Patent · US Expired

Continuous extrusion-compression molding process for making optical articles

US6042754A · kind A · utility

61Cited by
17References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 30, 1998
Grant dateMar 28, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 30, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S425/808
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

The present invention relates to making optical articles such as opthalmic lenses by molding and, in particular, to using a continuous extrusion-compression molding method to make plastic lenses whereby a polymer melt is fed from an extruder or melting apparatus to a first die of a plurality of rotating or conveyed sequentially processed compression die sets comprising a first die and a second die. The die sets are positioned on die supports on a rotating turntable or conveying system, the lenses formed by compressing the die sets with pressing means associated with each die support, the lenses separated from the dies and the dies recycled to die loading and the melt feed step of the process and the process repeated until the desired number of lenses or other optical articles such as compact disk substrates are produced.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.