Method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device and manufacturing system configured to perform such a method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device, the method comprising providing a starting optical member (5) and inkjet printing a complementary optical member (10) on the starting optical member by at least one inkjet printhead (6), and at least one inkjet printhead having a plurality of nozzles configured to project a volume of predetermined material, where inkjet printing includes tilting the at least one inkjet printhead relative to the starting optical member and / or rotating the starting optical member during inkjet printing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for additive manufacturing of ophthalmic devices and a manufacturing system configured to perform such a method.

[0002] The present disclosure also relates to a command and control unit including system elements configured to run a computer program to implement at least some steps of the additive manufacturing method; and to a manufacturing system including such a command and control unit and configured to perform such a method.

[0003] The present disclosure also relates to a computer program including instructions configured to implement additive manufacturing of such a method when the computer program is run by a computer; and to a client-server communication interface for transmitting at least manufacturing data to a remote computer, the manufacturing data being determined by a computer program implementing at least some parts of such a method, and when the computer program runs in the command and control unit, the remote computer implements other parts of such a method. Background Art

[0004] It is known to use additive manufacturing techniques to manufacture ophthalmic devices, such as spectacle lenses.

[0005] Known methods for additive manufacturing of ophthalmic lenses (such as stereolithography and its variants) include curing steps and layering steps that are successively performed in a manufacturing system including a curing device, a layering device, and a build platform positioned relative to a vat filled with a predetermined material.

[0006] For example, each ophthalmic lens is built layer by layer on a build platform that can be moved relative to a vat containing a certain volume of a predetermined material. The build platform is located at a predetermined position, and a curing device including an irradiation source performs the curing step of the first material layer, and the layering device performs the layering step at least according to the displacement of the build platform so that a new material layer of a predetermined thickness can be cured, and so on.

[0007] In other words, in such a known method, the curing step is performed on such a layer that is, for example, a liquid for a plurality of ophthalmic lenses to be manufactured on the build platform. The liquid layer thus hardens, and then the layering step is performed to form a new liquid layer on the previously hardened layer of the plurality of ophthalmic lenses to be manufactured.

[0008] Another additive manufacturing method may include successively depositing droplets of a liquid material and curing them to form a layer of material. This method (commonly referred to as 3D printing or inkjet printing) typically controls the shape of the layer by controlling the position and volume of the deposited droplets, while the curing step is typically global. Other additive manufacturing methods may also be used.

[0009] Given the mass production of articles, manufacturing a complete optical lens layer by layer through additive manufacturing can be time-consuming.

[0010] In this regard, the so-called "build over" technique can be used to reduce manufacturing time. Such a build over technique is disclosed, for example, in International Applications WO 2015004383 A1 and WO 2020115061 A1, in which at least one complementary optical member is additively manufactured adjacent to a starting optical member.

[0011] Therefore, there is a need to provide a method for additively manufacturing an ophthalmic device by build over and inkjet printing. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The present disclosure relates to a method for additively manufacturing an ophthalmic device, for example, by build over and inkjet printing, which is simple and convenient to implement.

[0013] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a method for additively manufacturing an ophthalmic device, the method comprising the step of providing a starting optical member and the step of inkjet printing a complementary optical member onto the starting optical member by means of at least one inkjet printhead having a plurality of nozzles configured to project a predetermined volume of material, wherein the inkjet printing step comprises the step of tilting the at least one inkjet printhead and the starting optical member relative to each other and / or the step of rotating the starting optical member during inkjet printing.

[0014] By the method according to the present disclosure, a large number of complementary optical members having different geometric characteristics (including diameter or profile) can be printed on a given number of starting optical members.

[0015] In other words, compared with the above-known solutions, the method according to the present disclosure allows printing on a larger surface of a given starting optical member.

[0016] More generally, the method according to the present disclosure allows the use of 3D inkjet printing technology to manufacture pseudo-spherical substrates having different geometric characteristics (including diameter or profile) on a number of things that can be equivalent to substrates or "standard" blanks that are easily manufacturable in mass production.

[0017] In other words, any ophthalmic device formed by a combination of a customized complementary optical element and a standard blank or substrate can be printed.

[0018] Thus, the method according to the present disclosure allows for the formation of personalized final ophthalmic devices based on standard blanks in a particularly convenient manner.

[0019] Of course, the substrate or standard blank can have a simple or complex surface and, for example, a curved surface and / or a convex surface.

[0020] In embodiments that perform both tilting the at least one inkjet printhead and the starting optical element relative to each other and rotating the starting optical element during inkjet printing, compared to known methods, printing can also be performed on a large number of starting optical elements. In fact, printing can thus be performed on starting optical elements with different convex curvatures.

[0021] The starting optical element can be formed by the ophthalmic element itself, i.e., the part of the final ophthalmic device equivalent to the blank as described above; or by a part intended for manufacturing the final ophthalmic device, i.e., a mold for example, on the surface of which the complementary optical element is printed and into which the blank is then molded or cast or injected.

[0022] In a variant, the complementary optical element is removed from the mold and then assembled with the substrate or standard blank.

[0023] This is due to one or a combination of the rotation of the starting optical element and the tilting of the at least one inkjet printhead relative to the starting optical element.

[0024] In the method according to the present disclosure, the starting optical element can rotate during inkjet printing. During the method, the rotational movement can be continuous. The rotational movement is not used to set the starting optical element in a fixed position before performing inkjet printing, but is used to provide rotation of the starting optical element during the deposition of the material droplets.

[0025] The tilting of the at least one inkjet printhead and the starting optical element relative to each other can include the tilting of the inkjet printhead relative to the starting optical element, or the tilting of the starting optical element relative to the inkjet printhead, or the tilting of both.

[0026] Advantageous and convenient features of the manufacturing method are described below.

[0027] The starting optical element rotates about a rotation axis and has an upper surface, such as a convex surface, above which, facing the at least one inkjet printhead, the at least one inkjet printhead is tilted relative to the rotation axis.

[0028] The method comprises the steps of determining at least one tilt angle of the at least one inkjet printhead based at least on the geometric characteristics of a predetermined material and / or a starting optical element and / or a complementary optical element to be manufactured so as to obtain an ophthalmic device.

[0029] The at least one tilt angle of the at least one inkjet printhead can also be predetermined.

[0030] The inkjet printing step comprises the step of positioning the at least one inkjet printhead at a distance value selected from a plurality of distance values from the starting optical element.

[0031] The distance value is selected in such a way that the inkjet printhead can project droplets onto different working areas of the starting optical element, thus allowing a larger surface area to be used on a given starting optical element.

[0032] The at least one inkjet printhead can also be positioned at a predetermined distance value.

[0033] The method comprises the steps of determining at least one position of the at least one inkjet printhead relative to the starting optical element based at least on the geometric characteristics of a predetermined material and / or a starting optical element and / or a complementary optical element to be manufactured so as to obtain an ophthalmic device.

[0034] The distance value lies between the minimum height at which the predetermined material can form droplets and the maximum height at which the droplets of the predetermined material are accurately deposited on the starting optical element.

[0035] A droplet is herein considered to be a volume of material without a tail or associated parts.

[0036] The inkjet printing step comprises a first sequence in which the at least one inkjet printhead is tilted and / or positioned in a first position relative to the starting optical element so as to print a first section of the complementary optical element on a first part of the starting optical element, and a second sequence in which the at least one inkjet printhead is tilted and / or positioned in a second position relative to the starting optical element so as to print a second section of the complementary optical element on a second part of the starting optical element.

[0037] The second part can be at least partially different from the first part.

[0038] In a variant, the second part can be at least partially similar to the first part, such that the droplets projected during the second sequence are deposited on the droplets deposited during the first sequence.

[0039] The inkjet printing step can be carried out by means of a plurality of inkjet printheads, each having a plurality of nozzles and each being tilted and / or positioned at a respective determined position relative to the starting optical element.

[0040] For example, the inkjet print heads may have similar or different tilt angles and may be positioned symmetrically or asymmetrically with respect to a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the starting optical member.

[0041] For example, the inkjet print heads may have different tilt angles and may be located on the same side of a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the starting optical member.

[0042] For example, the distance values between each inkjet print head and the starting optical member may be similar or different.

[0043] The method may include the steps of determining a manufacturing configuration based at least on a predetermined material and / or the geometric characteristics of the starting optical member and / or the complementary optical member to be manufactured in order to obtain an ophthalmic device and / or the optical function of the ophthalmic device to be manufactured, the manufacturing configuration including operating parameters such as the tilt angle and / or position and / or printing resolution of the at least one inkjet print head and / or the rotational speed of the starting optical member.

[0044] The printing resolution includes: a process resolution that corresponds to an angular resolution defined at least based on the rotational speed of the starting optical member and the nozzle emission frequency; and a print head resolution that corresponds to a radial resolution of the print head defined at least based on the number and arrangement of the nozzles.

[0045] The manufacturing configuration includes a number of sequences, for each of which some nozzles are enabled and some nozzles are disabled.

[0046] At least one sequence may correspond to at least one full rotation of the starting optical member or to less than one full rotation of the starting optical member.

[0047] According to a second aspect, the present disclosure also provides a command and control unit that includes system elements configured to run a computer program in order to implement at least some of the steps of the additive manufacturing method for manufacturing an ophthalmic device as described above.

[0048] According to a third aspect, the present disclosure further provides a manufacturing system that includes: an inkjet printer that includes at least one inkjet print head having a plurality of nozzles; and the command and control unit as described above, the system being configured to perform the steps of the additive manufacturing method as described above.

[0049] According to a fourth aspect, the present disclosure also provides a computer program that includes instructions configured to implement at least some of the steps of the additive manufacturing method as described above when the computer program is run by a computer.

[0050] According to a fifth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a client-server communication interface for transmitting manufacturing data, such as, for example, tilt angle and / or rotation speed, to a remote computer, the manufacturing data being determined by a computer program that implements at least some of the steps of the method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device as described above, and when the computer program runs in a command and control unit, the remote computer implements other steps of such an additive manufacturing method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] The description of the present disclosure will now continue with a detailed description of the embodiments given below by way of non-limiting examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a manufacturing system configured to perform a method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device.

[0053] Figure 2 Illustrates diagrammatically a client-server communication interface that includes system components configured to transmit at least one configuration parameter determined by a method according to the present disclosure to a remote data processing system.

[0054] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the steps of a method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device according to the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 4 is a schematic view showing a method performed according to a first embodiment.

[0056] Figure 5 and Figure 6 is a schematic view showing a method performed according to a second embodiment.

[0057] Figure 7 and Figure 8 is a schematic view showing a method performed according to a variant of the second embodiment.

[0058] Figure 9 is a schematic view showing a method performed according to a third embodiment.

[0059] Figure 10 is a schematic view showing a method performed according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] Figure 1 Schematically shows a manufacturing system 1 configured to perform a method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device 2.

[0061] In the illustrated embodiment, the manufacturing system 1 is an additive system configured to manufacture the ophthalmic device 2 layer by layer, each layer 3 being formed by at least partial polymerization and hardening of a volume of a predetermined material 11.

[0062] In this regard, the manufacturing system 1 includes an additive unit, also referred to as an additive manufacturing module, and herein formed by an inkjet printer 4, which is configured to project a volume of a predetermined material in the shape of droplets.

[0063] The predetermined material is suitable for manufacturing the ophthalmic device 2, such as a liquid resin for manufacturing glasses.

[0064] The inkjet printer 4 includes one or more inkjet printheads 6, each inkjet printhead having a plurality of nozzles from which the predetermined material is ejected in the form of droplets.

[0065] The droplets are herein considered to be a volume of material without a tail or associated part.

[0066] Each printhead 6 has a predetermined number of nozzles and their predetermined arrangement. The nozzles can be enabled or disabled.

[0067] The inkjet printer 4 may further include a command and control unit 7, which includes system elements configured to run a computer program including instructions configured to implement at least some steps of an additive manufacturing method for manufacturing the ophthalmic device 2 according to the present disclosure.

[0068] The command and control unit 7 may be configured to command and control the printhead 6, in particular the printhead resolution, which corresponds to the radial resolution of the printhead 6 defined at least according to the number and arrangement of the nozzles.

[0069] The command and control unit 7 may be configured to command and control the enabling and / or disabling of each nozzle and the emission frequency (if any) of each nozzle.

[0070] The nozzle emission frequency may be variable or fixed.

[0071] The nozzle emission frequency may depend at least on the geometric characteristics of the starting optical member 5 and / or the geometric characteristics of the complementary optical member and / or the rotational speed of the starting optical member and / or the position of the printhead (including the tilt and radial offset relative to the axis of rotation).

[0072] The command and control unit 7 may be configured to command and control the position of the printhead 6.

[0073] The inkjet printer 4 is herein located on the upper side of the starting optical member 5 and is configured to stack and build the complementary optical member 10 formed by the layers 3 on the starting optical member 5.

[0074] In other words, the starting optical member 5 may have an upper surface, such as a convex surface, above which the print head 6 is oriented.

[0075] The command and control unit 7 may be configured to position the print head 6 at a distance value selected from a plurality of distance values from the starting optical member 5.

[0076] This distance value lies between the minimum height at which a predetermined material can form droplets and the maximum height at which droplets of the predetermined material are deposited accurately on the starting optical member 5.

[0077] The starting optical member 5 can rotate about a rotation axis R here, and the print head 6 and the starting optical member 5 can be inclined relative to each other and / or the print head 6 can be inclined relative to the rotation axis R.

[0078] In this regard, the command and control unit 7 may also be configured to command and control the inclination angle between the print head 6 and the starting optical member 5 relative to each other and the rotational speed of the starting optical member 5 about the rotation axis R.

[0079] Additionally, the command and control unit 7 may be configured to command and control the printing resolution of the print head 6, which includes: a process resolution corresponding to an angular resolution defined at least based on the rotational speed of the starting optical member 5 and the nozzle emission frequency; and a print head resolution as defined above.

[0080] For example, the obtained ophthalmic device 2 may be a combination of the complementary optical member 10 and the starting optical member 5 (if the latter itself forms a substrate or a standard blank).

[0081] In a variant, the starting optical member may be part of a molding device, and the complementary optical member may be built on the molding device, then removed from the starting optical member, and then assembled with a separate standard blank.

[0082] In another variant, the starting optical member may be part of a molding device, the complementary optical member is built on a part of the molding device, and then the standard blank is directly molded, cast, or injected into the molding device and onto the complementary optical member.

[0083] In another variant, the starting optical member may be part of a molding device, the complementary optical member is built on a part of the molding device, and is formed to be directly mountable in a pair of spectacle frames.

[0084] Figure 2Shows a client - server communication interface 24, which includes, for example, a so - called supplier side 29a and another so - called client side 29b, and the two sides communicate via an Internet interface 28.

[0085] The supplier side includes a server 29a, which is linked to a data - processing system or a command - and - control unit 27a of the same type as the Figure 1 disclosed command - and - control unit 7. This server 29a is configured to communicate with the Internet interface 28.

[0086] The client side 29b is configured to communicate with the Internet interface 28 and is linked to a data - processing system or a command - and - control unit 27b of the same type as the supplier side.

[0087] In addition, the command - and - control unit 27b on the client side is linked to a manufacturing system 1b of the same type as the Figure 1 one in, for manufacturing an ophthalmic device 2b layer by layer 3b after layer 3b.

[0088] For example, the command - and - control unit 27b on the client side is configured to receive from the user some parameters regarding the ophthalmic device to be machined, regarding an inkjet printer 4, and regarding a manufacturing method intended to implement additive manufacturing of the ophthalmic device 2b.

[0089] The command - and - control unit 27b on the client side uses the Internet 28 and the server 29a interface to send the received data to the command - and - control unit 27a on the supplier side for determining manufacturing files and operating parameters.

[0090] The command - and - control unit 27a on the supplier side executes the computer program it contains in order to implement some steps of the method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device.

[0091] Using the server 29a and the Internet interface 28, the command - and - control unit 27a on the supplier side sends the manufacturing files and operating parameters to the command - and - control unit 27b on the client side.

[0092] The command - and - control unit 27b on the client side is configured here to execute software for implementing other steps of the method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device.

[0093] In a variant, the manufacturing system can be located on the supplier side, such that the command - and - control unit on the supplier side is configured to both determine manufacturing files and operating parameters and additively manufacture an ophthalmic device.

[0094] Figure 3 Is a block diagram showing the main steps of a method 100 for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device 2 performed by the manufacturing system 1 as described above.

[0095] The method includes step 101 of providing a starting optical element 5.

[0096] The method may include the following steps:

[0097] - providing geometric characteristics of the starting optical element 5;

[0098] - providing geometric characteristics of a complementary optical element 10 to be manufactured to obtain an ophthalmic device 2;

[0099] - providing parameters of a predetermined material; and / or

[0100] - providing an optical function of the ophthalmic device 2 to be manufactured.

[0101] The method further includes step 102 of rotating the starting optical element 5.

[0102] The method may also pre-include the following step 120: determining the rotation speed of the starting optical element 5 at least according to the predetermined material and / or the geometric characteristics of the starting optical element 5 and / or the complementary optical element 10 to be manufactured to obtain an ophthalmic device 2 and / or the optical function of the ophthalmic device 2 to be manufactured.

[0103] The method further includes step 103 of tilting an inkjet print head 6 and the starting optical element 5 relative to each other.

[0104] The method may also pre-include the following step 130: determining at least one tilt angle of the inkjet print head 6 at least according to the predetermined material and / or the geometric characteristics of the starting optical element 5 and / or the complementary optical element 10 to be manufactured to obtain an ophthalmic device 2.

[0105] The tilting of the inkjet print head 6 and the starting optical element 5 relative to each other may include tilting of the inkjet print head 6 relative to the starting optical element 5, or tilting of the starting optical element 5 relative to the inkjet print head 6, or tilting of both.

[0106] The method further includes step 104 of positioning the inkjet print head 6 at a distance value selected from a plurality of distance values from the starting optical element 5.

[0107] The method may also pre-include the following step 140: determining at least one position of the inkjet print head 6 relative to the starting optical element 5 at least according to the predetermined material and / or the geometric characteristics of the starting optical element 5 and / or the complementary optical element 10 to be manufactured to obtain an ophthalmic device 2.

[0108] The method further includes step 105 of inkjet printing the complementary optical element 10 on the starting optical element 5 in a stacked construction mode.

[0109] The method may also pre-include the following step 150: determining the printing resolution of the inkjet printhead 6 at least based on the predetermined material and / or the starting optical element 5 and / or the geometric characteristics of the complementary optical element 10 to be manufactured so as to obtain the ophthalmic device 2 and / or the optical function of the ophthalmic device 2 to be manufactured, the printing resolution being defined as described above.

[0110] In other words, the method may include the following steps: determining a manufacturing configuration that includes operating parameters such as the tilt angle of the inkjet printhead 6 determined in step 130 and / or the position of the inkjet printhead 6 determined in step 140 and / or the printing resolution of the inkjet printhead 6 determined in step 150 and / or the rotational speed of the starting optical element 5 determined in step 120.

[0111] It should be noted that the inkjet printing step 105 may include a manufacturing configuration having one or several sequences.

[0112] For example, the inkjet printing step 105 may include at least a first sequence in which the inkjet printhead 6 is tilted relative to the starting optical element 5 and / or located at a first position so as to print a first portion of the complementary optical element 10 on a first part of the starting optical element 5, and then at least a second sequence in which the inkjet printhead 6 is tilted relative to the starting optical element 5 and / or located at a second position so as to print a second portion of the complementary optical element 10 on a second part of the starting optical element 5.

[0113] The second part may be at least partially different from or at least partially similar to the first part.

[0114] The first sequence and the second sequence may be performed sequentially or simultaneously by several inkjet printheads 6.

[0115] Thus, the manufacturing configuration may include several sequences, for each of which some nozzles are enabled and some nozzles are disabled.

[0116] At least one sequence may correspond to at least one revolution of the starting optical element 5, or to less than one revolution of the starting optical element 5.

[0117] Of course, between two sequences, the printhead may be radially displaced relative to the rotational axis of the starting optical element 5.

[0118] In an embodiment, two printheads may be arranged to have different tilt angles relative to the starting optical element and a radial offset relative to each other.

[0119] Figure 4Shows a rotating starting optical member 5 and an inkjet print head 6, which is inclined at an inclination angle Ta with respect to the rotation axis of the starting optical member 5 and is located at a fixed distance from the starting optical member 5, to project a material onto the starting optical member 5 and form a layer 3 in order to construct a complementary optical member 10 on the starting optical member 5.

[0120] Figure 5 and Figure 6 Shows a starting optical member 5 configured to rotate and an inkjet print head 6, which is inclined at an inclination angle Ta with respect to the rotation axis of the starting optical member 5 and is located at a variable distance from the starting optical member 5, to project a material and form a layer 3 in order to construct a complementary optical member 10 on the starting optical member 5. In Figure 5 the inkjet print head 6 is at a first distance from the starting optical member 5 and forms a first layer, and in Figure 6 the inkjet print head 6 is at a second distance greater than the first distance from the starting optical member 5 and forms a second layer higher than the first layer on the starting optical member 5.

[0121] Here, the second layer is added to the unstacked part of the starting optical member.

[0122] In a variant, the second layer can be at least partially added to a part of the first layer.

[0123] Thus, Figure 5 and Figure 6 shows that by changing the distance, a larger area can be inkjet printed on the starting optical member 5 (for example, compared to rotating the print head at a fixed distance from the starting optical member 5 and depositing ink only in the part of the starting optical member within a given distance from the print head).

[0124] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Similar to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , except that the nozzles of the enabled print head 6 are more than those in Figure 5 and Figure 6 .

[0125] Thus, multiple layers 3 can be formed simultaneously on different parts of the starting optical member 5.

[0126] In an embodiment, at least one layer can cover a part of itself in a spiral manner.

[0127] Figure 7 Shows that when the print head 6 is at a first distance from the starting optical member 5, the layer 3 is formed on both the lower side and the upper side of the starting optical member 5, and Figure 8It shows that when the print head 6 is at a second distance from the starting optical member 5, other layers 3 are also formed on both the lower and upper sides of the starting optical member 5.

[0128] In the present disclosure, even if two stacked parts of the starting optical member 5 are away from each other, that is, not adjacent and not in contact, the printing resolution can take into account any position of the starting optical member and any layer that has been printed at a given distance, in order to deposit subsequent material layers.

[0129] Thus, Figure 7 and Figure 8 It shows that by changing the distance and enabling the doubling nozzles, a larger area can be inkjet printed on the starting optical member 5 more quickly, and different parts can also be inkjet printed simultaneously.

[0130] In Figure 9 the embodiment, the inkjet printer includes two print heads 6, one of which is inclined at an inclination angle Ta with respect to the starting optical member 5, and the other print head is not inclined and is thus arranged substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis R around which the starting optical member 5 rotates.

[0131] In Figure 10 the embodiment, the inkjet printer also includes two print heads 6, one of which is inclined at a first inclination angle Ta1 with respect to the starting optical member 5, and the other print head is inclined at a second inclination angle Ta2 with respect to the starting optical member 5, and the second inclination angle is different from the first inclination angle Ta1.

[0132] More generally, the inkjet printing can be performed by one or more inkjet print heads 6, each of which has a plurality of nozzles and is inclined and / or located at a corresponding determined position with respect to the starting optical member 5.

[0133] For example, the inkjet print heads 6 can have similar or different inclination angles, and can be positioned symmetrically or asymmetrically with respect to a plane passing through the rotation axis R of the starting optical member 5.

[0134] Figure 10 Asymmetrically shows two print heads 6, one print head 6 being closer to the rotation axis R than the other print head 6.

[0135] In addition, the distance between each inkjet print head 6 and the starting optical member 5 can be similar or different.

[0136] In addition, the inkjet print heads 6 can have similar or different print head resolutions.

[0137] In a variant not shown, the inkjet print heads can be arranged symmetrically, having similar or different inclination angles.

[0138] In another variant not shown, the inkjet printhead may have a different tilt angle and may be located on the same side of the plane passing through the axis of rotation of the starting optical member.

[0139] In another variant not shown, the at least one inkjet printhead may be curved and the arrangement of the nozzles is adapted such that the droplets are directed onto the starting optical member.

[0140] By the method according to the present disclosure, a large number of complementary optical members having different geometric characteristics (including diameter or profile) can be printed on a given number of starting optical members.

[0141] In other words, compared with the known solutions described above, the method according to the present disclosure allows printing on a larger surface of a given starting optical member.

[0142] More generally, the method according to the present disclosure allows the use of 3D inkjet printing technology to fabricate pseudo-spherical substrates having different geometric characteristics (including diameter or profile) on a number of things that can be equivalent to substrates or "standard" blanks that are easily manufacturable in mass production.

[0143] In other words, any ophthalmic device formed by a combination of customized complementary optical members and standard blanks or substrates can be printed.

[0144] Thus, the method according to the present disclosure allows the formation of personalized final ophthalmic devices based on standard blanks in a particularly convenient manner.

[0145] Of course, the substrate or standard blank may have a simple or complex surface and, for example, a curved surface and / or a convex surface and / or a pseudo-spherical surface.

[0146] In embodiments where both tilting the at least one inkjet printhead and the starting optical member relative to each other and rotating the starting optical member during inkjet printing are performed, compared with known methods, printing can also be performed on a large number of starting optical members.

[0147] For example, an ophthalmic device with a low optical lower limit or an ophthalmic device with a high or extremely high optical lower limit can be fabricated by additive manufacturing and inkjet printing.

[0148] In other words, an ophthalmic device with a low base curvature or a high or extremely high base curvature can be fabricated by additive manufacturing and inkjet printing.

[0149] The complementary optical members can be equivalent to patches on the starting optical member.

[0150] However, in some embodiments, instead of a patch that is manufactured elsewhere and added to the starting optical component, the patch can be manufactured directly onto the starting optical component.

[0151] The starting optical component can be formed by the ophthalmic component itself, i.e., the part of the final ophthalmic device that is equivalent to the blank as described above; or by a part intended for manufacturing the final ophthalmic device, i.e., a mold for example, on the surface of which the complementary optical component is printed and the blank is then molded or cast or injected into the mold. In a variant, the complementary optical component is removed from the mold and then assembled with a standard blank.

[0152] In a variant, the starting optical component can be the ophthalmic component itself but does not have a surface smoothness compatible with the optical component. The deposition of the ink for forming the complementary optical component can have properties capable of hiding the lack of smoothness. The lack of smoothness can be customized to facilitate the deposition of the printed ink for manufacturing the complementary optical component.

[0153] This is due to a combination of the rotation of the starting optical component and the tilt of the at least one inkjet printhead relative to the starting optical component.

[0154] In the method according to the present disclosure, the starting optical component can rotate during inkjet printing. During the method, the rotational movement can be continuous, or at least one layer can cover a part of itself in a spiral manner. The rotational movement is not used to set the starting optical component in a fixed position before performing inkjet printing, but is used to provide rotation of the starting optical component during the deposition of the material droplets.

[0155] It should be noted that the ophthalmic device can be an ophthalmic lens for spectacles or other devices adapted to the wearer and having ophthalmic properties.

[0156] It should also be noted that the additive manufacturing method can be carried out according to any existing suitable technique, such as the techniques included in the definition given in the reference ISO / ASTM 52900:2021 or the corresponding reference.

[0157] More generally, it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described and presented.

Claims

1. A method for additive manufacturing of an ophthalmic device (2), the method comprising providing (101) a starting optical component (5) and inkjet printing (105) a complementary optical component (10) onto the starting optical component by means of at least one inkjet printhead (6), the at least one inkjet printhead having a plurality of nozzles configured to project a defined volume of a predetermined material, wherein, The inkjet printing includes tilting (103) the at least one inkjet print head and the starting optical member relative to each other and / or rotating (102) the starting optical member during the inkjet printing.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The starting optical member (5) rotates about a rotation axis (R) and has an upper surface, such as a convex surface, above which, facing the at least one inkjet print head (6), the at least one inkjet print head is inclined relative to the rotation axis.

3. The method according to one of claims 1 and 2, comprising: Determine (130) at least one tilt angle of the at least one inkjet print head (6) at least according to the geometric characteristics of the predetermined material and / or the starting optical member (5) and / or the complementary optical member (10) to be manufactured so as to obtain the ophthalmic device (2).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The inkjet printing (105) includes positioning (104) the at least one inkjet print head (6) at a distance value selected from a plurality of distance values from the starting optical member (5).

5. The method according to claim 4, including determining (140) at least one position of the at least one inkjet print head (6) relative to the starting optical member (5) at least according to the geometric characteristics of the predetermined material and / or the starting optical member and / or the complementary optical member (10) to be manufactured so as to obtain the ophthalmic device (2).

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The inkjet printing (105) includes a first sequence in which the at least one inkjet print head (6) is tilted relative to the starting optical member (5) and / or is located in a first position so as to print a first portion of the complementary optical member (10) on a first portion of the starting optical member, and a second sequence in which the at least one inkjet print head is tilted relative to the starting optical member and / or is located in a second position so as to print a second portion of the complementary optical member on a second portion of the starting optical member.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The second portion is at least similar to or at least different from the first portion.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The inkjet printing (105) is performed by a plurality of inkjet print heads (6), each of the plurality of inkjet print heads having a plurality of nozzles and each being tilted relative to the starting optical member (5) and / or being located in a corresponding determined position.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, including determining a manufacturing configuration at least according to the geometric characteristics of the predetermined material and / or the starting optical member and / or the complementary optical member (10) to be manufactured so as to obtain the ophthalmic device (2) and / or the optical function of the ophthalmic device to be manufactured, the manufacturing configuration including operating parameters such as the tilt angle and / or position and / or printing resolution of the at least one inkjet print head (6) and / or the rotation speed of the starting optical member (5).

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The printing resolution includes: a process resolution, which corresponds to an angular resolution defined at least according to the rotation speed of the starting optical member (5) and the nozzle emission frequency; and a print head resolution, which corresponds to a radial resolution defined at least according to the number and arrangement of the nozzles.

11. The method according to one of claims 9 and 10, wherein, The manufacturing configuration includes a number of sequences, for each of which some nozzles are enabled and some nozzles are disabled, and where at least one sequence corresponds to at least one turn of the starting optical element (5), or to less than one turn of the starting optical element.

12. A command and control unit, the command and control unit including system elements configured to run a computer program in order to implement an additive manufacturing method for manufacturing an ophthalmic device (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A manufacturing system, the manufacturing system comprising: An inkjet printer (4), the inkjet printer including at least one inkjet printhead (6) having a plurality of nozzles; And a command and control unit (7) according to claim 12, the system being configured to perform such an additive manufacturing method.

14. A computer program, the computer program including instructions configured to implement at least a part of the additive manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 when the computer program is run by a computer.

15. A client-server communication interface for transmitting at least manufacturing data such as tilt angle and / or rotational speed to a remote computer, the manufacturing data being determined by a computer program implementing at least a part of the method for additive manufacturing an ophthalmic device (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and when the computer program runs in a command and control unit, the remote computer implementing other steps of such an additive manufacturing method.

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