Method of injection molding plastic lens

• US 6,156,242 A
• Filed: 04/14/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Asami, Hiroshi, Saito, Kiyohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Vargot, Mathieu D.
• Application Number:
  US09/284,444
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 264/1.1, 264/2.2, 264/2.3, 264/2.7, 264/2.5, 264/40.6
• US Class Current: 264/2.2
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/7343 heating or cooling different mould parts at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/046 using gas
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/048 using steam
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/561 Injection-compression moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/73 of the mould B29C45/2642 and B29C45/2737 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/7337 using gas or steam B29C45/7331 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00009 Production of simple or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00413 made by moulding between two mould parts which are not in direct contact with one another, e.g. comprising a seal between or on the edges B29D11/00019 - B29D11/00355, B29D11/00423, B29D11/00432 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2011/0016 Lenses

Abstract

A cavity 22 in an injection molding assembly includes a lower mold insert 21 for shaping a lens convex surface and an upper mold insert 20 for shaping a lens concave surface. When the heated injection molding assembly is cooled and a lens is ejected after a molten resin is pressurized by the upper mold insert 20, the temperature of the lower mold insert 21 is lowered below the temperature of the upper mold insert 20, which prevents the molded lens from bending at a central portion and enable high transfer precision of insert shapes.

Claims

1. A method of injection molding a plastic lens, comprising the steps of;

providing a cavity for molding the lens including a pair of cavity forming members for shaping a convex surface and a concave surface of the lens disposed oppositely with each other inside an injection molding assembly;

heating the injection molding assembly;

filling a molten resin in the cavity for molding the lens;

pressurizing the molten resin;

cooling the injection molding assembly to cool and solidify the molten resin to mold the lens in the cavity; and

ejecting the lens from the cavity,

wherein the temperature of the cavity forming member for shaping the convex surface is lowered below the temperature of the cavity forming member for shaping the concave surface.

2. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the lens is a meniscus lens having larger thickness of a peripheral portion than a thickness of a central portion.

3. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 2, wherein a difference in temperature between the cavity forming member for shaping the convex surface and the cavity forming member for shaping the concave surface is enlarged in proportion to an increase of the power of the lens molded in the cavity.

4. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the time to cool the injection molding assembly is lengthened in proportion to an increase of the power of the lens molded in the cavity.

5. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the cavity forming member for shaping the convex surface is lowered below the temperature of the cavity forming member for shaping the concave surface from pressurization of the molten resin to ejection of the lens.

6. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the lens is a spectacle lens, and wherein a cooling time of the spectacle lens with the same power is lengthened in proportion to an increase in the astigmatic power of the spectacle lens.

7. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the injection molding assembly is heated and cooled by means of a temperature controlling fluid.

8. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 7, wherein a heating fluid and a cooling fluid are used as the temperature controlling fluid.

9. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the lens is a spectacle lens and wherein the injection molding assembly has at least two temperature curves relating to molding a weak lens and a strong lens for minus lenses and at least one temperature curves for a plus lens, the temperature of the injection molding assembly being controlled in accordance with the temperature curves.

10. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 9, wherein another different temperature curve is prepared for a semi-finished lens of which one side is later molded, the semi-finished lens being molded by controlling temperature of the injection molding assembly in accordance with the different temperature curve.

11. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 9, wherein the time to cool the injection molding assembly after pressurizing the molten resin is set by being grouped according to lens spherical power and lens astigmatic power when a minus lens and a plus lens are molded.

12. The method of injection molding the plastic lens according to claim 11, wherein the time to cool the injection molding assembly after pressurizing the molten resin is set by being grouped on the basis of the sum of lens spherical power and lens astigmatic power in molding the minus lens.