Method for manufacturing optical elements according to a prescription

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11274361-B2
Application number	US-201816181951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2018
Priority date	Nov 7, 2017
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an optical element according to a prescription is provided, including providing a combination of a block piece and a lens blank having a first face and a second face opposite to the first face, the lens blank being blocked with the first face on the block piece, surfacing and polishing the second face of the lens blank, cleaning the lens blank, hard coating the second face of the lens blank, degassing the lens blank, applying an AR-coating in a vacuum box coater, and deblocking the processed lens blank from the block piece, wherein the cleaning step includes a pre-cleaning step including a finishing drying step allowing the lens blank to be put on hold, and a deep cleaning step prior to the hard coating step.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing an optical element according to prescription, comprising:
providing a combination of a block piece and a lens blank having a first face and second face opposite to the first face, the lens blank being blocked with the first face on the block piece;
surfacing and polishing the second face of the lens blank;
pre-cleaning, the lens blank, the pre-cleaning including a finishing drying which allows the lens blank to be put on hold;
deep cleaning the lens blank;
hard coating the second face of the lens blank;
degassing the lens blank;
applying an antireflection (AR)-coating in a vacuum box coater; and
deblocking the lens blank from the block piece, wherein
the pre-cleaning is applied after the polishing and is configured to remove polishing residuals, and
the deep cleaning is applied prior to the hard coating and is applied in a different working station from a working station of the pre-cleaning.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lens blank is a semi-finished lens blank, the first face of the lens blank presenting a hard coat and/or the AR coating.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-cleaning comprises a first washing performed with a warm cleaning fluid having a temperature comprised between 30° C.-50° C.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the cleaning fluid consists of warm water free of additive chemical agents.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the water presents a hardness comprised between 5-25° d.H.

6. The method according to claim 3 , wherein during the first washing, a rotating cleaning jet of cleaning fluid and pressured gas is projected onto the surfaced and polished second face of the lens blank, the combination of the lens blank and the block piece rotating around a center axis of the lens blank during the first washing.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-cleaning further comprises rinsing with soft water having a hardness less than 3° d.H. performed after a first washing.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-cleaning further comprises a subsequent first drying performed after a last of a first washing or a rinsing.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first drying comprises projection of a pressurized gas jet on the second face of the lens blank, the gas jet being centered with respect to a center axis of the lens blank.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein after the first washing and before the first drying,
the combination of the block piece and the lens blank is disposed in a transportation tray, and
the first drying is performed in a drying chamber separate from a washing chamber where the first washing is performed.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the deep cleaning comprises a second washing with warm cleaning fluid having a temperature comprised between 30° C.-40° C.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein during the second washing, a least a second and a third static cleaning jets of cleaning fluid and pressured gas are projected respectively onto the surfaced and polished second face of the lens blank and onto the block piece, the lens blank being held through at least three gripper arms and rotating around a center axis of the lens blank.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the deep cleaning comprises drying the block piece carried out after the second washing.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the deep cleaning further comprises a third washing with warm deionized water having a temperature comprised between 30° C. -40° C. under high pressure comprised between 150 bars and 200 bars.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein during the third washing,
the lens blank is rotating around a center axis of the lens blank, and
a fourth cleaning jet performing a swiveling or a translational movement is projected towards the second face of the lens blank.

Assignees

• Satisloh Ag

Inventors

• Peter Marc
• Flemming Marcel

Classifications

• B29D11/00865

  Applying coatings; tinting; colouring (printing, marking or copying processes B41M; identification in general G09F3/00; producing decorative effects in general B44C; positioning or marking of lenses B24B13/0055) · CPC title

• B24B13/005

  Blocking means, chucks or the like; Alignment devices · CPC title

• B24B13/0018

  for plane optical surfaces · CPC title

• G02B1/11

  Anti-reflection coatings · CPC title

• C23C14/30 Primary

  by electron bombardment · CPC title