Trivex

It is that time of year when we start thinking about back to school and children's eyewear.
And we do not think about kids' eyewear without thinking about lens materials. The standard lens material for years has been polycarbonate. Seven years ago we had a newcomer to the lens material arena. In 2001, Trivex hit the optical marketplace. Trivex was originally developed for the military, as visual armor. PPG Industries took the technology and adapted it for the optical industry. Trivex is a urethane-based pre-polymer. PPG named the material Trivex because of its three main performance properties. The three main properties are superior optics, ultra-lightweight, and extreme strength.

Trivex lenses are strong! They are as strong, or stronger than polycarbonate for impact resistance. Trivex is able to pass the ANSI Z87.1 High Velocity Impact Test. This test is a requirement for safety lenses. The lens must have a center/edge thickness of 2.0mm. The test consists of a mounted lens being subjected to a 1/4-inch steel pellet being hurled at the lens at a velocity of 150ft per second. The FDA also requires lenses to be impact resistant. Their test consists of a 5/8 inch steel ball being dropped from a height of 50 inches onto a lens. Trivex not only passes the test at 2.0mm center thickness, it can even pass the test at a center thickness of 1.0mm. That is tough!

Lenses made from Trivex are very chemical resistant. They are even resistant to acetone. Polycarbonate is not resistant to acetone. Cleaners such as Windex and alcohol are safe to use on Trivex. Trivex lenses retain their shape and are not subject to hole elongation. Trivex lenses provide 100% UV blockage of both UV-A and UV-B radiation. This is inherent in the lens material. Trivex lenses are also very scratch resistant. This is especially important when comparing Trivex and polycarbonate for kids. I have read some literature that puts Trivex's scratch resistance at twice that of polycarbonate!