Gripper Plate Vacuum Transfer for Contact Lens Mold Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed contact lens manufacturing requires efficient methods to rapidly remove injection molded mold halves from mold tools without damaging them or compromising quality, as existing methods are slow and prone to contamination.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a gripper plate and linear motor system that uses vacuum inlets to quickly transfer mold halves from injection molding tools to a transporter, incorporating a take-off robot and carbon-fiber materials for rapid movement and precise handling, minimizing dwell time and ensuring quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional manual methods are used to remove mold halves from injection molding tools, then damage risk is reduced, but manufacturing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handling with an automated robotic system that uses vacuum suction cups to grasp and transfer mold halves. This substitution enables high-speed automated operation while maintaining gentle handling through controlled vacuum force, resolving the contradiction between speed and damage prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs pneumatic vacuum suction cups mounted on the robotic end effector to hold and transfer the mold halves. The vacuum mechanism provides precise, contamination-free gripping that prevents damage to the mold surfaces while enabling rapid transfer operations, directly addressing both reliability and productivity concerns.
2Productivity
If rapid transfer methods are implemented to increase manufacturing speed, then productivity improves, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces traditional mechanical contact methods with a vacuum-based holding mechanism that maintains contactless support of the mold halves during transfer. This eliminates contamination from mechanical friction and contact, enabling high-speed operation while preserving lens quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated transfer system operates within a controlled environment that minimizes contamination exposure. The rapid vacuum-based transfer reduces the time mold halves are exposed to potential contaminants, while the gentle handling prevents introducing contaminants through mechanical contact.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple handling steps are used to ensure precise positioning, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple handling functions into a single integrated robotic transfer operation. The vacuum suction cup system simultaneously grasps, positions, and transfers the mold halves in one continuous motion, eliminating the need for separate handling steps while maintaining precise positioning through controlled robotic movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated robotic system with vacuum holding replaces multiple manual positioning operations with a single programmed transfer motion. This substitution achieves precise positioning through electronic control and feedback mechanisms while dramatically reducing the time required compared to sequential manual handling steps.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and precise removal of mold halves, reducing processing time and preventing damage, thus supporting high-speed manufacturing while maintaining lens quality.
Implementation Method 1
a linear motor arranged to propel the gripper plate from a receive position, between the first plate and the second plate, toward a deliver position
Implementation Method 2
Each vacuum inlet can be configured to apply vacuum to a formed contact lens mold half. Each vacuum inlet can be configured to transfer the formed mold half into the mold-receiving head.
Data Source
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AI summary
Apparatus and methods are described for manufacturing contact lenses by forming a contact lens mold half, and removing the mold half. The mold half can then be combined with a complementary mold half and used to cast- mold a contact lens. The apparatus includes first and second plates each carrying tool halves. The plates reciprocate between an open, spaced apart configuration, and a closed configuration in which they hold complementary tool halves in contact with one another. When the plates are opened after forming a mold half, a gripper plate removes the mold half from the first plate or the second plate.