will place the double
convex element onto the concave-plano element containing
the cement. Some attempt should be made to keep the
element bond interfaces parallel while placing the upper
element onto the lower. After the two elements are together,
slight downward pressure in the center of the upper element
will begin the procedure of working the cement and any
incurred air bubbles out to the perimeter. With the index
finger or the eraser end of a pencil, rotate the center axis of
the upper element around the center axis of the lower
element. Do not spin the upper element. This will only create
an orbit for any entrapped air bubbles and will not work
them to the perimeter. Do not use excessive pressure when
following this procedure. We want to eliminate any air but
leave sufficient cement to create a .0003" to .005" bond layer
thickness. Following this procedure there should be a fillet
of cement filling the chamfered area plus some run-off down
the edge of the lower element. This should exist around the
entire perimeter of the doublet. The run-off can be cleaned
off with a dry cotton swab or lens tissue. Do not clean out
the chamfer area. The cement in the chamfer area is drawn
back in between the elements during the curing cycle as the
cement contracts slightly. Side holding devices can now be
applied to hold center until the cement reaches pre-cure. Side
holding devices such as v-blocks are the only type we can
 suggest. Clamps or other devices which press the two
elements together are not advisable. Most optical cements
polymerize creating their own heat of reaction. This internal
heat thins the cement and wherever there is a point of
pressure, the cement layer will be pressed out leaving an
uneven bond layer or worse a cement void. Any attempts to
equalize the pressure across the entire bond surface only
creates too thin a bond layer that results in lessened thermal,
mechanical, or chemical resistance. Therefore, side holding
devices are best.

Most manufacturers give a "pre-cure time" in their

instructions. This time is given to tell the technician when
the cement is sufficiently firm to permit removal of any
holding devices. This not only frees holding devices for
more bonding but also prevents holding devices from being
bonded to the perimeter of the lenses. So attention should be
paid to these pre-cure times. The doublet can now be left to
cure either at room temperatures or placed in an oven
depending on the manufacturers instructions.

Something should be said at this time about cure speeds.

Some lenses, especially those with deep curvatures or those
that will see extreme temperature changes, may require slow
curing adhesives.

Shrinking during cure can set perpendicular stress forces in

lenses with 90 degree or greater radius of curvatures and
elements of different coefficients of thermal expansion will
incur strain while curing at oven temperatures.
Manufacturers have attempted to alleviate these problems by
introducing plasticizers and flexibilizers into their adhesives
but these are compromises at best. These additives can
increase outgassing or reduce the cohesive strength of the
cement. Slowing the cure of an unmodified cement in many
cases yields the desired strength without the incurred
stresses.

After the lenses are cured, the remaining run-off can be

cleaned with a damp tissue of acetone and if the elements
permit, a razor blade. Attention should be paid to whether
the cement used is anaerobic. If so, caution should be paid to
keep too much acetone out of the chamfer area. The cement
in this area may still be soft allowing solvent migration into
the bond surface.

Ultraviolet In the mid '60's, single component ultraviolet cure optical

adhesives were introduced to alleviate mixing and to speed
Curing pre-cure times on doublets requiring critical centering. The
Adhesives optical industry was quick to see the advantages of no
mixing, reduced technical training, and reduced equipment
needs; however, as time has passed certain difficulties have
surfaced that have shown single component cements have
problems of their own.

Two types of ultraviolet curing adhesives predominate in

optical cementing; urethane based copolymers and polyester
resin based copolymers, each has its advantages and
disadvantages.

Urethane based copolymer UV curing optical adhesives are

generally water white and some are non-anaerobic. They
exhibit faster cures and are more wavelength specific in the
cross-linking.

The water white color and the non-anaerobic qualities are

excellent when embedding or using the cement to tack the
perimeter of a lens during centering operations but when
bonding a thin lens or one with a sharp radius the non-
anaerobic aspect along with what at present appear to be
higher shrinkage rates can cause considerable strain or
distortion. As previously mentioned, additions of plasticizers
or flexibilizers will reduce the problem but generally
increase outgassing results which are quite low in the
unmodified adhesive.

The shorter pre-cure times allow increased productivity

during collimating; however, the time saved there is lost to
the time when the elements can be subjected to hostile
environmental testing. Manufacturers of these adhesives
generally instruct users to wait 3-5 days before temperature
shock tests can be conducted.

Wave length specific cross-linking is an advantage because

some doublets require considerable time to center. In a
normally fluorescent lighted room these cements give much
more time before stray UV light can bring them to pre-cure.

Polyester resin based copolymer UV curing optical

adhesives have color to them which is a draw-back to
embedding. Their anaerobic quality leaves a surface tack for
some time after cure. This prevents "edge-pinch" and
distortion in optics but requires additional time and in some
cases heat to alleviate in embedments. Polyester based
adhesives are slower curing than urethane adhesives but still
exhibit speeds that can incur strain resulting in the same
problems discussed in urethane adhesives but to a much
lower degree. Polyester based UV curing adhesives show
lower shrinkage, higher chemical resistance, and better
thermal shock resistance after cure than urethane based
adhesives. thermal shock tests show better results sooner
after cure due probably to their cross-linked chain length.

Ultraviolet cured optical adhesives create their own set of

demands on the technician. He must be sure that the
 elements transmit a high percentage of light at the
wavelength required to cure the cement.

BK7 optical glass has a transmission curve rising at precisely

the wavelength that most UV curing cements require for
cure. Test results show bonded BK7 elements have lower
resistance to heat, humidity, and mechanical stress than
fused silica or quartz when using the same light source,
length of exposure, and distance from substrates. Some
acrylics transmit very low percentages of long wave
ultraviolet light.

If the doublet is on a dark background or in a collimator, this

can effect curing time. A radiometer is a necessary tool since
UV light sources degrade with age. The technician must
keep in mind that light intensity decreases with distance and
also full range (UV-A, B&C) lamps cure cements faster than
filtered sources. The speed of cure can adversely affect the
mechanical aspects of adhesion in that the wetting of the
surface of the substrates can be incomplete when pre-cure is
too rapid.

In summary, the application of UV curing cements in

bonding doublets is the same technique as two component
adhesives but without mixing. Application, rotating the
center axis of the upper element around the center axis of the
lower, allowing run-off and filling the chamfer are all the
same. Power and distance of the UV light source determine
speed of cure. UV cements have been a great help in
increasing efficiency of the cementing departments but
where lens design or operating conditions increase the
probability of strain, slower curing adhesives have
performed better.

Applications in Small shops and cementing departments in general use what

ever they mixed the cement to apply it as well. When large
Production numbers of doublets are being bonded the technician may
Bonding choose to use a syringe or automated dispensing system to
reduce waste or insure consistent amounts of cement to each
element. When such instruments are used the technician
should be especially careful of materials compatibility and
the absence of any lubricants the manufacturer may have put
on the moving parts that contact the cement.

Automated dispensing syringes contain supply lines from the

cement container to the syringe. It should be checked that
these lines will not dissolve or impart any contaminant into
the cement. When using an ultraviolet curing cement, these
lines must be impervious to UV light.

Hand operated disposable syringes seem to cause the most

problems for cement shops. It must be remembered that
manufacturers of these devices almost always lubricate the
 plunger and/or the O-ring with some lubricant. The lubricant
is usually silicone. Silicone is incompatible with most optical
adhesives and imparts a haziness in thefinished doublet. A
thorough washing with a suitable detergent and then a
solvent that will dissolve any residue must be used on each
and every part of the syringe prior to using it for cement
dispensing. When dispensing UV curing cements the syringe
should be opaque to UV light and should not be used after
being left uncovered during long breaks in production such
as lunch breaks. If the syringes are pre-loaded and stored
under refrigeration to extend shelf life, the technician must
allow the entire package, unopened, come to room
temperature before using.

Disposable pipettes made of polyethylene are very good

applicators for moderate size production runs, they can be
easily rinsed with acetone and air dried in a dust or lint free
atmosphere. The cementing technician can use these right in
his/her mixing container and dispose of them at each break
or pause in production without incurring any appreciable
cost.

Cleanliness is the key when deciding on applicators.

Whatever is chosen, automated, semi-automatic or even a
glass or poly-rod, they must be cleaned before use and
continually checked during use for contaminants.

Back to Main Menu | Back to Cement Table of Contents

- Bond Failures -
Causes and Remedies
by
Summers Optical
A Division of EMS Acquisition, Inc.
PO Box 380 - 1560 Industry Road
Hatfield, PA 19440

Tel #: 215-412-8380 - Fax#: 215-412-8450

E-Mail: SGKCCK@AOL.COM

Most companies involved in manufacturing optical adhesives today have been doing so
for some time now. Some for as long as 45 years. Their cements have been extensively
tested by optical manufacturers and/or the military. When bond failure occurs it is more
likely an incorrect choice of cement type, an anomaly in substrate preparation or
incorrect interpretation of the manufacturers instructions than a question of the quality
of the cement. The following will be descriptions of some of the common bond failures,
their probable causes and suggestive corrective measures.

Strain, CAUSE:
Most optical adhesives have a nominal shrinkage on cure
Distortion and of 5%. Add this to their strong adhesive quality and
Bond Surface bending, slight distortion or even tearing of bonding
surface can occur. As a doublet approaches hemispherical,
Breakage perpendicular shrinkage forces act on the system. While
the convex element is pulled into the concave, the
shrinkage on the sides pulls outward. Thin elements,
meniscus lenses and especially double concave lenses can
be exceptionally prone to distortion. Ring configurations
metal or glass as in early design ruby lasers are prone for
the same reasons as described in the hemispherical lens
situation.

REMEDY:
Cements can be modified with plasticizers or flexibilizers.
Most manufacturers have available softer cements off the
shelf. However, as has been mentioned they can exhibit
higher outgassing figures. In the case of hemispherical
doublets, the convex lens should have a slightly shorter
radius to allow an equal space around the entire arc that
will be filled with cement. A larger chamfer on the
concave element to hold a larger quantity of cement to be
drawn in during cure is of considerable benefit. Ring
configurations should be designed with very tight
tolerances so that although the percent of shrinkage may
be the same, the mass is much smaller thereby reducing
the overall change.

All the configurations described above have been bonded

with unmodified cements by reducing the cure speed. By
using a very slow cure speed, cross-linking is done gently
and the adhesive is permitted to conform. It must be noted
that optical adhesives are not good fillers. Combined
surface match should be within eight fringes.

Decentration CAUSE:
An element shifting off optical axis during pre-cure or
During Pre- shortly after is not uncommon with the faster room
Cure temperature two-component cements or when high
temperature oven cure adhesives are being used. As cross-
linking can sometimes occur unevenly, shifts occur. The
UV cements can fall victim as well, especially the very
rapid curing varieties.
 REMEDY:
When using a long curing two component adhesive it may
be possible to use a non-anaerobic UV curing adhesive on
3 locations of the outer perimeter of the lens and when
center is attained, precure the UV cement to hold the
elements while the two-component cement passes precure.
In the cases where rapid UV curing cements show shift it
could be the use of a lamp that does not irradiate the entire
bond area. A light source that only covers a small area of
the bond surface will precure only the area covered, which
might also lead to precured cement tears.

Edge Pinch, CAUSE:

Thin flats with 90 degree ground edges can show a
Perimeter distortion after cure around the perimeters of their bond
Separation, surfaces. Beam splitter blocks and corner cubes can show
this same distortion, however, it is usually along the line
Reticulation of the acute angle. This is pinching of the edges and is
caused by cement shrinkage. Occasionally this shrinkage
will cause bond separation, evidenced by mirror like
reflection or interference rings around the perimeter.
Reticulation is a term used to describe a "cobwebbing"
radiating from the edges of the doublet inward. A look at
this under magnification will show microscopic bubbles
caused by air being drawn in during the curing because
there was not enough or no cement around the bond
perimeter as the cement contracted during cure.

REMEDY:
Although both anaerobic and non-anaerobic cements can
result in edge pinch, perimeter separation and reticulation;
the non-anaerobic cements will cause edge pinch and
separation more often. This is because the outer perimeter
cement is curing at the same speed as the cement between
the elements. As the cement cures the adhesion and
shrinkage combine to pull down and in, resulting in pinch,
distortion and in some cases bond failure and separation.
Reticulation is more common with anaerobic adhesives
and is primarily due to lack of cement at the perimeter of
the bond. It can not be over emphasized that the chamfer
must hold enough cement to be drawn in during cure.
Elements without chamfers exhibit a high percentage of
perimeter difficulties so chamfers should be designed in to
eliminate this problem. Another cause of reticulation is
insufficient degassing of the mixed cement. The technician
should read carefully any manufacturers instructions to
eliminate entrapped air and also take care that there are no
air bubbles in the cement left around the perimeter of the
bond surface.
Uncured CAUSE:
As the title implies, many bond failures after "cure" can be
Leneses, the result, in fact, of partially cured or uncured cement.
Elongated This can occur with all cements, anaerobic, non-anaerobic,
two-component as well as UV curing. Failures during
cure Times, environmental or mechanical testing can be caused by
Bond Failure testing too soon or the cement taking too long to cure. The
most common causes of curing problems with two-
After Cure component cements are improper catalyst rations,
incomplete mixing, reactive mixing containers and
improper temperatures. Ultraviolet curing cements are
sensitive to temperatures, transmission of substrate,
wavelength and intensity of light source, and the distance
of light source to substrate.

REMEDY:
Problems in curing two-component cements can be
avoided by carefully reading and following the
manufacturers instructions. Logical deviations such as
increasing the specified curing temperature or increasing
the catalyst ratio above recommended amounts will not
always yield faster cures. Sometimes the inverse will
occur. Clean non-reactive mixing apparatus should always
be used. If the cement is stored at refrigerated
temperatures to elongate shelf life, it should always be left
unopened for enough time to allow it to come up to room
temperature.

If the lenses are to be cured in an oven, the technician

should be advised that the oven should be up to
temperature prior to inserting the lenses. He should also
note how the temperature drops during loading and not
start his curing time until the oven has returned to the
original temperature. When especially thick or large lenses
are being cured, some additional time must be allotted for
the internal surfaces of the lenses to come up to
temperature. Users of single component UV curing
adhesives also prefer to store at lower temperatures so the
previous admonition also applies to them. Often users of
UV curing adhesives irradiate their lenses for longer than
the instructions call. Although this has no effect on the
cement, the working life of the lights is expended quicker.
Spare light sources or a radiometer are suggested. The
technician should always be aware of the recommended
distance between substrate and light source. Before
choosing a UV curing cement, the user must know the
percent of transmission of the elements, primarily between
325nm and 375nm. If the elements do not transmit above
75% at these wavelengths, expect much longer cures.

Above all, the user must be aware that full cure times
quoted by most cement manufacturers reflect 90-95%
cure. In the case of anaerobic and two-component
 adhesives this is because of the slight tackiness around the
perimeter of the bond surface. Different cross-linking
structure and end speed is the cause in UV curing cements.
Hostile environmental testing and severe mechanical
stresses should not be conducted on cemented doublets for
at least 24-36 hours after the manufacturers stated full cure
time. The test results are appreciably different when this
rule is applied.

Haze, Fog or CAUSE:

Discoloration or haze that occurs during or immediately
Discoloration after curing is almost always a sign of contamination of
of Bond Layer the cement. There are many ways a cement can become
contaminated on its way from the manufacturers package
to the cemented lens. The catalyst can react with a metallic
or polymeric mixing container or mixer. Cleaning an
element with any volatile solvent in a room with high
humidity can cause water condensate. Transferring mixed
cement into a disposable syringe without thoroughly
cleaning every component of the syringe can cause
lubricant contamination. Although some manufacturers
supply their cements in a dispenser package, the dispenser
tip should always be inspected and kept clean. As
previously mentioned, if the cement is stored under
refrigeration, it should not be used until it is allowed to
return to room temperature.

REMEDY:
Manufacturers sometimes assume that the technician will
know that organic peroxides used as catalysts in two
component cements will react with metallic substrates
such as aluminum mixing pans or stirrers. This oversight
can result in hazy doublets. Glass, polyethylene, and
polypropylene should be the materials of choice for
mixing and applying two-component optical cements.
When polyethylene or polypropylene syringes are used to
apply cement the user should be aware that these syringes
contain plunger O-rings lubricated with silicone which can
haze the cement. Each component of the syringe should be
separately wiped and then rinsed with the appropriate
cleaner to remove any lubricant that might be on it. A final
wipe with acetone will assure no residual contaminant.
The cement and the elements must be at room
temperature. Cold cement on a warm element or vice versa
will result in condensation and haze will result.

Cement CAUSE:
There are times when users of cements will attempt
Wedge cementing and collimating at the same time. This might be
by choice to save time or by necessity in aligning centers
 in a prism train. When such an exercise calls for having
the bond surface out of the level horizontal plane, cement
wedge occurs. In the time that it takes to adjust the piece
and then collimate, the cement will flow to the low side of
the plane causing the wedge. Wedge can also occur when
attempting to bond two bond surfaces such as in a triplet
or the hypotenuse of a corner cube while the cube is
resting on one of its legs.

REMEDY:
When bonding any element an attempt should be made to
keep the surface horizontal and level. When bonding
prisms, corner cubes or beam splitter blocks, if the
hypotenuse is the bond surface; inexpensive holding
blocks can be fashioned from styrofoam cut to match the
90 degree intersection angle of the two legs thereby
holding the hypotenuse level and horizontal. In the case of
triplet bonding, one simply should not attempt bonding all
three elements. With the availability of very rapid precure
UV adhesives and moderately fast two-component room
temperature cure adhesives, very little extra time is
involved in bonding one surface at a time even if critical
centering is involved. Remember that it takes a great deal
more time and effort to decement and recement that it
would to do the cementing correctly the first time. It is
almost impossible to address a situation where multiple
prisms must be cemented and centered at the same time
and where one of the bond surfaces will be off level when
the others are level. If instruments can be rigged to hold
one surface lever, so be it. The others will have to be
bonded later.

Failures CAUSE:
When sporadic bond failures occur during production runs
Under that have been bonded by the same cement, it is logical to
Moderate assume that since the cement is constant and each element
is the variable, something is preventing the cement from
Stress or bonding to particular elements. Most manufacturers are
Weak employing some type of mass cleaning process, pressure
sprays, centrifical systems or ultrasonics but occasionally
Chemical a few elements by their locations in the baths are
Attack incompletely cleaned. Some polishing compounds such as
cerium oxide if not cleaned immediately can leave a very
stubborn film if it hardens. Acrylic elements may not
permit the use of solvents, therefore, thorough cleaning
can be sporadic.

REMEDY:
It would be most advantageous for the cementing
department to be equipped with an ultrasonic cleaner with
several compartments so that suspect elements can be
recleaned with a mild alkaline solution and then a
 deionized water rinse. In the case of particularly stubborn
films it may be necessary to have a mild acidic and then
deionized water rinse prior to the alkaline bath. Because of
environmental and governmental concerns, solvent
cleaning will be kept to a minimum. Therefore, aqueous
cleaning solutions in ultrasonic baths seem to be the most
efficient alternative.

The Upon reviewing what has been covered, it is obvious that

the cementing department must in some ways be a mini
Cementing laboratory containing the appropriate non-reactive mixing
Department and measuring equipment when two-component cements
are used, proper light sources for UV curing adhesives, an
assortment of solvents for cleaning and even an ultrasonic
cleaner. Since some lenses will have to be decemented, a
hot plate and containers for that procedure will be needed.
These are in addition to a collimator, blocking tools, oven,
and a clean, humidity controlled environment.

All of the tools and apparatus mentioned will be of no

avail unless the cementing technicians are completely
familiar with the physical, and optical properties of the
elements to be bonded. They also must be aware of the
environmental and mechanical demands that will be
placed on the finished lens. Knowledge of the chemicals
and compounds that come in contact with the elements
during grinding and polishing as well as the production
cleaning procedure will warn them of potential films or
residual materials that could prevent adhesion.

In conclusion, it is suggested that prior to any production

run, witness pieces of the same materials or samples of
lenses should be carefully bonded and tested to the
specifications that the production items will be required.
From this procedure a production protocol should be
established and overseen by quality control. It should be
emphasized to all personnel that even minor deviation
from the protocol can have major effects on the finished
optics.

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