Process to mold precision glass articles
AssigneeCorning Glass Works
InventorsJean-Pierre Marechal, Richard O. Maschmeyer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a four-step process for molding glass articles of high precision and excellent surface figure. A glass preform having an overall geometry closely approximating that of the desired final product is placed into a mold, the mold and preform are brought to a temperature at which the glass exhibits a viscosity between 10.sup.8 -10.sup.12 poises, a load is applied to shape the glass into conformity with the mold, and thereafter the glass shape is removed from the mold at a temperature above the transformation range of the glass and annealed.
Claims9
A method of molding a precision glass optical transmission element comprising:
- providing a ring-like member having first surface portions defining a first cavity extending therethrough;
- providing first and second and mold means having molding surface portions cooperable with said first surface portions defining opposed end portions for said first cavity to form an enclosed mold cavity of fixed volume;
- providing a glass preform to be molded to said mold cavity when open;
- and
- pressing the glass preform while it is hot enough to reform and while it is in contact with said molding surface portions and the ring-like member surface portions, to form said optical element within said enclosed mold cavity while maintaining a free surface on such element not constrained by any surface of the mold cavity upon completion of said pressing.
A method of molding a glass lens from a glass preform within a mold cavity defined by ring means and first and second mold means, which comprises:
- providing ring menas having surface portions defining a first cavity extending therethrough;
- providing first and second mold means having optical surfaces thereon cooperably movable with respect to said surface portions of said ring means to form a mold cavity;
- providing a glass preform to said mold cavity;
- and pressing said preform while it is hot enough to reform and while it is in contact with said mold optical surfaces and the ring means surface portions, within said mold cavity to form a glass lens with accurate surface figure on those surfaces of the lens in contact with said optical surfaces while maintaining some free glass surface on the molded lens which is not constrained by the mold cavity surfaces, upon completing the molding of the preform into glass lens.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.