Hasta La Ideas

Based in a former bread factory in Berlin’s Mitte district is the production of IC! Berlin—a frames company that has its roots in a design student graduation project of the University of the Arts (UDK) from 1996. Students at the time, Harald Gottschling and Philipp Haffmanns had the idea to create eyeglass frames with hinges that would work without any screws, so they came up with a unique solution of a snap-in hinge that could be produced from sheet aluminum. And to make even more sense of this concept, the actual frames were created from laser-cut, anodized aluminum sheets.

Encouraged by their professor to turn this project into reality after graduation, they got a patent on their hinges and teamed up with Ralph Anderl to turn their idea into a profitable business. Now, 18 years later, the company has grown to 100 employees, a total product profile of roughly 1,500 different designs (of which about 70 are currently in production) and worldwide distribution. But despite their success and growth, the production has always remained in Berlin Mitte.

A laser cutter is the heart of the frames production. All of the arms and hinges, without exception, are produced with this technology.

Most spectacle frames, apart from the designs made from acetate, are laser-cut from aluminum sheets. But not all of them meet the company’s quality standards, as the scrap container in the picture above shows. They will all be recycled into new sheets of aluminum, so nothing is wasted.

The cut-out frames are being put through a metal roller to give them the right bend for a suitable fit.

After bending, the frames are being put in a steel press to angle the nose rests and the side bits in order to prepare for the assembly of the hinges.

Freshly laser-cut hinge parts and spectacle arms

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