Method of drying molds and apparatus for supplying drying air

Abstract

In a method of drying molds or mold parts for the manufacture of optical lenses, in particular ophthalmic lenses and especially contact lenses, the mold or mold part to be dried is exposed to drying air. For this purpose, humid pressurized air (T) is used to which the mold or mold part is exposed.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a method of drying molds or mold parts for the manufacture of optical lenses and a device for supplying drying air according to the preambles of the independent claims. Background technique [0002] In the manufacture of so-called disposable contact lenses, the mold or mold parts, such as mold halves, will be reused in the manufacturing process after the contact lens is manufactured and demolded. For this purpose, for example, a plurality of male dies can be arranged in one half of a suitable tool and a corresponding number of female dies can be arranged in the other half of the tool. A circular manufacturing process for the manufacture of such disposable contact lenses is described, for example, in WO-A-98 / 42497. [0003] Before being used again in the next cycle, the mold must be cleaned and dried, eg by spraying the mold with water and then exposing it to dry pressurized air. However, it has been proved that as the number ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, it has been proven that as the number of re-uses of the mold halves increases, the contact lens becomes more firmly attached to the mold half, and the automatic release of the contact lens from the mold half becomes more difficult and even affects the quality of the contact lens

On the other hand, these mold halves are high-precision components and are expensive components both in terms of production and cost, so that the edge life of the mold halves must be as long as possible

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