Heated Mold Tooling
AssigneeBausch & Lomb Incorporated
InventorsBruce E. Lawton, Stephen P. Johnston
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for varying a radius of an optical quality surface of a casting mold formed in a tooling cavity, the tooling cavity at least partially defined by an optical tool having an optical quality surface of a given radius, includes imparting a compressive stress within the optical quality surface of the casting mold to predictably decrease the radius of the optical quality surface of the casting mold.
Claims42
A method for varying a radius of an optical quality surface of a casting mold formed in a tooling cavity, the tooling cavity at least partially defined by an optical tool having an optical quality surface of a given radius, the method comprising:
- (a) imparting a tensile stress within the optical quality surface of the casting mold to predictably increase the radius of the optical quality surface of the casting mold.
A method of forming polymeric casting molds in a tooling cavity, the tooling cavity at least partially defined by an optical tool having an optical quality surface of a given radius, the method comprising:
- (a) forming a first casting mold having an optical quality surface radius smaller than the given radius;
- and
- (b)forming a second casting mold having an optical quality surface radius greater than the given radius.
A casting mold configured to form an ophthalmic device having an optical quality surface, the casting mold comprising:
- (a) an optical quality surface, and;
- (b) a circumscribing flange,
- the optical quality surface of the casting mold having a residual compressive stress, the residual compressive stress decreasing a radius of the optical quality surface.
A casting mold configured to form an ophthalmic device having an optical quality surface, the casting mold comprising:
- (a) an optical quality surface, and;
- (b) a circumscribing flange,
- the optical quality surface of the casting mold having a residual tensile stress, the residual tensile stress increasing a radius of the optical quality surface.
A tooling cavity configured to form a polymeric casting mold, comprising:
- (a) a tool body;
- (b) an optical tool removably connected to the tool body, the optical tool defining an optical quality surface of a given radius;
- (c) a non-optical tool configured to assist in forming a radius forming portion opposite the optical quality surface;
- and
- (d) a heat source connected to the tool body and configured to selectively heat a portion of the optical quality surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.