As glasses manufacturers, we know that the production of acetate glasses is a delicate process that combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. This article will detail the complete time cycle required to produce a pair of high-quality acetate glasses to help consumers better understand this complex and delicate manufacturing art.

Below is a pair of acetate sunglasses.

What are acetate glasses? Simply put, they are glasses made of acetate, including acetate optical frames and acetate sunglasses. Cellulose Acetate is a polymer material derived from natural cotton wool. It has become the preferred material for high-end eyeglass frames due to its excellent plasticity, rich color expression and comfortable wearing experience. Unlike traditional metal glasses or injection-molded glasses, the production of acetate glasses relies more on the perfect combination of manual craftsmanship and precision machinery.

The production of acetate glasses is a complex process, which requires more than 100 processes from product design, material procurement, CNC cutting to assembly. So, how long does it take to produce a pair of high-quality acetate glasses? As a professional eyewear manufacturer, BESTSEA's acetate glasses are our most advantageous product. The following is a detailed analysis based on our manufacturing process and the time required.

 

After receiving the customer's order, we first need to check the content of the order and confirm it with the customer item by item. Only after confirmation can we proceed with the subsequent operations. This process takes about 1 day.

Material preparation. After receiving the customer's order, we need to order raw materials, including acetate materials, lenses, hinges, packaging materials, etc. If there are other accessories, they also need to be ordered together. Unless some special accessories are used, acetate is the main material and takes the longest time to order. After sorting out the color and quantity of acetate, we must first consult with the acetate factory to find out whether there are MOQ and other issues, and then send the formal purchase order to the material factory. We usually order acetate materials from material factories such as Mazzucchelli, Jinju, and Jimei. Some of Mazzucchelli's materials are produced in Italy and some are produced in China. Their production time is different. In the case of no inventory, it usually takes about 30 days. If it is a large-size material of 1400*700mm, the customization time will be longer, generally 60 days or even longer. For products made in Italy, the time required for transportation from Italy to our factory is about 15 days. Therefore, the time required for material preparation is about 30 to 40 days.

Cutting. As shown in the figure below, the acetate fiber we just received is very large. Common specifications include 1400*170mm, 1400*700, etc. We first need to cut it into many small pieces according to the size of the glasses drawing, and use CNC to carve 2 holes on it for better baking effect. We directly use CNC automatic cutting machine to complete this process. This link usually takes us 2 days.

Lamination. The traditional potion splicing process puts this process after baking, that is, baking first, then using CNC to carve small pieces of different shapes, bonding them together with potions, and finally shaping them by pressure. With the emergence of new splicing machines, we directly carve small pieces of acetate fiber materials after receiving them, stick a small amount of glue on them and put them into the pre-made mold, cover the lid and put them into the machine for heating and pressurization, and they can be taken out in about 18 minutes. This process usually takes 2 to 3 days. If it is a single-color glasses frame, this process is not required.

Baking. When acetate material is first produced, it contains a certain amount of water. Removing the water inside can increase the hardness of the glasses frame and reduce deformation. In order to achieve better results, we use the traditional oven baking method, setting the oven temperature at about 60 degrees, baking it for about 24 hours, then opening the oven door to release steam and cool it, and then baking it for another 24 hours. This cycle is repeated for a total of about 7 to 10 days. The baking time will be different according to the different thickness and different levels of the plate material. The glasses made are not easy to deform and the surface is brighter.

End piece and nose pad. After the material is baked, the end piece and leaves are put together. Now it is generally done by automatic machines. This process usually takes 1 to 2 days.

CNC fine inner and outer circles. According to the model and size required by the engineering drawings, the inner and outer circles are carved out by CNC machines, so that the basic shape of the front frame of the glasses is out. This process usually takes 1 to 2 days.

Manual processing. The glasses frame is manually processed with files, blades and filing boards to make it smoother and without marks. This process usually takes 1 day.

Bending. Use a machine to heat the front frame, and place the front frame on the mold to bend it to a suitable curvature. Put the bent front frame immediately into ice water to cool it down to prevent the curvature from rebounding. This process usually takes 1 to 2 days.

Pre-spleen process. In the process of making the front frame, the spleen also begins to be made, from spleen cutting, spleen planing, spleen gong, copper needle or slingshot hinge, spleen scraping, mark installation, etc. The time to make the rim is generally shorter than the front frame, so it does not affect the production time of the entire pair of glasses.

Polishing. Clean the CNC-carved inner and outer rings and rims in an ultrasonic machine and dry them, then soak the dried rings and rims in acetone to smooth the dead corners and edges, and then dry them naturally. This process generally takes about 2 days.

Roller. Put the polished ring or rim into the roller, mix it with wood particles, and then roll it continuously to make it smooth and shiny. The roller needs to go through three steps: rough rolling, using larger wood particles, the purpose is to remove obvious knife marks on the surface, etc. Medium rolling, using medium-sized wood particles, the purpose is to remove the pitting on the ring and rim. Smooth rolling, using small-sized wood particles, the purpose is to polish the ring and rim smooth, shiny, and without pitting. This process generally takes about 6 to 8 days.

Add knife. Nowadays, bevels often appear on acetate glasses. In order to make these bevels clearer, brighter and not scratchy, we must use CNC to carve the bevels after rough rolling, and then enter the middle rolling and polishing after carving the bevels. This process usually takes 1 to 2 days.

Manual polishing. The ring and spleen after entering the roller are manually polished. Manual polishing requires three steps, rough grinding, middle grinding and light grinding. Rough grinding, also known as yellow wax polishing, is to use yellow wax to manually polish the ring and spleen after rough rolling to remove knife marks. Middle grinding, use purple wax to manually polish the ring and spleen, remove the pits on them, and have a certain gloss. Finally, light polishing, use titanium wax for the ring and spleen after the middle rolling, remove the small pits and sand holes on the frame, and make the frame shiny. The manual polishing process usually takes about 5 days.

Re-bend the ring. The front frame is easy to deform after being rolled and hand-polished, so we must re-bend the ring to make it completely fixed. The glasses frame made in this way is more stable and not easy to deform. This process usually takes about 1 day.

Nail the hinge: Nail the hinge into the ring so that it can be combined with the hinge, and remove the glue marks near the hinge. 2. Cut the hinge: Cut the ring and hinge of the nailed hinge as needed to facilitate the combination of the ring and the hinge. 3. Drilling. 4. Screwing: Use screws to fix the cut ring and hinge. 5. File the head: Manually operate the screwed rack to make it smooth and round. This process usually takes 1 to 2 days.

Polishing the end piece: Polishing the end piece of the assembled acetate frame to make it smooth. This process usually takes about 1 day.

Carving metal positions. Nowadays, many glasses have metal decorative blocks on them. After the front frame and the temples are polished, use a precision engraving machine to carve out the assembly positions of these metal decorative blocks. After carving, use titanium wax to gently polish it again, because once the metal is assembled, the periphery of the metal decorative parts can no longer be polished by hand. This process usually takes 1 to 2 days.

Then comes the assembly of the glasses. The assembly process mainly includes CNC carving, printing, installing metal decorative parts, installing lenses, holding frames, polishing, inspection, wiping frames, bagging, boxing, and packing. This process usually takes 2 to 3 days.

Cutting lenses. Use a CNC machine to cut according to the size of the lens in the CAD drawing. If it is a coated lens, it must be protected by a film first, and then the film must be torn off after assembly.

Printing. Print the required characters or LOGO on the frame and temples. Printing processes include paint printing, hot stamping, 3D hot stamping, UP metal stickers, etc., which depends on customer requirements.

Mounting. Install CNC carved lenses into the frame.

Frame holding. Shaping, check the entire frame to see if there are large and small edges and high and low angles; check if the screws are crooked or loose; whether the ring shape is flying; the curvature of the elbow and the elbow; the openness of the elbow;

Polishing. Polish the inspected frame with titanium wax to make its surface as bright as a mirror.

Inspection. It is divided into surface inspection and functional inspection. The surface mainly has wear spots, damage, dirt, scratches, gaps, etc., and the function is mainly loose work, hinges are not smooth, etc.

Packaging: After wiping and inspecting the glasses frame, put the temples into the PE sleeve, put the lenses with protective film and labels, put the glasses into bags, boxes, and boxes.

Transportation. We will choose the mode of transportation according to the requirements of the guests. Since most of our guests are mid-to-high-end eyewear brands and the glasses are also valuable, most of the transportation methods are express delivery or air transportation to ensure that the products are delivered to customers quickly and safely. This process usually takes about 5 to 10 days.

How long does it take to make a pair of acetate glasses? From preparing materials to transportation, it takes at least 80 to 105 days. As a quality-oriented optical glasses manufacturer and sunglasses manufacturer, we refuse to sacrifice quality for speed. The natural characteristics of acetate determine that it needs time to "breathe" and stabilize. The careful production of each production stage ensures the quality of the final product, which will have a longer-lasting color vividness, more perfect wearing comfort and a longer service life. High-quality and luxurious acetate glasses are worth your careful waiting.