Adhesive mountable stack of removable layers
An eye protector includes a lens configured to protect the wearer from projectiles, and an optically clear stack attached to the lens. The stack can have one or more removable layers. The eye protector also includes an optically clear dry mount adhesive layer attaching the stack to the lens. The dry mount adhesive may be self-wetting to attach the stack to the lens so that air between the stack and the lens can be removed after the stack is attached and/or adhered to the lens, for example, by applying pressure across the surface of the stack. The refractive indices of the lens, the dry mount adhesive, and each removable layer are matched to within about 0.2.
1. A method of protecting an eye protector, the eye protector having a center portion defining a center of gaze of a wearer, the method comprising:
selecting a first lens having a first optically clear dry mount adhesive layer on a lower surface of the first lens;
removing a protective liner and exposing the optically clear dry mount adhesive layer on the first lens, the optically clear dry mount adhesive layer being positioned between the lower surface of the first lens and the removable protective liner;
dry mounting the first lens to the eye protector so that the first optically clear dry mount adhesive layer forms a continuous and uninterrupted adhesive layer over the center portion of the eye protector;
selecting a second lens having a second optically clear dry mount adhesive layer on a lower surface of the second lens; and
dry mounting the second lens to the first lens so that the second optically clear dry mount adhesive layer forms a continuous and uninterrupted adhesive layer over the center portion of the eye protector,
wherein each of the first optically clear dry mount adhesive layer and the second optically clear dry mount adhesive layers are self-wetting.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of removing air between the first lens and the eye protector after the first lens is attached to the eye protector via the optically clear dry mount adhesive layer by applying pressure to the first lens.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of removing air bubbles between the second lens and the first lens after the second lens is attached to the first lens via the optically clear dry mount adhesive layer by applying pressure to the second lens.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of breaking the adhesive bond between the second lens and the first lens to remove at least the center portion of the second lens, the breaking step further comprising gripping and pulling a tab on the second lens to remove at least the center portion of the second lens and expose the center portion of the first lens.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of dry mounting the second lens to the first lens establishes a peel strength between the second lens and the first lens that is less than the peel strength between the first lens and the eye protector.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the thickness of each of the first and second optically clear dry mount adhesive layers is between 0.4 mils and 0.8 mils.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the thickness of each of the first and second lens is between 0.5 mils and 14 mils.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the thickness of each of the first and second lens is at least 8 mils.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first lens has a thickness different from that of the second lens.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first lens, the second lens, and each dry mount adhesive layer each have respective refractive indexes matched to within 0.2.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting a third lens having a second optically clear dry mount adhesive layer on a lower surface of the third lens; and
dry mounting the third lens to the second lens so that the third optically clear dry mount adhesive layer firms a continuous and uninterrupted adhesive layer over the center portion of the eye protector,
wherein the third optically clear dry mount adhesive layer is self-wetting.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first lens, the second lens, the third lens, and each dry mount adhesive layer all have respective refractive indexes matched to within 0.2.