摘要:
An apparatus is provided for removing and transporting articles, such as contact lens sections from a manufacturing line to inspection and packaging stations. The lenses are deposited in a transparent plastic primary package which carries the lenses through the inspection station and becomes part of the primary package when a cover is sealed thereto. The invention includes various assemblies, including lens transfer assemblies, deionized water filling and removal assemblies, a water degassing assembly, a lens inspection assembly, and a lens package sealing assembly. The lenses are removed from pallets at a post hydration station, transported and spatially redistributed, and deposited in the primary packages disposed on a second set of pallets. The packages on the second set of pallets are filled with degassed deionized water. The contact lenses and packages are then transported to an inspection station. After inspection, the lenses and packages are transported to a water removal assembly, and then to another transfer assembly. This transfer assembly separates those lenses which passed inspection from those which did not, and places those that did in a consolidating assembly. The lenses and packages are then filled with saline solution and a foil label is then sealed thereto to form the primary package.
摘要:
A method of casting polymer contact lenses between two mold halves in an ambient (air) environment containing molecular oxygen (O2) in which the mold halves forming the cast geometry are exposed to the environment where the air exposure time, the time between which the injection mold used to form the mold halves is opened until the mold halves are assembled is less than 70 seconds, more preferably 40 seconds or less, and most preferably 24 seconds or less.
摘要:
An apparatus and method for partially curing a polymerizable monomer or monomer mixture to form a soft contact lens includes a transport device for transporting a plurality of contact lens molds to a precure station in a low oxygen environment, each contact lens mold including a first and second mold half with a polymerizable monomer or monomer mixture therebetween. A clamping member having a plurality of mold engagement members clamps a first contact lens mold half against a second contact lens mold half for a predetermined pressure and time. While the mold halves of the contact lens mold are clamped, the polymerizable monomer or monomer mixture is exposed to a radiant energy source for polymerizing the polymerizable monomer or monomer mixture contained in each contact lens mold.
摘要:
The present invention is directed to a composition of polystyrene or polypropylene with at least 0.5% (w/w)of an additive or wetting agent, the article of manufacture comprised thereof, such as a mold for making contact lenses and the mold assembly containing said mold, and the use of such mold so to minimize defects, such as holes, puddles, chips and tears in the lens.
摘要:
An automated method and apparatus is provided to mold and cure soft contact lenses. At a first station, front curve mold halves are partially filled with a polymerizable monomer. At a second station, a surfactant coating may be applied to a flange on the front curve mold half to provide subsequent preferential adhesion of any excess hydrogel to a back curve mold half at the time the mold halves are separated. At a third station, the mold halves are assembled under vacuum, and clamped to displace any excess hydrogel from the mold cavity. This clamping step firmly seats the back curve mold half, severs any excess monomer from the monomer in the cavity, defines the lens edge, and seals the cavity in a vacuum. Following assembly of the mold halves, the assembly is transported to a precure station and reclamped, and the monomer is precured with actinic radiation, such as UV, to partially cure the monomer to a gel like consistency. The pallets of lens assemblies are transported through an extended cure station using heat and UV radiation to complete polymerization. The lens mold assemblies are then separated by applying a temperature gradient to the back curve mold half through the use of lasers or high energy steam and then pried apart in an automated station, with any excess monomer adhering to the removed back curve mold half. The front curve mold half, and the newly molded lens is then hydrated and separated from the front curve mold half in a subsequent apparatus.
摘要:
A contact lens production line pallet system transports contact lens mold materials throughout a facility for producing ophthalmic lenses. Specifically, the contact lens production line pallet system includes a pallet for carrying one or more contact lens mold assemblies throughout a contact lens production line, the pallet having one or more first recesses formed in a surface thereof for receiving either a first mold half or a complementary second mold half, the first and second mold halves when placed together constitute an individual contact lens mold assembly. A conveyor device for transporting the pallet from station to station throughout the production line facility is provided, as is a locating device formed in the pallet surface for enabling precise positioning of the pallet at one or more manufacturing stations in the production line facility.
摘要:
The present invention, which relates to the transfer of contact lenses in post hydration processing of the lenses. A lens transfer and insertion assembly removes contact lenses from lens hydration pallets, alters their spatial distribution, and deposits them into packaging elements. The lenses are transferred with fluid and retained on the transfer assembly by surface tension.
摘要:
The present invention, which relates to post hydration processing of contact lenses and the packages into which the lenses are placed, includes several assemblies which are ideally suited to performing the various steps which are associated with post hydration processing. These several assemblies include: a deionizing water injection assembly which fills the packaging elements prior to the lenses being inserted therein; a lens transfer and insertion assembly which removes contact lenses from hydration pallets, alters their spatial distribution, and deposits them into the packaging elements; a buffering station, which includes segregator and integrator devices, and which provides a location for temporarily holding a group of lens-packaging pallets during interruption of subsequent assemblies; a low vibration lens-package transport and inspection assembly which removes the pallets from a conveyor line, inserts them onto low vibration inspection assembly conveyor line, and inspects the lenses to determine which are optically correct; a deionized water extraction assembly which removes the deionized water from the lens-packaging elements; a first rotating lens-package transfer assembly, which removes the lens-package elements from the pallet and deposits the optically correct ones onto a consolidating conveyor line; a consolidating conveyor line and rotating lens-package transfer assembly, the former consolidating the lenses into regular arrays, and the latter rotating and transporting them to the final station; and a saline solution injector and foil wrapper sealing assembly, which fills the packages with saline solution and then heat seals a foil wrapper to the tops of the packaging elements.