Method and apparatus for molding contact lenses and making their container

A method of molding a plurality of concavo-convex lenses comprising the steps of:

• a) providing first and second webs of material;
• b) forming alignable anterior and posterior lens mold cavities in longitudinally spaced relation in said first and second webs of material, respectively;
• c) depositing a metered amount of curable lens material in each of said anterior mold cavities;
• d) aligning and moving said first and second webs of material together with aligned anterior and posterior mold cavities thereof sequentially moving into centered, mating engagement with one another;
• e) curing the lens material and moving said mating anterior and posterior mold cavities toward one another to accommodate for lens material shrinkage during curing;
• and
• f) separating said first and second webs to release each lens cast between mated anterior and posterior lens mold cavities.

Apparatus for molding a plurality of concavo-convex lenses, said apparatus comprising:

• a) anterior and posterior mold cavities formed in longitudinally spaced relation in first and second webs of material, respectively;
• b) means for dispensing a metered amount of curable lens material in each one of said anterior mold cavities in said first web of material;
• c) means for moving said first and second webs of material together with said anterior and posterior cavities aligning and sequentially engaging with each other in centered, mating fashion with said metered amount of curable lens material disposed therebetween;
• d) means for curing said curable lens material disposed between said aligned, mating anterior and posterior lens cavities;
• e) means for applying a clamping force on said mated, formed first and second webs of material;
• and
• f) means for separating said first and second webs of material to expose the lenses cast between each of said mating anterior and posterior lens cavities.