US 4,202,226 AGranted

Method and apparatus for manufacturing plastic lenses

AssigneeSyntexLaboratories, Inc.

InventorsRonald K. Becker, Donald R. Korb

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Abstract

The method of making plastic lenses ready for fitting to the contour of the wearer's eye comprising supporting a blank of plastic at one end for rotation about a predetermined axis, turning the blank down to a predetermined diameter, making an annular face cut at the distal end of the blank of predetermined radial width, making a spherically concave base cut at said distal end of predetermined depth relative to said annular face cut, reversing the blank end-for-end, making a first spherically convex cut at said end of the blank of a predetermined radius such that the distance between the inner and outer surfaces is of a predetermined thickness and making a flange cut at the marginal edge of the outer convex surface of lesser radius of curvature; and apparatus for carrying out the method.

Claims29

Dependent claims

Apparatus for forming lenses from blanks comprising means for supporting a blank for rotation about a predetermined axis, a turning tool and a facing tool, means mounting the turning tool and facing tool for rectilinear movement in unison parallel to the axis of rotation of the blank in predetermined axially spaced relation such that rectilinear movement of said tools moves the turning tool from the distal end of the blank to the proximal end thereof to generate a cylinder of predetermined diameter and moves the facing tool to a ready position adjacent the distal end of the blank simultaneously with arrival of the turning tool at the proximal end of the blank, means for then moving the facing tool a predetermined distance at right angles to the axis of rotation to generate a flat annular surface at right angles to the axis of rotation at said end, means for retracting the tools, a tool for generating a sphericaly concave base cut in the distal end of the blank of predetermined radius of curvature, means supporting said latter tool at the level of the axis of rotation for movement along said axis toward the distal end of the blank, means for oscillating said latter tool through an arc commencing outside the radius of the blank and terminating at the axis of rotation, means for moving the latter tool while oscillating toward the distal end of the blank to generate a spherically concave surface of predetermined depth relative to said annular surface bounded by a portion of the annular surface and means for retracting said latter tool at said predetermined depth.

Apparatus for forming lenses from blanks comprising first and second lathes, said first lathe embodying means for supporting a blank for rotation about a predetermined axis, a turning tool and a facing tool, means mounting the turning tool and facing tool for rectilinear movement in unison parallel to the axis of rotation of the blank in predetermined axially-spaced relation such that rectilinear movement of said tools moves the turning tool from the distal end of the blank to the proximal end thereof to generate a cylinder of predetermined diameter and moves the facing tool to a ready position adjacent the distal end of the blank simultaneously with the arrival of the turning tool at the proximal end of the blank, means for then moving the facing tool a predetermined distance at right angles to the axis of rotation to generate a flat, annular surface at right angles to the axis of rotation at said end, means for retracting the tools, a tool for generating the spherically-concave base cut in the distal end of the blank of predetermined radius of curvature, means supporting said latter tool at the level of the axis of rotation for movement along said axis toward the distal end of the blank, means for oscillating said latter tool through an arc commencing outside the radius of the blank and terminating at the axis of rotation, means for moving the latter tool while oscillating toward the distal end of the blank to generate a spherically-concave surface of predetermined depth relative to said annular surface bounded by a portion of the annular surface, and means for retracting said latter tool at said predetermined depth and said second lathe embodying an arbor to which the concavely-cut end of the blank formed on the first lathe is adapted to be mounted for rotation about its axis and a tool mounted adjacent the arbor of the second lathe for generating a spherically-convex center cut of a predetermined radius of curvature concentric with the spherically-concave base cut and with its center at a predetermined distance therefrom and a surrounding spherically convex flange cut of lesser radius of curvature.

Apparatus for forming lenses from blanks comprising means for supporting a blank for rotation about a predetermined axis and means for effecting rotation of the means supporting the blank, a turning tool and facing tool, a support mounting the tools, said support being movable rectilinearly parallel to said axis and for rotation in a plane perpendicular to said axis, motor means for rotating said suppport from an out-of-the-way retracted position to a position adjacent said axis, such that the tools supported thereby are in operative position, motor means for effecting rectilinear movement of the support to move one of the tools parallel to said axis at a predetermined radial distance therefrom to generate a cylindrical surface, motor means operable at the end of the turning operation to move the other tool radially inwardly a predetermined distance to generate a face cut, means operable at the end of the face cut to reverse the first motor means to retract the tools and means operable at the retracted position of the tools to effect operation of the second motor means to return the tools to their initial position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.