Lens Casting with Rubber-like Projections for Contamination-Free Coating

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cast lenses often have brittle protrusions that can be damaged during the coating process, leading to the risk of splinters detaching and contaminating the optical surface, necessitating multiple washing steps to prevent this, which complicates the vacuum-coating process.

Innovation Solution

Applying a curable, rubber-like paste along the edges of molding shells to form a unit, casting a monomer, curing it to create a lens with rubber-like projections, and then coating it in a vacuum chamber without intermediate washing steps, using materials like 'Speedmask' temporary masking resins that maintain high viscosity and adhere to the lens during curing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If lenses are produced by conventional casting with brittle protrusions, then the lens can be manufactured, but the protrusions can be damaged during coating leading to splinter contamination

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelens projection integrityVSAvoidsplinter contamination risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameter of the lens projections from brittle material to rubber-like material by applying a curable paste along the edges of the molding shells before casting. This parameter change makes the projections flexible and resistant to damage during coating, eliminating splinter contamination risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The curable paste is applied to the molding shells before the casting process, creating rubber-like projections in advance. This preliminary action ensures the projections are already in their final rubber-like state before coating begins, preventing any potential damage during subsequent processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If washing processes are implemented to remove potential splinters, then contamination is prevented, but the process complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesplinter contaminationVSAvoidwashing process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the potential harm of brittle projections into a benefit by using rubber-like material instead. The flexible nature of the cured paste projections actually prevents splinter formation, turning what would have been a harmful condition into a protective feature that eliminates the need for washing processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and removes the washing process entirely from the production sequence. By using rubber-like projections that cannot produce splinters, the harmful factor is eliminated at its source, making the washing step redundant and allowing its complete removal from the process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If multiple washing steps are used to clean lenses before vacuum coating, then the optical surface is protected, but the productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoptical surface protectionVSAvoidlens coating throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The rubber-like projections are created in advance during the casting process itself, before coating begins. This preliminary formation of damage-resistant projections ensures optical surface protection is built-in from the start, eliminating the need for intermediate washing steps and maximizing coating throughput.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention enables continuous processing by eliminating the washing steps that would interrupt the flow. Lenses can move directly from casting to vacuum coating without interruption, maintaining continuous productive action while still protecting the optical surface through the inherent properties of rubber-like projections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

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

This method eliminates the risk of splinter formation, allowing direct coating in a vacuum chamber without pre-washing, ensuring a smooth and contamination-free process by utilizing a non-brittle, rubber-like material for the lens projections.

Implementation Method 1

curing the monomer and the paste so that the lens is formed

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCuring: Photopolymerisation

Implementation Method 2

coating an optical surface of the lens in a vacuum-coating installation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVacuum coating: Physical Vapour Deposition

Data Source

PatentUS10201942B2Method for producing and coating a lens

Publication Date: 2019.02.12 INTERGLASS TECHNOLOLGY AG

AI summary

A method for producing and coating a lens includes:applying a curable paste along the edge of a first molding shell and along the edge of the second molding shell,connecting the two molding shells by means of a sealing element to form a unit,casting a monomer into the unit,curing the monomer and the paste so that the lens is formed,detaching the sealing element from the unit,separating the lens from the two molding shells,placing the lens in a vacuum chamber of a vacuum-coating installation, andcoating an optical surface of the lens, wherein no washing process is carried out between the step of separating the lens from the two molding shells and the step of placing the lens in the vacuum chamber.