Production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12330384-B2
Application number	US-202217931209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2022
Priority date	Sep 14, 2021
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses comprises:
a production line front end ( 1 ) comprising:
a first injection-molding machine ( 10 ) and a second injection-molding machine ( 12 ) a casting module ( 14 ) comprising a filling station ( 144 ) and a capping station ( 145 ); a stacking module ( 15 ) and a curing module ( 16 ); a destacking module ( 17 ) and a demolding and delensing module
a production line back end ( 2 ) comprising: an inspection module ( 21 );

Wherein the inspection module comprising a rail system in which self-driving shuttles carrying the inspection cuvettes are arranged on a closed-loop rail, wherein the rail system can be adapted to the available space in the production plant/hall using curves and straight portions in the manner known from a model railway.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses, in particular contact lenses such as soft contact lenses, for example silicone hydrogel contact lenses, the production line comprising:
a production line front end ( 1 ) comprising:
a first injection-molding machine ( 10 ) arranged in the production line and configured to concurrently produce a plurality of front curve plastic lens molds (FCM) within a predetermined cycle time of less than ten seconds;
a second injection-molding machine ( 12 ) arranged in the production line and configured to concurrently produce a corresponding plurality of base curve plastic lens molds (BCM) within the same predetermined cycle time of less than ten seconds;
a casting module ( 14 ) comprising
a filling station ( 144 ) configured to dose a predetermined amount of lens-forming material into a predetermined number of the front curve plastic lens molds (FCM),
a capping station ( 145 ) configured to place a corresponding number of the base curve plastic lens molds (BCM) having the same age as the predetermined number of front curve plastic lens molds (FCM) on the predetermined number of front curve plastic lens molds (FCM) containing the predetermined amount of lens-forming material, to form a corresponding number of closed plastic lens molds (BCM/FCM) containing the lens-forming material;

a first transfer robot ( 1470 ) configured to transfer the corresponding number of closed plastic lens molds (BCM/FCM) containing the lens-forming material from the casting module ( 14 ) to
a stacking module ( 15 ) comprising
a plurality of lens mold trays ( 150 ), each lens mold tray ( 150 ) configured for being loaded with a multiple of the corresponding number of closed plastic lens molds (BCM/FCM) transferred by the first transfer robot ( 1470 ) and containing the lens-forming material,
a stacking robot for stacking a plurality of lens mold trays ( 150 ) loaded with the closed plastic lens molds containing the lens-forming material to form a stack ( 151 ) of lens mold trays ( 150 );

a curing module ( 16 ) comprising
a plurality of ovens ( 160 ),
a stack handling robot ( 162 ),
wherein each individual oven ( 160 ) of the plurality of ovens comprises a heatable chamber ( 161 ) sized to accommodate a said stack ( 151 ) of lens mold trays ( 150 ) carrying the closed plastic lens molds (BCM/FCM) as well as a door for opening and closing the chamber ( 161 ), to allow the stack handling robot ( 162 ) to load a said stack ( 151 ) of lens mold trays ( 150 ) loaded with the closed plastic lens molds (BCM/FCM) containing the lens-forming material into the heatable chamber ( 161 ) when the door is open, to allow the heatable chamber ( 161 ) to be heated to a predetermined temperature to effect curing of the lens-forming material to form cured lenses (CL) in the closed plastic lens molds on the individual lens mold trays ( 150 ) of the stack ( 151 ) when the door is closed, and to allow the stack handling robot ( 162 ) to remove a said stack ( 151 ) of lens mold trays ( 150 ) loaded with the closed plastic lens molds (BCM/FCM) containing the cured lenses (CL) from the chamber ( 161 ) when the door is open again, and;

a destacking module ( 17 ) comprising a destacking robot configured to destack the individual lens mold trays ( 150 ) from the stack ( 151 ) of lens mold trays ( 150 ) removed from the chamber ( 161 ) of a said oven ( 160 ) for allowing access to the closed plastic molds (BCM/FCM) of each individual lens mold tray ( 150 );
a second transfer robot ( 180 ) configured to transfer a predetermined number of the closed plastic lens molds (BCM/FCM) containing the cured lenses (CL) from a said individual lens mold tray ( 150 ) to
a demolding and delensing module ( 18 ) comprising
a demolding station ( 1813 , 1820 ) configured to open the predetermined number of closed plastic lens molds (BCM/FCM) by separating the base curve plastic lens molds (BCM) and the front curve plastic lens molds (FCM) from each other, with the cured lenses adhering either to the base curve plastic lens molds (BCM) or to the front curve plastic lens molds (FCM),
a delensing station ( 1817 , 1827 ) configured to release the cured lenses (CL) from the base curve plastic lens molds (BCM) or from the front curve plastic lens molds (FCM),
a transfer gripper (TG 2 ) configured to transfer the cured lenses (CL) released from the delensing station to a treatment carrier tray ( 200 );

a production line back end ( 2 ) comprising:
a treatment module ( 20 ) for a liquid bath treatment of the cured lenses (CL) carried by the treatment carrier tray ( 200 ) to obtain the ophthalmic lenses;
an inspection module ( 21 ) for the inspection of the ophthalmic lenses; and
a primary packaging module ( 22 ) for packaging those ophthalmic lenses that have successfully passed the inspection in primary packaging containers,
wherein
either the inspection module ( 21 ) comprises
a closed-loop rail ( 210 ) having a geometric shape that can be freely determined so as to fit in the space defined by a room where the closed-loop rail ( 210 ) is to be arranged, a plurality of shuttles ( 211 ) arranged on the closed-loop rail ( 210 ), each shuttle ( 211 ) carrying a plurality of inspection cuvettes ( 2110 ) arranged thereon;
a plurality of inspection stations ( 2100 - 21010 ) arranged along the closed-loop rail ( 210 ),
or the individual ovens ( 160 ) of the curing module ( 16 ) are arranged in a pattern that can be freely determined so as to fit in the space defined by a room where the ovens ( 160 ) are to be arranged, and the stack handling robot ( 162 ) is arranged on a track that is shaped to allow the stack handling robot ( 162 ) to load a said stack ( 151 ) of lens mold trays ( 150 ) into and to remove a said stack ( 151 ) of lens mold trays ( 150 ) from the heatable chamber ( 161 ) of each individual oven ( 160 ) of the plurality of ovens,
or both,

wherein the first injection-molding machine ( 10 ) comprises a first tool half ( 101 ) and a second tool half ( 102 ), the first tool half ( 101 ) and the second tool half ( 102 ) being movably arranged relative to one another between a closed position for injection-molding of the front curve plastic molds (FCM) and an open position for removal of the molded front curve plastic molds (FCM),
wherein the first tool half ( 101 ) comprises a first tooling plate ( 1013 ) to which a plurality of individual first sleeves ( 1014 ) are pre-mounted, each of the individual first sleeves ( 1014 ) having an individual optical tool insert ( 1015 ) mounted thereto that determines the shape of a concave optical front surface of the front curve plastic lens mold (FCM) formed by the individual optical tool insert ( 1015 ),
and wherein the second tool half ( 102 ) comprises a second tooling plate ( 1023 ) to which a plurality of individual second sleeves ( 1024 ) are pre-mounted, each of the individual second sleeves ( 1024 ) having an individual back piece insert ( 1025 ) mounted thereto that determines the shape of a convex back surface of the front curve plastic lens mold (FCM) formed by the individual back piece insert ( 1025 ),
wherein the first tool half ( 101 ) further comprises a first slot ( 1012 ) accommodating the first tooling plate ( 1013 ), the first slot ( 1012 ) allowing to mount the first tooling plate ( 1013 ) by sliding the first tooling plate ( 1013 ) into the first slot ( 1012 ) and then fixing the first tooling plate ( 1013 ), and allowing to demount the first tooling plate ( 1013 ) by unfixing the first tooling plate ( 1013 ) and then pulling the first tooling plate ( 1013 ) out of the first slot ( 1012 ),
and wherein the second tool half ( 102 ) further comprises a second slot ( 1022 ) accommodating the second tooling plate ( 1023 ), the second slot ( 1022 ) allowing to mount the second tooling plate ( 1022

Assignees

• Alcon Inc

Inventors

• Schwab Matthias
• Braun Matthias
• Biel Roger
• Schweizer Nils
• Gollas Nicholas
• Fechner Susanne
• Zong shu

Classifications

• B65B25/008

  packaging of contact lenses · CPC title

• B29D11/0025

  Removing impurities from contact lenses, e.g. leaching · CPC title

• B29D11/0024

  using a vacuum suction gripper · CPC title

• B29D11/00182

  using carrier plates · CPC title

• B29D11/00134

  Curing of the contact lens material · CPC title