Optical lenses used in eyeglasses, cameras, and telescopes require special handling and storage conditions. Temperature and humidity controls help ensure they remain clear and effective, while cleanliness reduces the chance of scratching or contamination. Follow this guide to establish ideal optical lens storage conditions.
Goals of Optical Lens Storage
Your storage goals will help determine the ideal conditions to focus on. For example, if you need short-term storage, protection from light might not be as high a priority as keeping dust out of the space. Long-term storage will require both dust and light control.
Similarly, preparing the lenses for shipping requires extra protection against physical damage. Keep some of the following goals in mind when designing optical lens storage solutions.
Organization
Any storage system design must consider appropriate organization. Keeping lenses organized and accounted for allows you to know where each specific type is and how many you have. This helps with everyday tasks such as:
- Inventory management
- Order picking
- Stocking
Using cabinets, containers, and trays can help you achieve organized lens storage. Our plastic optical lens trays use individual pockets to help keep lenses separate and secure. Labels and color coding can help increase the organization of your storage solution.
Security
As with other products, any storage solution for lenses should aim to provide security. Lockable cabinets and secure storage spaces are some options. They each restrict product access to authorized individuals. If secure storage is not feasible, such as in a warehouse, consider using passive monitoring as a deterrent.
Environmental Controls
Any long-term storage of lenses should aim to maintain appropriate temperatures and humidity levels. Depending on the lens types and storage duration, strict environmental controls may be necessary.
Physical Protection
Lenses can easily become damaged during storage and handling. Storage processes and equipment should work toward providing a layer of physical protection to limit damage and loss. You may want to consider using product separators or cushioning to limit contact between lenses.
Ideal Physical Conditions for Optical Lens Storage
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You must handle and store optical lenses with care to avoid damage or contamination. Whether they are made of glass or a synthetic material, scratches, chemical damage, and microbial growth can interfere with a lens’ ability to refract light.
Appropriate storage conditions help reduce contamination and preserve lens integrity. This means accommodating the environmental and cleanliness needs of your supplies.
Temperature Control
Environmental controls play a major role in proper optical lens storage conditions. The key factor here is to maintain a moderate and controlled temperature, ideally between 60 and 75 degrees.
Avoid any extreme temperatures, as they can cause expansion, contraction, and warping of lens materials as well as damage to coatings. To prevent these issues, keep storage areas away from direct heat sources and if you are in a cold climate, ensure that your HVAC system is in good working order so your storage area does not get too cold.
Humidity
Humidity plays a key role in lens storage. High moisture environments can promote mold growth, which can harm optical lenses by degrading protective films and eroding surfaces over time.
Low humidity can lead to excess static electricity buildup. While static is not directly harmful to lenses, it can attract dust and other contaminants that might scratch surfaces. Maintaining a relative humidity between 30% and 50% reduces the risks associated with fungal growth and static buildup during storage.
Light
Ideal lens storage should occur in relative darkness. Avoid exposing lenses to direct, bright lights or sunlight. Sealed containers, boxes, and covered trays for long-term storage reduce the risk of light damage to optical lenses.
The glass and polycarbonate used in lenses may degrade with extended exposure to direct sunlight, causing discoloration, weakness, and brittleness, which may reduce optical clarity.
Many optical lenses have coatings that reduce reflections or fogging for clearer images. High UV exposure can cause these coatings to fade or peel, reducing their effectiveness.
Light exposure can also cause photochemical reactions, resulting in micro-damage to the lens or reduced lens transparency. This is particularly detrimental to precision optical lenses used for scientific purposes.
Cleanliness
Cleanliness is a requirement for any optical lens storage. How and where you store lenses must remove the possibility of contact with:
- Chemicals: Harsh chemicals degrade coatings and can scratch or etch the lenses themselves.
- Physical contaminants: Dirt, dust, lint, and even insects can all harm lens surfaces and coatings
- Water: Water may cause fogging or leave stains on lenses.
Even a small amount of contamination can damage an entire supply of lenses. Storage and handling areas should have filtration systems to remove dust and other small particulates and dehumidifiers or desiccants to reduce moisture. You also want to take steps to keep all surfaces clean. Closed or covered containers help you meet this goal.
Options for Storing Optical Lenses
Understanding your storage goals and conditions helps you choose suitable storage options. Some common choices include:
- Cabinets: Cabinets are an easy way to store boxes, trays, and bins of lenses. Desiccants, dehumidifiers, and locks increase their suitability for lens storage.
- Containers: Placing individual lenses into containers provides a secure way to store and transport them. Also, you may want to use containers that can store multiple lenses together. Materials should be rigid enough to protect against impacts.
- Plastic trays: Compartmentalized trays provide a convenient and secure way to store and organize lenses. Choose firm materials that help dissipate static for the best results.
- Shelving: Shelving can hold containers, trays, and boxes of lenses. They help with organization and inventory management.
- Storage rooms: Manufacturers and transportation providers may need entire warehouse rooms dedicated to lens storage. This makes it easy to maintain appropriate environmental conditions.
Storage options can range from massive storage facilities containing rows of cabinets and shelves to tiny padded containers for individual lenses. Additionally, many of these options can be used together to create complete systems.
Plastic Optical Lens Storage Trays
Ready-Made Plastic Trays manufactures secure plastic trays for optical lens storage. Our products use sustainable materials that provide protection and make organization simple. Contact us to learn more.
