Optical Component Segmentation for Smartglasses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Injection molding struggles to produce optical components for smartglasses with large volume differences and varied geometries, leading to difficulties such as uneven cooling, mechanical stresses, and optical aberrations.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the production of a preliminary component with a recessed large-volume portion, which is then completed with a filler or dimensionally stable filling piece, ensuring uniform cooling and matching optical properties to minimize mechanical stresses and optical aberrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If injection molding is used to produce optical components with large volume differences and varied geometries, then mass production capability is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to uneven cooling and mechanical stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The optical component is divided into two parts: a preliminary component produced by injection molding and a supplementary component that fills the recess. This segmentation allows the injection molding process to produce only the portion that can be manufactured with high precision, while avoiding the problematic large-volume regions that cause uneven cooling and stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The large-volume region that causes manufacturing problems is extracted from the injection molding process. By creating a recess in the preliminary component where the large-volume portion would be, the problematic geometry is removed from the injection molding step, allowing high-precision manufacturing of the remaining portions.
2Productivity
If injection molding is used for optical components with very different geometries, then production efficiency is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulty in supporting large volume differences
Solution Approach 1:
The component geometry is segmented into a small-volume portion suitable for injection molding and a large-volume portion produced separately. This allows the injection molding process to maintain high geometric precision for the portions it produces while still enabling mass production of the complete component through subsequent assembly.
3Device complexity
If the complete optical component is produced by injection molding, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to formation of mechanical stresses and optical aberrations
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into two stages: injection molding of the preliminary component and subsequent addition of the supplementary component. This segmentation prevents the formation of mechanical stresses and optical aberrations that would occur if the entire component were produced in one injection molding step, thereby improving optical performance reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The preliminary component is produced first with a recess, preparing the structure in advance for the subsequent addition of the supplementary component. This preliminary action allows the injection molding process to complete before the large-volume region is added, avoiding stress formation during the critical cooling and solidification phase.
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 mass production of optical components with reduced mechanical stresses and optical aberrations, achieving uniform cooling and homogeneous optical performance.
Implementation Method 1
the heat in the injection molding material can be dissipated from the individual regions at largely the same speed during cooling and solidifying
Implementation Method 2
the injection molding material solidifies more uniformly in the preliminary component
Implementation Method 3
Joining may be effectuated by way of adhesive bonding
Data Source
AI summary
An optical component has a small-volume section and a large-volume section, wherein said optical component is a single-piece injection-molded component with the exception of one region in the large-volume section, said component being supplemented, in the region in the large-volume section, by an add-on to the optical component.