Optical element manufacturing device and optical element shaping mold set

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10077201-B2
Application number	US-201615283231-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2016
Priority date	May 27, 2014
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

An optical element manufacturing device includes a mold set including: a first shaping mold and a second shaping mold facing each other with a shaping-target material between the first and second shaping molds, and a sleeve located around the first and second shaping molds; and a plurality of stages on which the mold set is conveyed and which heat, press or cool the shaping-target material. The sleeve is conveyed to the stages in such a manner that a conveyance-direction front side of the mold set in an arrangement direction of the plurality of stages has a heat insulation portion with a heat insulation property that is higher than that on a conveyance-direction rear side of the mold set in order to reduce a temperature distribution in the shaping-target material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical element manufacturing device comprising:
a mold set including a first shaping mold and a second shaping mold facing each other with a shaping-target material between the first and second shaping molds, and a sleeve located around the first and second shaping molds; and
a plurality of stages on which the mold set is conveyed and which heat, press or cool the shaping-target material, wherein
the sleeve is conveyed to the stages in such a manner that a conveyance-direction front side of the mold set in an arrangement direction of the plurality of stages has a heat insulation portion with a heat insulation property that is higher than that on a conveyance-direction rear side of the mold set in order to reduce a temperature distribution in the shaping-target material.

2. An optical element manufacturing device comprising:
a mold set including a first shaping mold and a second shaping mold facing each other with a shaping-target material between the first and second shaping molds, and a sleeve located around the first and second shaping molds; and
a plurality of stages on which the mold set is conveyed and which heat, press or cool the shaping-target material, wherein
the sleeve is conveyed to the stages in such a manner that at least one of horizontal directions, which are orthogonal to arrangement directions of the plurality of stages, has a heat insulation portion with a heat insulation property that is higher than that on a conveyance-direction rear side of the mold set in the arrangement directions in order to reduce a temperature distribution in the shaping-target material.

3. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 2 , wherein
the heat insulation portion includes a first heat insulation portion formed in one of horizontal directions, which is orthogonal to the arrangement directions, and a second heat insulation portion formed in the other of the horizontal directions.

4. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 3 , wherein
the first and second heat insulation portions have a same heat insulation property or different heat insulation properties.

5. An optical element manufacturing device comprising:
a mold set including a first shaping mold and a second shaping mold facing each other with a shaping-target material between the first and second shaping molds, and a sleeve located around the first and second shaping molds; and
a shaping chamber in which a gas intake is formed through which a substitution gas flows into the shaping chamber, wherein
the sleeve is conveyed to the stages in such a manner that a side of the gas intake in circumferential directions of the sleeve has a heat insulation portion with a heat insulation property that is higher than a side of at least part of other portions in order to reduce a temperature distribution in the shaping-target material.

6. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the sleeve has a sleeve main body, and an outer layer portion located on a portion further out than the sleeve main body, and
the heat insulation portion is formed on the outer layer portion.

7. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 6 , wherein
the mold set further includes a turning prevention member that prevents the outer layer portion from turning in the mold set.

8. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a conveyance robot that conveys the mold set to the stages, wherein
the conveyance robot conveys the mold set without changing a turning direction of the mold set.

9. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the heat insulation portion has a portion that is thick in radial directions of the sleeve.

10. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein
a through hole that pierces the sleeve in radial directions is formed in the sleeve, and
the heat insulation portion is a portion in which the though hole is not formed.

11. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the heat insulation portion is a portion made of a material that is different from that of the sleeve.

12. The optical element manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the stage has a pair of temperature adjustment members facing each other with the mold set between the temperature adjustment members,
the optical element manufacturing device further includes a temperature control unit that controls temperatures of the temperature adjustment members, and
the temperature control unit controls temperatures of the temperature adjustment members in order to reduce a temperature distribution in the shaping-target material.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Yanagisawa Junichi

Classifications

• B29C2043/3628

  moving inside a barrel or container like sleeve · CPC title

• C03B2215/72

  Barrel presses or equivalent, e.g. of the ring mould type · CPC title

• C03B2215/03

  defined by material properties or parameters, e.g. relative CTE of mould parts · CPC title

• C03B11/16

  Gearing or controlling mechanisms specially adapted for glass presses · CPC title

• C03B2215/66

  Means for providing special atmospheres, e.g. reduced pressure, inert gas, reducing gas, clean room · CPC title