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Transitioning from alloy to ART is easy

In today’s competitive lab environment, efficiency, consistency, and cost control are more critical than ever. Traditional alloy-based blocking is increasingly challenged by price volatility and process limitations that impact productivity and quality. 

ART technology offers a proven, future-ready alternative. By removing dependency on fluctuating raw material markets and enabling a fully automated, streamlined workflow, it helps labs operate more efficiently while ensuring consistently high lens quality. 

With over 400 installations worldwide and more than 70 million lenses produced, ART is a reliable and scalable solution for modern lens manufacturing. Discover the five reasons why leading labs are making the switch to ART. 

It’s time to make the move!

Glass lens being precisely processed or inspected in a machine under violet light.

5 Reasons Why Labs Should Move To ART:

1. Peace of Mind

  • Stable predictable blocking costs & secure supply chain
    • ART glue is not tied to fluctuating metal markets
    • Adhesive production on two continents ensures uninterrupted availability.
    • Alternative raw material sources are available.
  • Stringent quality control of all ART components.
  • Adhesive price secure and not subject to market variation like alloy.
  • 400 successful ART installations worldwide, 70+ million good lenses produced.
The chart shows the alloy price versus the market average in the last 20+ years. Positive values (red) indicate above-average pricing, while negative values (green) indicate below-average pricing. The 0% line represents the average. Source: Satisloh records (June 2026)

2. Achieve Operational Efficiency & Speed

  • Less process steps, eliminates:
    - taping,
    - cool-down time,
    - and detaping
  • No cool-down time means:
    - Up to an hour of process time saved vs. alloy.
    - Smaller lab footprint (no stackers/destackers or cooling conveyors required for holding trays during cool-down).
  • Full process automation including automated block-piece handling. Labor reduction by up to 70% compared to manual alloy.
  • ART enables seamless, automated lens processing from generating all the way through hard and AR coating (Express AR technology).
Automated machine precisely placing glass lenses into holders during the manufacturing process.

3. Increase Yield & Improve Lens Quality

  • Higher lens surface support for more precise surface cuts and reduced chatter marks.
  • Feedback loop: ART-Blocker-A probes blank front side and feeds actual measurements to the LMS system for precise recalculation of the back surface.
  • Spatial blocking for precise lens positioning means highest accuracy of prism and thickness.

4. Reduce Ecological Footprint

  • ART is free of toxic Lead and Cadmium. This means no water contamination and safe working condition for operators.
  • Up to 5 times lower water usage compared to automated alloy blocking: ART-Deblocker-2 with WFS2 (Water Filtration System) recirculates water (alloy deblockers do not) and no detaper is required.
  • Up to 50% lower energy consumption. Only two machines with ART (blocker, deblocker) vs. four with alloy (taper, blocker, deblocker, detaper). No alloy tank heater. No cooling plate.
  • ART uses 99,99% less mineral materials than alloy avoiding the depletion of valuable resources, such as Bismuth and Indium.*
  • The use of ART instead of alloy reduces the impact of blocking on climate change by 35%.*
* Life Cycle Assessment by RDC environment. Derived from a simplified LCA (not ISO-compliant). The development of a peer-reviewed ISO-compliant LCA study is in process. 

5. Equipment Compatibility

  • ART’s OPS blocks are compatible with standard equipment collet chucks, allowing mixed production of ART and alloy blocked lenses.
  • Open system makes transitioning from alloy to ART easy. A gradual transition is possible.
Flexible production environments allow parallel processing of alloy and ART lenses across Satisloh and third-party equipment, enabling a smooth, step-by-step transition without disrupting operations.

Ready to make the switch to ART?

Let’s talk about how you can improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and future-proof your production.

Get in touch

ART Product Line

Satisloh ART-Blocker A, automated lens blocking machine, front angle view

ART-Blocker-A

Fully automated, alloy-free lens surface blocker. It blocks up to 100 lenses/hour.

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Automated industrial machine with side control monitor for precise manufacturing and inspection processes

ART-Deblocker-2

Fully automated, alloy-free lens surface deblocker. It deblocks about 200 lenses/hour.

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Compact automated industrial machine on wheels with control monitor, used for precise manufacturing tasks

ART-Blocker-M

Manual, alloy-free lens surface blocker. It blocks up to 50 lenses/hour.

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Compact automated industrial machine with transparent housing for precise manufacturing tasks

ART-Deblocker-M

Manual, alloy-free lens surface deblocker. It deblocks up to 100 lenses/hour.

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Automated inspection or manufacturing machine with integrated monitor and side conveyor belts

ART-Glue-Detector

An optional peripheral machine, automatically detects glue residues after lens is deblocked from ART block-piece. Processes 300 job trays/hour.

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Industrial laboratory machine with a control panel and automated sample handling system.

ART-Block-Pod

Fully automated ART block-piece handling system, eliminates manual block-piece manipulation increasing productivity & efficiency. For up to 200 jobs/hour.

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