Method for producing ophthalmic lenses and other shaped bodies with optically active surfaces

• US 7,614,742 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2008
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Vision GMBH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss Vision GMBH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung), OptoTech Optikmaschinen GmbH
• Inventors: Mandler, Roland, Weis, Reinhold
• Primary Examiner(s): MANNO, JESSICA S
• Application Number:
  US12/010,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20080129959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 351/177
• US Class Current: 351/177
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 13/0057 Deblocking of lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 13/06 grinding of lenses, the tool or work being controlled by information-carrying means, e.g. patterns, punched tapes, magnetic tapes
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00932 Combined cutting and grinding thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/511 Grinding attachment

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for producing ophthalmic lenses that uses plastic blanks in the form of flat, round discs. The outer edge of said plastic blanks is clamped and the desired final surface geometry and surface quality of the front faces of the lens are subsequently produced by a machining process using grinders and/or lathes and by smoothing and polishing processes. During machining, a thicker annular region is retained on the outer circumference of the workpiece. The annular region clamps or arranges the workpiece during machining and transport operations and stabilizes the lens for additional machining. Shaped pieces for identifying the machining axes are attached to the annular region. The lens is provided with fine markings to characterize the lens that has been produced, with the lens then being separated from the region.

Claims

1. Method for producing ophthalmic lenses and other shaped bodies having optically active surfaces according to a general or individual prescription, including the use of semi-finished parts produced by chipless forming processes such as casting, injection moulding or compression moulding by means of moulds and dies, followed by mechanical manufacturing steps such as milling, turning, grinding and polishing, characterised by

producing plastic blanks (41) by chipless forming processes, with one lens face of the lens as an optically active surface as well as a shaped edge (43) being formed integral with said plastic blanks (41) to produce semi-finished parts (41),

clamping the semi-finished parts by means of their shaped edge (43) into processing machines and producing an ophthalmic lens (47) or shaped body by machining and smoothing the other lens face (45) to obtain desired surface geometry and quality and

subjecting the ophthalmic lens (47) or shaped body to further processing, wherein the clamped shaped edge (43) supports and mechanically stabilizes the ophthalmic lens (47) or shaped body during the further processing, and

separating the ophthalmic lens (47) or shaped body from the shaped edge (43) at the end of processing.

2. Method of claim 1, wherein the one lens face is a concave rear face (42) and the other lens face is a convex front face (45).

3. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that by chipless forming processes in the region of the shaped edge (43) a marking (44) is produced on the semi-finished part (41) which designates the axial position of the surface geometry on the optically active concave rear face (42) of the lens.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that during the production of ophthalmic lenses (47), the convex front face (45) of the lens undergoes mechanical processing operations for receiving an optically active geometry which is complementary to that of the concave rear face (42) of the lens so that the ophthalmic lens (47) which is being produced presents an optical action in accordance with a given prescription without the occurrence of undesired dioptre steps in the overall action of the ophthalmic lens (47), with particular application to bifocal lenses.

5. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that in the course production of prescription lenses, producing the geometry on the convex front face (45) of the lens involves the superposition of different curves and geometries, in particular a superposition of toric, atoric, prismatic and bifocal shapes.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that very fine engravings for marking the optical axis are applied to the surface of the ophthalmic lens (47) prior to the separation of the latter from the shaped edge (43).

7. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the production of the convex front face (45) of the lens involves a thickness optimisation.

8. Method according to claim 1 wherein the shaped edge (43) is shaped so that the one lens face and the other lens face (45) can be subjected to processing when the shaped edge (43) is clamped to the processing machines.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the one lens face and the other lens face (45) are spaced from the processing machines when the shaped edge is clamped to the processing machines.

10. Method according to claim 1 for producing ophthalmic lenses, wherein the one lens face is a convex front face (45) and the other lens face is a concave rear face (42), and wherein in that the ophthalmic lens (47) or shaped body is separated from the peripheral area with the corresponding shaped edge (43) at the end of the processing.

12. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that a marking (44) is produced on the semi-finished part (41) by chipless forming processes in the region of the shaped edge (43) for designating the axial position of the surface geometry on the optically active convex front face of the lens (45).

13. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that the chipless production of the geometry on the convex front face (45) of the lens involves the superposition of different curves and geometries, in particular a superposition of spherical or aspherical shapes and toric or atoric shapes, respectively, with bifocal surfaces or progressive surfaces, if applicable.

14. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that very fine engravings for marking the optical axis are applied to the surface of the ophthalmic lens (47) prior to the separation of the ophthalmic lens (47) from the peripheral area (SO) with the corresponding shaped edge (43).

15. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that the pmduction of the concave rear face of the lens (42) involves a thickness optimisation by mechanical processing.

11. Method according to daim 10, characterised in that during the production of ophthalmic lenses (47), the concave rear face (42) of the lens undergoes a mechanical processing for receiving an optically active geometry which is complementary to that of the convex front face (45) of the lens so that the ophthalmic tens (47) produced presents an optical action which matches a given prescription.