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page 3
Wash process
The lens is washed with high pressure, heated deionized water. As shown in the schematic
below, the deionized water passes through a water heater where it is heated to approximately
140°F. The hot water then flows through a manual ball valve and a solenoid valve into the
pneumatically driven pump. The pump increases the pressure of the water to 2000 psig. The
hot, high pressure water is then sprayed through a nozzle onto the back-side of the lens. The
lens is spinning during the wash process to help assure a complete surface cleaning. The spent
water is collected in the bottom of the wash bowl and drained through a tube to the pump-out
box. At the end of the wash cycle, the water pump stops, and any residual water downstream of
the pump is emptied through the dump valve.
The system PLC actively monitors input from the water quality sensor and all system
sequencing to control the water pump and solenoid valves. The water heater is controlled by a
thermostat which is mounted directly to the water heater and is pre-set at the factory.
Dry process
After the wash process is complete, the machine will transport the lens to the drying station.
The lens is dried by use of compressed air. In the drying station the air nozzle is articulated in a
manner that ensures a complete drying of the entire lens surface. Similar to the wash process,
the lens is spun while in the drying station to help remove all of the water.
As shown in the diagram below, the air that is used for drying the lens passes through several
filtration and drying stages to obtain the clear and dry air that is used for the drying process.
The timing of the drying process is controlled by the system PLC.
