Method for producing optical components
AssigneeSchott AG
InventorsAndreas Menzel, Frank Elsmann, Norman Schoenherr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
For producing large volume optical components of high optical quality from synthetic quartz glass blanks, the latter are heated in a component mold in a furnace with a protective gas atmosphere to a temperature 50° to 170° K above the softening point, this temperature being held for 20 to 90 minutes and, during this holding time, the quartz glass blank being pressed into the component mold. By these means, a gentle treatment of the quartz glass, a good yield, a decrease in the energy input and a complete filling up of the component mold are achieved.
Claims21
A method for producing large-volume optical components of high optical quality from synthetic quartz glass blanks, comprising:
- heating at least one quartz glass blank in at least one mold in an atmosphere of a protective gas to a temperature 30° to 170° K above the softening point of the quartz glass blank;
- providing a guide structure, said guide structure being outside of the mold;
- providing a pressure plate movably disposed along said guide structure;
- providing a pressure device for applying pressure to said pressure plate;
- pressing said pressure plate with said pressure device against an upper surface of said quartz glass blank, said upper surface being acted upon by a pressure of 10 to 500 kPa;
- bringing the quartz glass blank into a shape determined by the mold, said pressure plate comprising a bushing through which said guide structure protrudes;
- providing a furnace, said pressure plate being disposed within said furnace;
- providing connecting means which connect said pressure device and said pressure plate, said pressure device being disposed outside of said furnace;
- and
- acting on said pressure plate with said pressure device by means of said connecting means.
A method for producing large-volume optical components of high optical quality from synthetic quartz glass blanks, comprising:
- heating at least one quartz glass blank in at least one mold in an atmosphere of a protective gas to a temperature 30° to 170° K above the softening point of the quarts glass blank;
- providing a guide structure, said guide structure being outside of the mold;
- providing a pressure plate movably disposed along said guide structure;
- providing a pressure device for applying pressure to said pressure plate;
- pressing said pressure plate with said pressure device against an upper surface of said quartz glass blank, said upper surface being acted upon by a pressure of 10 to 500 kPa;
- bringing the quartz glass blank into a shape determined by the mold, wherein said pressure plate comprises a bushing through which said guide structure protrudes;
- and arranging said quartz glass blank with a lower extremity of said quartz glass blank in said mold and said upper surface of said quartz glass blank outside of an upper opening of said mold, a portion of said quartz glass blank extending from said upper surface of said quartz glass blank to said upper opening of said mold being free of any lateral constraint.
A method for producing large-volume optical components of high optical quality from synthetic quartz glass blanks, comprising:
- heating at least one quartz glass blank in at least one mold in an atmosphere of a protective gas to a temperature 30° to 170° K above the softening point of the quartz glass blank;
- providing a guide structure, said guide structure being outside of the mold;
- providing a pressure plate movably disposed along said guide structure;
- providing a pressure device for applying pressure to said pressure plate;
- pressing said pressure plate with said pressure device against an upper surface of said quartz glass blank, said upper surface being acted upon by a pressure of 10 to 500 kPa;
- bringing the quartz glass blank into a shape determined by the mold, wherein said pressure plate comprises a bushing through which said guide structure protrudes;
- and providing a furnace wherein said pressure plate, said mold, and said guide structure are disposed within said furnace.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.