You’ve already laid the groundwork for your in-office finishing laboratory—running the numbers, deciding which services you’ll offer and choosing your equipment—now you’re ready to start laying out the lab.
Don’t rush to throw things together. Take the time to map out your floor plan, making certain to consider safety issues, traffic flow, optimal use of space and efficiency. Trust me, it will be the best investment you make.
The Lay of the Lab
An area of 100 square feet
for your in-office finishing lab gives you ample room for storage,
piping, plumbing, equipment and space to move. This schematic gives you
an idea of how you might arrange your equipment for optimal efficiency.
The “ideal” spot for a finishing lab would be an area situated away from the reception desk, sales floor and exam rooms. With that said, usually only new offices designed from the ground up have that luxury. Work with what you have—I wouldn’t discourage anyone from doing in-office finishing just because of location.
Our edger is in a fairly large room located directly off of our main hall, reception area, sales floor and preliminary exam room.
Lens processing times are now so short and the noise is so brief that we’re generally able to run a job any time. Often, one of us may even be on the phone in the lab while the edger is running. There’s no real dust or other fumes to worry about.
We try to cut high-index lenses when we don’t have any patients in the building, though, because there is a very strong odor. But of course, there are air handlers that can eliminate the smell.
You will need to find an area that’s going to give you enough space to work in comfortably. You could, in theory, run a “lab” in an area just large enough for an edger and a workbench—believe me, it’s been done!
However, I would recommend a room at least six feet by six feet so that you have a two-foot deep work area for the edger, a two-foot walking space and a two-foot workbench with benches that could be up to six feet long.
An area of 100 square feet (or 10 feet by 10 feet) would be even better, giving you ample room for storage, piping, plumbing, equipment and space to move.
Give Yourself Some Space
No matter how high-end your lab equipment is, if you have it crammed into a space where it really doesn’t fit or you don’t have an adequate power supply, you’re not going to get the job done. In-house finishing is potentially a huge profit maker, so don’t risk compromising its success by not planning ahead a little.
Here are a few considerations to think about when you’re coming up with the blueprint for your lab.
Counter Space
- You’ll want at least five to 20 linear feet of counter space, depending on the equipment you choose—you don’t want to have machines stacked on top of each other or crowded beside each other. Give your employees and the equipment enough room to breathe.
- Counter space must be able to support 80lb. to 180lb., depending on the type of equipment you have.
- Lesson learned the hard way—be sure you have room to set a work tray alongside the edger! Even better, give yourself enough room to set a work tray along both sides of the edger. This helps with job flow and reduces the chance of mixing up frames and lenses. You want the tray for the job being run next to the edger!
Cabinet Space
- Be generous—when it comes to cabinet space for lens storage, plan for more than you think you’ll need. Changes to lens inventory and lens materials can double your space requirements overnight.
- The base cabinet supporting the edger should be a 24-inch sink cabinet, and I recommend using a blind drawer because you’ll have the pipelines and drain hose running through the counter directly under the edger.
- Wall cabinets or shelves for storage should not be mounted above the edger because it increases the chances of dropping things on or into the edger, and you are likely to hit your head on them.
- Keep the dimensions of your equipment in mind when selecting your cabinets. Make sure there’s enough space between the top of your equipment and the bottom of your cabinets.
Water Supply
- In my experience, for wet edger systems, it’s best to have a direct water supply because you’ll have lower maintenance costs, better processing results and no overflow concerns. You’ll need to get a plumber to run both water and drain lines, and you’ll need two solenoid valves to control the water flow.
- If you can’t go the plumbing route, you can use recirculating water with a tank and pump system, but I wouldn’t recommend it. (The term “edger vomit” is used for a reason—the water that collects in recirculating systems gets quite vile.)
- Recirculating water, regardless of filtration level, will always mean running water with some particulates, which at worst can cause premature wear and at best will just make the machine dirty quicker. While a tank and pump system is easier and cheaper to install because you won’t need a plumber, it has higher ongoing maintenance costs.
Electrical Supply
- Check all the current/power demands for each piece of equipment and make sure your outlets can handle it. Some devices may require grounded 120V power outlets, while others may need 240V or even a special receptacle. Check with the equipment manufacturer before getting the electrician.
- Chances are you’ll need an electrician to come in and provide a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the edger and for a tint tank, if you’re using one. Compared to the cost of the edger, having the proper circuitry installed really is quite small, and running a machine on a circuit that is not designed for it or running a machine on an extension cord can damage the motor(s) and sensitive electronics.
- It’s best to calculate your electrical requirements after you’ve decided on a definite layout, because then you can have the electrician install new outlets or move existing ones to accommodate your equipment. You want to be able to keep the electrical cords out of the way so they’re not creating any safety hazards.
Writing Your Shopping List
Once you’ve figured out the lay of the lab, it’s time to move on to stocking it. It’s crucial for your success to have all the supplies you need before you get started. If you are unable to perform routine services in a timely, professional manner, the customer will go where someone can!
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| Workbench equipment is placed in order of use for convenience and efficiency. From right to left, you’ll see the lensometer, a blocker, a drawer with leap blocks and roll of leap pads just above the lensometer, a work tray next to the edger, the edger, a hand-stone, the groover and the frame warmer. Notice the drain setup under the edger.
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If you already have an established eye care practice, you might have a lot less ordering to do than you think. Here are the must-haves you’ll need to run your lab:
• Lenses. You can’t sell what you don’t have. The draw of in-house finishing is two-fold: one is “same-day” service for a large majority of single-vision prescriptions, and the second is cutting surface work from the lab. You must stock a wide range of lens powers to be able to fill “same-day” prescriptions.
Shop around and “test” the offerings of single-vision finished uncut lenses from a few different vendors. Remember that single-vision finished uncut lenses receive the single highest mark-up in your store!
• Blocker. This will usually be part of the edger “package,” but you will need to decide on the type and sophistication of the blocker.
• De-blocking tool. This is usually included with the edger package as well. However, if you are buying used or refurbished equipment, you will need a way to remove the blocks without damaging the lens surface.
• Leap blocks. You will get some leap blocks with your edger, but you may want to stock a few extra and a few different sizes.
• Leap pads. Leap pads are consumable, so you’ll want to shop around and find ones that work well for your edger and lenses. Keep in mind that there are AR-specific leap pads.
• AR pads. If slippage is a problem for you, then you’ll want a leap pad that’s designed to be non-slip. Just like lenses, shop around a little and insist on a guarantee.
• Protective film. These are “surface” tape adhesive tabs that you can use for a wide variety of applications to protect the lens surface. These are not necessary, but they are inexpensive and handy to have around.
• Hand stone. A hand stone isn’t required if you’re purchasing a new high-end edger with a safety bevel feature. But if things go wrong (and sooner or later they will), and the safety bevel is missed, then you have to have a way of putting one on.
Five Lessons Learned
1. Don’t be shy about asking for discounts. If you’re placing a large order, you deserve one. Ask for it!
2. Don’t overlook used equipment! If you are just starting up or running on a tight budget, there are plenty of places that sell refurbished equipment. A five-year-old refurbished edger purchased directly from a reliable manufacturer may serve a practice for years.
3. Learn to say “no.” If you feel pressured into buying something you didn’t intend to, don’t buy it. Say “no thanks” and shop around some more.
4. Don’t buy “kits.” Only buy the items that you’ll need to run your lab.
5. Always ask about payment plans and financing. It’s better to spread the payments out over time to keep money in the practice when starting up.
Mr. Seegers is a licensed optician at Ryan Vision Center in Henrico, Va, as well as an industry consultant. He also is the owner of
www.opticianworks.com, a free online training resource he created to help eye care providers, aspiring opticians and non-licensed optical dispensers.
In addition to all of the logistical
issues, don’t forget to address the ergonomic concerns—always consider
your employees’ health and comfort. Place
equipment so that workers can easily see and operate the displays and
controls. The counter/workspace should be at a height that allows
employees to keep their elbows at approximately 90°. That way, they
aren’t stooping over a low desk or having to reach up to a high desk. If you have multiple people working at a standing workstation and they are different heights, you have a couple options: In addition
to having enough room to stand and move around comfortably at their
workstations, workers also need sufficient space to sit. It is common
for workshop areas to be used for storage as well, but you must make
sure workers can sit/stand in a comfortable posture without hitting
their legs or feet on stored items. The
most commonly used items should be within easy reach. You can place
less frequently used items further away, higher or lower while storing
them, but you must have adequate space for the operator to use them
properly when they are needed. If items are being stored, then it should
be easy for workers to retrieve them. For example, a heavy item is best
left in a fixed position so that workers are not likely to injure
themselves when moving it. When
it comes to placing your equipment, the front of the machine should be
parallel with the front of the workspace, not at an oblique angle. The
operator shouldn’t have to lean over other equipment. If you have a
piece of equipment stored or placed behind another item, then there
should be adequate space for the operator to move the front item out of
the way in order to use the equipment comfortably.
Lab Ergonomics 101
By Jennifer Long, B.Optom. (Hons), M.Safety.Sc.
