# US 12,600,089 B2 · Manufacturing system configured to carry out a method for additively manufacturing an ophthalmic device and such a method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,600,089 B2 - Document ID: US12600089B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/718,685 - Filed: 2022-12-13 - Published: 2025-02-06 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-13 - Assignees: Essilor International - Applicants: Essilor International - Inventors: Maxime Lecompere; Pierre Leite; Laurent Huprel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12600089B2 ## CPC - B29C 64/245: Platforms or substrates (support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40) - B29C 64/124: using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified - B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - B29D 11/00009: {Production of simple or compound lenses} - B29D 11/00432: {Auxiliary operations, e.g. machines for filling the moulds (B29D11/00125 takes precedence)} - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - B29L 2011/00: Optical elements, e.g. lenses, prisms - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES ## Abstract The disclosure provides an additive manufacturing system comprising a tank (10) filled with a volume of a predetermined material (11), a building platform (20) on which layers (3) made from the predetermined material are formed, a curing device (12) configured for at least partially hardening the layers of the ophthalmic device, a transparent plate (21) located between the building platform (20) and the curing device (13), and a flexible separation film (22) mechanically connected by ends (31) to a frame (30) and at least partially located between the transparent plate (21) and the building platform (20), the additive manufacturing system (1) being configured so that the transparent plate, the flexible separation film and the building platform are movable one relative to the other and admit first relative positions corresponding to building positions of a layer, in which the transparent plate is applied against the flexible separation film which is in a tense state, and second relative positions corresponding to layering positions of a layer, in which the transparent plate is moved relative to the frame and is remote to the flexible separation film which is at least partially in a loose state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An additive manufacturing system for additively manufacturing an ophthalmic device layer by layer, comprising a tank (10) filled with a volume of a predetermined material (11), a building platform (20) on which layers (3) made from the predetermined material are formed, a curing device (12) configured for at least partially hardening the layers of the ophthalmic device to be manufactured, a transparent plate (21) located between the building platform (20) and the curing device (13), and a flexible separation film (22) mechanically connected by ends (31) to a frame (30) and at least partially located between the transparent plate (21) and the building platform (20), the additive manufacturing system (1) being configured so that the transparent plate, the flexible separation film and the building platform are movable one relative to the other and admit first relative positions corresponding to building positions of a layer, in which the transparent plate is applied against the flexible separation film which is in a tense state, and second relative positions corresponding to layering positions of a layer, in which the transparent plate is moved relative to the frame and is remote to the flexible separation film which is at least partially in a loose state, wherein the transparent plate, the frame, and the building platform are movable relative to one another and to the tank between the respective first relative position and the respective second relative position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a moving unit (25) configured to move one relative to the others at least two of the building platform (20), the transparent plate (21) and the frame (30) to which is mechanically connected by ends (31) of the flexible separation film (22). ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 2, wherein the moving unit (25) acts on the building platform (20), and/or on the transparent plate (21), and/or on the frame (30) bearing partially the flexible separation film (22), dependently or independently. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 3, wherein the moving unit (25) is configured: to raise up or down the building platform (20) towards or remote to a bottom (17) of the tank (10); and/or raise up or down the transparent plate (21) towards or remote to the bottom (17) of the tank (10) and thus towards or remote to the building platform (20); and/or raise up or down the frame (30) to which the flexible separation film (22) is mechanically connected, towards or remote to the bottom (17) of the tank (10) in order to locate at least a part of the flexible separation film (22) in a position relative to both building platform (20) and transparent plate (21); and/or to raise up or down the tank (10) relative to at least one of the building platform (20), transparent plate (21) and frame (30) to which the flexible separation film (22) is mechanically connected. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein, in building positions, the transparent plate (21) is located close to the building platform (20) and acts on a middle portion (36) of the flexible separation film (22) so that the middle portion (36) of the flexible separation film (22) is tensed, but not stretched, and a predetermined thickness (60) of the predetermined material (11) remains between the middle portion (36) of the flexible separation film (22) and an uppermost layer (3) on the building platform (20). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 5, wherein the flexible separation film (22) comprises other portions (35) which are interposed between the middle portion (36) and the ends (31) of flexible separation film (22), which are remote to the layer (3) and located between the frame (30) to which the flexible separation film (22) is mechanically connected by the ends (31) and an outline of the layer (3). ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 6, wherein the other portions (35) of the flexible separation films (22) are at least partially tensed thanks to the action of the transparent plate (21) which is located at a distance of the frame (30). ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 7, wherein the other portions (35) of the flexible separation film (22) have an L-shaped, having a first arm extending from the portion (36) and along the transparent plate (21) and a second arm extending from the first arm to the frame (30). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein, in at least layering positions, the transparent plate (21) is moved remote to the building platform (20) and the flexible separation film (22) and is located close to the frame (30) to which the flexible separation film (22) is mechanically connected by the ends (31), and a temporarily space (50) is formed between the transparent plate (21) and the flexible separation film (22). ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 9, wherein the flexible separation film (22) comprises a middle portion (36) and other portions (35) extending from the middle portion (36) to the ends (31) of the flexible separation film (22), the middle portion (36) being tensed due to an adhesive contact with a cured uppermost layer (3), and the other portions (35) being loose, so that the other portions (35) are at least partially free of movement between the tensed portion (36) and the respective ends (31). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) Additive manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein, in at least other layering positions, the flexible separation film (22) is fully peeled away from and located remote to a cured uppermost layer on the building platform (20), and is fully loose and free of movement between the ends (31). ### Claim 12 A method for additively manufacturing an ophthalmic device layer by layer, the manufacturing method comprising the steps of: providing a manufacturing system (1) having a tank (10) filled with a volume of a predetermined material (11), a building platform (20) on which layers (3) made from the predetermined material are formed, a curing device (12) configured for at least partially hardening the layers of the ophthalmic device to be manufactured, a transparent plate (21) located between the building platform (20) and the curing device (13), and a flexible separation film (22) mechanically connected by ends (31) to a frame (30) and at least partially located between the transparent plate (21) and the building platform (20); controlling the additive manufacturing system (1) so that the transparent plate, the flexible separation film and the building platform are moved one relative to the other and admit first relative positions corresponding to building positions of a layer, in which the transparent plate is applied against the flexible separation film which is in a tense state; and controlling the additive manufacturing system (1) so that transparent plate, the flexible separation film and the building platform are moved one relative to the other and admit second relative positions corresponding to layering positions of a layer, in which the transparent plate is moved relative to the frame and is remote to the flexible separation film which is at least partially in a loose state, wherein the transparent plate, the frame, and the building platform are movable relative to one another and to the tank between the respective first relative position and the respective second relative position. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) Method according to claim 12, wherein it comprises the steps of moving one relative to the others at least two of the building platform (20), the transparent plate (21) and the frame (30) to which is mechanically connected by ends (31) of the flexible separation film (22), dependently or independently; and in particular: raising up or down the building platform (20) towards or remote to a bottom (17) of the tank (10); and/or raising up or down the transparent plate (21) towards or remote to the bottom (17) of the tank (10) and thus towards or remote to the building platform (20); and/or raising up or down the frame (30) to which the flexible separation film (22) is mechanically connected, towards or remote to the bottom (17) of the tank (10) in order to locate at least a part of the flexible separation film (22) in a position relative to both building platform (20) and transparent plate (21); and/or to raising up or down the tank (10) relative to at least one of the building platform (20), transparent plate (21) and frame (30) to which the flexible separation film (22) is mechanically connected. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) Method according to claim 12, wherein, in building positions, the transparent plate (21) is located close to the building platform (20) and acts on a middle portion (36) of the flexible separation film (22) so that the middle portion (36) of the flexible separation film (22) is tensed, but not stretched, and a predetermined thickness (60) of the predetermined material (11) remains between the middle portion (36) of the flexible separation film (22) and an uppermost layer (3) on the building platform (20), the flexible separation film (22) comprises other portions (35) which are interposed between the middle portion (36) and the ends (31) of flexible separation film (22), which are remote to the layer (3) and located between the frame (30) to which the flexible separation film (22) is mechanically connected by the ends (31) and an outline of the layer (3), the other portions (35) of the flexible separation films (22) are at least partially tensed thanks to the action of the transparent plate (21) which is located at a distance of the frame (30). ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) Method according to claim 13, wherein, in at least layering positions, the transparent plate (21) is moved remote to the building platform (20) and the flexible separation film (22) and is located close to the frame (30) to which the flexible separation film (22) is mechanically connected by the ends (31), and a temporarily space (50) is formed between the transparent plate (21) and the flexible separation film (22), the flexible separation film (22) comprises a middle portion (36) and other portions (35) extending from the middle portion (36) to the ends (31) of the flexible separation film (22), the middle portion (36) being tensed due to an adhesive contact with a cured uppermost layer (3), and the other portions (35) being loose, so that the other portions (35) are at least partially free of movement between the tensed portion (36) and the respective ends (31); and in at least other layering positions, the flexible separation film (22) is fully peeled away from and located remote to a cured uppermost layer on the building platform (20), and is fully loose and free of movement between the ends (31).