Mitsui Chemicals Group Speeds up Business Expansion for Lens Coating Materials and Equipment

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) today announced that group companies SDC Technologies, Inc. (Head Office: California, U.S.; President & CEO: Richard Chang) and Coburn Technologies, Inc. (Head Office: Connecticut, U.S.; President: Alex Incera) launched sales on January 23, 2025, of a tabletop lens coating system for small to medium-sized processing labs.^*1

Coming as the second collaboration between Coburn and SDC, the new system combines both companies’ know-how and expertise in coating equipment and UV-curable coatings. With a tabletop design, this new system becomes the most compact option among Coburn’s lineup of lens coating systems. Its introduction therefore promises to let small to medium-sized lens processing labs make efficient use of high-quality anti-abrasion lens coatings while taking up minimal space, helping in turn to create more high-performance, scratch-resistant lenses.

The new system will be displayed over February 20–22, 2025, at Vision Expo East 2025, an international vision care exposition to be held in the U.S. state of Florida.

 “The new Velocity TT system delivers a powerful, compact solution that allows labs of all sizes to efficiently hard coat lenses, streamlining processes and conserving valuable time and resources. Even smaller, independent labs can now benefit from high performance coating systems while substantially reducing space and delivering premium, high-quality lenses to the market. With this cutting-edge product, COBURN solidifies its position as the leader in spin coating technology, offering the most comprehensive lineup of systems available on the market today. “

As a leader in optical lens materials, the Mitsui Chemicals Group provides lens manufacturers around the world with a material lineup that leans on the “Quality of View” (QoV)^*2 concept to offer various refractive indices and unique properties, including the MR™ series of high-refractive-index lens materials.

The Mitsui Chemicals Group has gradually expanded its product lineup over the years in the area of coating materials and lens processing equipment, both essential elements for ophthalmic lenses. This expansion has seen the company help improve both the lifespan and performance of lenses. Following the acquisition of SDC in 2008, the Mitsui Chemicals Group acquired anti-fog coatings specialist FSI Coating Technologies in 2010, UV-curable hard coatings manufacturer LTI Coating Technologies in 2014 (later merged into SDC in 2017), anti-reflective and hydrophobic/oleophobic coatings manufacturer COTEC^® in 2020, and ophthalmic lens processing equipment developer, manufacturer and seller Coburn in 2022.

In 2024 the Mitsui Chemicals Group went on to acquire photochromic dye technology from James Robinson Speciality Ingredients, bolstering the Group’s development capabilities for high-performance photochromic lens materials and coating systems. Going forward, the Mitsui Chemicals Group will leverage the coating material technologies and expertise it has cultivated to accelerate the expansion of its business for coating materials and lens processing equipment, as well as to offer sustainable, high-value-added products around the world for use in automotive, construction, optical, medical and other applications.