Contact lens mold assemblies and systems and methods of producing same

A method of making contact lenses comprising:

• providing a plurality of first and second mold sections, each mold section including a lens shaped surface and a flange region circumscribing the lens shaped surface, each first mold section includes a substantially annular circumferential projection extending axially from the flange region and a plurality of circumferential recessed regions not completely encircling the lens shaped surface of the first mold section extending axially into the flange region toward the substantially annular projection wherein the first mold sections are provided in a cassette comprising stacks of mold sections;
• placing the cassette in a frame assembly structured so that an upper-most mold section in each stack is located on substantially the same plane;
• transferring the first and second mold sections to a nesting apparatus;
• dispensing a polymerizable composition on the lens shaped surface of the first mold sections located in the nesting apparatus;
• coupling together the first and second mold sections so that each of the coupled mold sections defines a lens shaped cavity between the lens shaped surface of one of the mold sections and the lens shaped surface of the other mold section and the flange region of the first mold section is in contact with the flange region of the second mold section;
• fusing the coupled mold sections to form a plurality of circumferential fused regions not completely encircling the lens shaped surfaces of the coupled mold sections between the flange regions;
• and
• causing the polymerizable composition in the lens shaped cavities to polymerize.