Peristaltic pump helps Optimec see clearly

A small manufacturing company in Malvern is making a success of producing innovative quality assurance equipment for the contact lens industry based on peristaltic pump technology from Watson-Marlow.

The problem faced by Optimec was that the light source raised the temperature of the saline solution, which in turn caused the dimensions of the contact lenses to drastically alter. The answer was to ensure that lenses were measured at a standard temperature, in this case 20 degrees Celsius. In response to this need Optimec designed the TC20 model. The TC20 model was initially designed using an in-house manufactured diaphragm pump. This was found to be difficult to manufacture and set up. The solution was met admirably by choosing the 102R single channel peristaltic pumpheads from Watson-Marlow's OEM pump range.

“Today we use the 102R and Pumpsil silicone tubing in the TC20 to pump saline solution from the lens analysis wet cell through a cartridge filter and then through a heat exchanger where it is cooled or heated before being pumped back to the lens analysis cell,” says Technical manager Colin Bryant. “The use of the Watson-Marlow 102R pumphead means that the TC20 unit pumping requirement is met by a good quality and reliable OEM pumphead.”

Another product in the Optimec portfolio that uses the Watson-Marlow 102R peristaltic pump is the JCF/F, in which the analysis cell uses the 102R single channel peristaltic pumphead to re-circulate the saline to remove any airborne contaminants from the analysis cell.

“The original design of these units specified a special diaphragm pump that we designed and assembled ourselves,” explains Mr Bryant. “However, the pump was extremely awkward to build and set-up and we simply reached a point where we didn’t want to continue. When we began to investigate alternative options, a peristaltic pump was the obvious solution. The cost savings in build time alone were vast. Add this to its off-the-shelf availability, exceptionally low maintenance requirements and the zero contamination factor, and it’s easy to see the benefits it has provided.”

More information about the Watson-Marlow OEM pumps range.