Spectacle Frame Type and Parts

1. Frame Types and Parts
Parth Vora
M-1

2. Basic parts
• The frame is that portion of the spectacles that
holds the lenses containing the ophthalmic
prescription in their proper position in front of
the eyes.
• A frame generally consist of the front, which in
one form or another contains the lenses, and the
temples, which attach to the front and hook over
the ears to help hold the spectacles in place.

3. Frame front

4. • Bridge: That area of the frame front between the
lenses that rests on the nose.
• Eyewire or rim: The rim going around the lenses is
known as the.
• Endpieces: The outer areas of the frame front, to the
extreme left and right where the temples attach.
• A few plastic frames may still have a metal shield on
the front of the endpiece to which rivets are attached
to hold the hinge.
• The hinges hold the temples to the front, and consist of
an odd number of inter fitting barrels, the total
number being 3, 5, or 7.

5. Parts of temple

6. • The portion of the temple that is nearest its
attachment to the front is known as the butt portion
or butt end.
• The place on the temple where it first bends down to
go over the ear is called the bend.
• The portion of the temple between the butt end and
the bend is called the shank or shaft.
• portion beyond the bend and behind the ear is referred
to as the earpiece.

7. Frame types
• Plastic
• Metal
• Nylon cord frames
• Combination
• Half eye
• Rimless
• Semirimless
• Numont

8. Plastic frame
Thermosetting
Material begins as liquid & becomes solid during manufacturing process
Once product has been manufacture, it never again soften to any
significant extent
Thermoplastic
Has property of softening when heated & hardening when cooled
Basic structure of material remain same
E.g. polymethyl nitrate, cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate.

9. Metal frame
• All metal parts
• Except nose pads and posterior temple section
• Lens holder is fixed with screw
• Fixed design/ can’t customize shape of lens

10. Nylon cord frame

11. Combination frame

12. Half eye frame

13. Rimless frame

14. Numont frame

15. Balgrip frame

16. Plastic frame material
• Cellulose nitrate
• Cellulose acetate
• Cellulose aceto propinate
• Optyl
• Nylon
• polyamide

17. Metal frame materials
• Gold
• Aluminum
• Nickel silver
• Monel
• Titanium
• Stainless steel
• Bronze

18. Other materials
• Carbon fiber
• Rubber
• Polycarbonate

19. Bridge types
• The bridges area of plastic frame is performed
and sits directly on the bridge of the nose .
• Plastic bridges
1. Saddle bridge
2. Modified saddle bridge
3. Keyhole bridge
• Metal bridges
1. Saddle bridge
2. Pad bridge
3. Strap bridge

20. 1)SADDLE BRIDGE:
• Shaped like a saddle in a smooth curve
And follows the bridge of the
nose.
• This separates the weight of the
frame evenly over the sides
and crest of the nose.

21. 2)MODIFIED SADDLE BRIDGE:
• It’s look like same as the
saddle bridge when viewed
from the front.
• The difference is that there
are nose pads that are part
of the back of the bridge.
• These pads helps to carry
some of the weight of the
frame.

22. • 3)KEYHOLE BRIDGE:
• Shaped like an old fashioned keyhole.
• At the top,thebridge flares out slightly.
• The bridge rests on the sides of
• The nose, but not on the crest .

23. Metal saddle bridge
•Old style saddle bridge

24. Pad bridge
• Commonly used in metal frames
• Nose pads are attached to the frame by metal
and pad arms
• Pads alone support weight of glasses

25. Strap bridge
• Metal frame with clear plastic saddle type
bridge
• Alternative to adjustable or replace nose pads

26. Plastic endpieces construction:
• There are three
general types of
endpiece construction
in plastic frames.
• The most common
endpiece construction
is Butt type, in which
the front is straight
and the temple butt is
flat and both meet at
a 90 degree angle.

27. • The mitre
endpiece causes
the frame front
contact area and
temple butt to
meet at a 45
degree angle.
• In the turn-back
type,the frame
front bends
around and
meets the temple
end to end.

28. Temple construction:
A. Skull
B. Liberty
C. Convertible
D. Riding bow
E. Comfort cable

29. Temple construction:
1)SKULL TEMPLE:
• Bend down behind the ears,
follow the contour of the
skull and rest evenly against
the skull.
2)LIBRARY TEMPLE:
• Generally straight and do not
bend down behind the ears.
• Hold the glasses primarily
through light pressure against
the side of the skull.

30. 3)CONVERTIBLE TEMPLE:
• The temple may be easily
straightened out and
then re-bent to the wearer.
• Used either as library or skull
temples depending on the bent.
4)RIDING BOW TEMPLE:
• Curve around the ear
following the crotch of the ear
where the ear and head meet
and extend to the level
of earlobe.
• made by plastic material
• Used mostly for children’s safety purpose.

31. 5)COMFORT CABLE TEMPLE:
• Same as riding bow
temples, but made from a
springy cable of coiled
metal, sometimes inside a
plastic or silicone sleeve.
• Used for physically active
wearers, children, and
people with high
prescriptions(heavy lenses).

32. Metal frame materials
• Gold
• Gold having all these property except low cost.
• Types
Fine gold : 100% pure gold (24 karat)
Solid gold : gold + base metal evenly mixed (10
karat)
Gold filled : base metal in side solid gold coating
(1/20)
Gold plated : a base metal thinly plated with gold
(1/50)

33. Aluminium
• Advantages
Stain resistance
Strong & light weight
Can painted many attractive colors
• Disadvantages
Doesn’t solder or weld well
Requires screw or rivets
It conduct heat readily and become cold in winter
No flexibility

34. Nickel silver
• 50% Copper
• 25% Nickel(whitish appearance)
• Zink & other metals (strength)
• Material is rigid & lustrous
• It mostly use base metal in gold filled

35. Monel
• Whitish in color
• 68% nickel,30% copper,2% iron
• Traces of silicon, carbon & sulfur
• Can be coated with many color and corrosion
resistant
• Mostly use for temples & bridges

36. Bronze frames
• It is anti corrosive, light & comfortable
• Alloy of copper & iron
• Pliable , tough
• Mechanically strong

37. Stainless steel
• 74% iron
• 18% chromium
• 8% nickel
• Advantages
• Durable, flexible, strong, nonmagnetic
• Resistant to oxidation & corrosion
• Endless color availability
• Well suited for temple flexibility to adjust & align
• Disadvantages
• Can’t repaired
• expensive

38. Taitanium
• Advantages
 Lightweight, flexible
 Corrosion resistant
 Abrasion resistant
 Thinnest of all metals
 Hypoallergenic
• Disadvantages
 Expensive
 Limited color
 Hard to solder or weld

39. Cellulose nitrate(Zylonite)
More tougher
can be made thinner frame
Better dimensional stability
It accepts a good polish but is flammable if
brought to a sufficiently high temperature.
Banned by FDA and is no longer used.

40. Cellulose acetate
• Thermo plastic polymers
• Produced in pre-colored sheets and frames are then cut from this sheets
using various cutting jigs.
• Metal cores are inserted in the temples to provide greater strength
• Advantages
• Low flammability
• Faster production & more color options
• Easily polished and repaired
• Disadvantages
• Allergic reaction by uncoated materials
• Brittle with age
• Will blister if over heated
• To make any adjustment cellulose acetate should be heated at 70 degree
Celsius and then manipulated only when soft.

41. Cellulose aceto-proprionate
• Also a thermo plastic material
• Produced by a forced injection molding process, fewer
steps for production and less wastages
• Material of choice because it is much cheaper to produce
• Metal cores in the temples
• 5/4 of wt. of cellulose acetate, low flammability, easy
produced, can be made thinner than acetate frames.
• Disadvantages
• Less color stability unless it is covered with high quality
frame coating material
• Frames become brittle with age
• Needs more heat than cellulose acetate

42. Polymide
• Means more than one amide, an organic compound of
nylon family, produced like propionate.
• Has considerable mechanical stability and can be made
even thinner than proprionate
• Advantages
• Lighter, hypoallergenic, low flammability, very hard so
durable, can be made thinner than other plastic frames
• Disadvantages
• Will shrink overheated
• Can not be repaired
• Easily affected by heat & Best fitted in cold

43. Optyl
• Thermo elastic material and has a very powerful memory and
will always return to its original shape with heat.
• Has considerably greater durability than other frame material
• Advantages
• Very hard, durable surface, hypoallergenic
• Non flammability, dimensional stability
• 30% lighter than cellulose acetate in weight
• Will not age
• Disadvantage
• Will return to it’s original shape if overheated, losing any
adjustment
• Can’t be repaired

44. Nylon
• Tough material so used in protective
spectacles where they receive tough
treatment
• Highly flexible
• Previously used as sports eyewear
• Disadvantage
• Difficult to adjust & not attractive as other
materials

45. Carbon fiber
• Very tough, yet brittle frame material
• Mainly used for the frame front
• Mad from nylon mixed with a fiber of potassium
titanate
• Advantages
• Light weight , strong , low flammability
• Disadvantage
• Not adjustable
• Color opaque & limited
• Breakage on cold weather

46. Polycarbonate
• Sport and safety eyewear
• Non prescription, lens and frames are molded
as one piece
• Impact resistant
• Shield type glasses
• Disadvantages
• Non adjustable

47. Rubber
• Some sports
eyewear and
sunglasses frames
may be made from a
combinations of
nylon and rubber.
• These frames are
flexible and will
return to their
original shape.
• Not adjustable.