Vacuum Lens Blocking Piece With Elastic Full-Surface Suction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum blocking methods for spectacle lenses, such as those using metallic alloys or polymeric adhesives, face environmental disadvantages and inefficiencies, while conventional vacuum adapters can cause lens deformations and require protective coatings that increase costs and waste.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum blocking piece with a fluid-permeable, elastic blank contacting element and a support element, utilizing suction through the entire upper surface to fixate the lens, eliminating the need for protective coatings and reducing mechanical damage, and offering improved environmental sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metallic alloy is used for blocking lens blanks, then the lens blank can be firmly fixated to the blocking piece, but environmental disadvantages arise due to the need for heating, melting, and recycling processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal-mechanical metallic alloy blocking system with a vacuum-based mechanical fixation system. The vacuum blocking piece uses suction forces generated by a vacuum source to firmly attach the lens blank to the blocking piece, eliminating the need for heating, melting, and recycling metallic alloys, thus resolving the environmental impact issue while maintaining reliable fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs vacuum (pneumatic) forces to fixate the lens blank to the blocking piece. A vacuum source creates negative pressure that presses the lens blank against the blocking piece's contact surface, providing firm fixation without metallic alloys. This pneumatic approach eliminates the harmful thermal and environmental processes associated with metallic alloy blocking.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a polymeric adhesive or thermoplastic material is used for blocking, then environmental advantages are achieved by avoiding metallic alloys, but economic efficiency decreases due to contaminations and material alterations over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical adhesive-based blocking with a vacuum-based mechanical fixation system. The vacuum force provides reusable, contamination-free fixation that maintains economic efficiency while achieving environmental advantages by eliminating polymeric adhesives and thermoplastic materials that degrade over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum blocking piece enables self-service fixation where the lens blank is automatically held in place by vacuum forces during processing. This eliminates the need for additional adhesives or complex blocking materials, improving economic efficiency through simplicity and reusability while maintaining environmental benefits.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a vacuum blocking piece with ring-shaped recesses is used to fixate the lens blank, then metallic alloys and adhesives are eliminated, but undesired deformations of the lens blank occur due to the recesses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing a smooth, flat contact surface on the vacuum blocking piece that directly contacts the lens blank. This localized smooth surface area prevents deformations while the surrounding vacuum structure provides overall fixation. The contact surface is specifically designed to be deformation-free to maintain lens blank integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a flexible sealing element or thin film structure that conforms to the lens blank surface without creating rigid stress points. This flexible interface prevents deformations while maintaining vacuum seal integrity, unlike rigid ring-shaped recesses that can cause unwanted lens blank deformation.
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
The solution prevents lens damage, reduces manufacturing costs by omitting protective measures, and minimizes waste, while maintaining the integrity of the lens during processing, thus enhancing environmental sustainability and production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
fixate the lens blank to the upper surface of the blank contacting element by applying a vacuum within the blocking piece to provide a suction through essentially the entire upper surface of the blank contacting element
Implementation Method 2
applying a vacuum within the vacuum blocking piece to provide a suction through the fluid-permeable elastic blank contacting element sucking the front surface of the lens blank to the entire upper surface
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 1E~2A
AI summary
Provided is a vacuum blocking piece for vacuum blocking a lens blank is provided. The vacuum blocking piece comprising a support element having an upper part and a lower part, wherein the lower part is adapted to engage with a clamping device for clamping the vacuum blocking piece. The vacuum blocking piece further comprises a fluid-permeable blank contacting element, wherein the blank contacting element is fluid-permeable and at least an upper surface of the blank contacting element, which is adapted to contact the lens blank, is made of an elastic material, the blank contacting element further having a lower surface (24) for contacting the upper part of the support element. The vacuum blocking piece is adapted to fixate the lens blank to the upper surface of the blank contacting element by applying a vacuum within the blocking piece to provide a suction through essentially the entire upper surface of the blank contacting element to suck the lens blank to the upper surface of the blank contacting element and to suck the blank contacting element to the upper part of the support element.