To help the local spectacles industry capitalize on the rising demand for free-form lenses, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) has introduced the Single Point Diamond Machining (SPDM) Technology to manufacturers to meet this new market need.

According to Mr L M Li, General Manager (Manufacturing Technology) of HKPC, the SPDM is a material removal process in which a single-crystal natural diamond cutting tool is used to carve a non-ferrous substrate to generate surfaces to submicron dimensional tolerances.  Since the ultra-precision cutting tool possesses nanometric edge sharpness, form reproducibility and wear resistance, it is capable of achieving superior surface finish and form accuracy.

"The technology can be used to produce a wide range of precision mechanical and optical parts, including fabrication of high-precision micro-lens and micro-groove machining," Mr Li said.

"Through the consultancy services offered by HKPC, we have assisted a number of manufacturers from the industry to produce high-quality free-form lenses," he added.

To view the technology demonstration, please visit the "HKPC WEBCAST" section –"Latest Technology Demonstration" at the HKPC website: www.hkpc.org.  For further information, please contact Mr Derek Louie of HKPC at tel. (852) 2788 5549 or e-mail: dlouie@hkpc.org.