Novartis Ag

Alcon, Inc.

Axel Heinrich

Peter Hagmann

Bernhard Seiferling

Gabriela Cocora

Roger Biel

Halina Heidrich

Stephan Pirl

Robert Allen Janssen

John Martin Lally

Robert Earl Szokolay

Willi Hoerner

Günter Lässig

Werner Steffan

Peter Herbrechtsmeier

Uwe Haken

Achim Muller

Daryl Reece

Deborah Jean Mulcahy

Jan Bernard

Matthias Braun

Honghui Lu

Shu Zong

Fabian Kern

Karsten Straube

Georg Cramm

Volker Lanig

Carlton Pope

Michael Wolf

John Golby

Otto Kretzschmar

Roland Schmieder

William Jordan Hall

Roland Hauck

Egbert Jux

Jordan Hall

Anette Therese Lang-Sch&ouml;ll

Karl Baur

Achim M&uuml;ller

Alexander Bayer

Lukas Lomb

Iris Leder-Bruck

Thomas Richter

Wilhelm H&ouml;rner

Iris Jlona Leder-Br&uuml;ck

Anette Lang

Stephan Piri

Thomas Schulz

Carolin Hartert

A manufacturing module (MM) for contact lenses comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations () arranged in a closed loop and a plurality of lens mold carriers () which are transported through the manufacturing stations. Each lens mold carrier () comprises a frame () having a predetermined number of mounting sites () arranged along the frame. Each lens mold carrier () further comprises a predetermined number of molds () removably mounted to the frame () at the mounting sites (), the molds being reusable male or female molds (). Two lens mold carriers () are assigned to each other to form a pair, so that upon mating the pair of lens mold carriers () the male and female molds () are mated to form mold cavities defining the shape of the lenses. The manufacturing stations comprise a mold changing station () configured to be capable of removing a mold from its mounting site () and mounting a different mold at the said mounting site (), or configured to change the rotational position of a mold () mounted to the frame (), or both.

Manufacturing module for the manufacture of ophthalmic lenses

A modular production line for the production of contact lenses comprises at least three separate modules: The modular production line further comprises fixedly arranged transfer interfaces between the individual modules (MM, IM, PP) for transferring the lenses from a preceding module to a subsequent module. The manufacturing module (MM) comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations () which are grouped to form a plurality of individual manufacturing units () arranged in a closed loop. Reusable male and female molds () are transported through the manufacturing stations of the manufacturing units, and each manufacturing unit () comprises a plurality of the manufacturing stations (). A plurality of transfer robots () is provided, each transfer robot () of the plurality of transfer robots () being arranged at a location between two manufacturing units () to transfer the reusable molds from one manufacturing unit to the other manufacturing unit.

Modular production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses

A method of cleaning deposited material from a molding surface () of a mold () for forming ophthalmic lenses, including bringing a cleaning head () into contact with the molding surface (), the rotational axis () of the cleaning head () being arranged normal to the molding surface (), rotating () the cleaning head () around the rotational axis () while maintaining the contact between the cleaning head () and the molding surface (), moving the cleaning head () to perform a precession motion () around a central normal () on the molding surface (), while rotating () the cleaning head () around the rotational axis () and while maintaining the contact between the cleaning head () and the molding surface (). During the precession motion () the rotational axis () includes an inclination angle (&#x3b1;) with the central normal () on the molding surface ().

Method and device for cleaning deposited material from a molding surface of a mold for forming ophthalmic lenses

There is described a method of separating excess lens forming material from a molded ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens. After polymerization and/or cross-linking of a lens forming material (P) within a mold cavity () of a mold () comprising female and male mold halves () to form an ophthalmic lens non-polymerized and/or non-cross-linked lens forming material is flushed away from the mold halves () with a jet of a fluid flushing medium, such as, e.g., water or a solvent or an inert gas. Subsequently the molded lens is dried. In accordance with the invention the flushing is accomplished with the mold halves () still in the closed position. There is also described an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Method of separating excess lens forming material from a molded ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens

A method for avoiding the entrapment of air bubbles () in a lens forming material, in particular in a low viscosity lens forming material, in an ophthalmic lens manufacturing process using mold halves () each having a lens forming surface () comprises electrostatically charging a predetermined portion of the lens forming surface () of the mold half () prior to the predetermined portion of the lens forming surface () coming into contact with the lens forming material ().

Method for avoiding entrapment of air bubbles in a lens forming material and apparatus for carrying out the method

There is described a process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens and an apparatus for forming an ophthalmic lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens, wherein in a mold assembly a first and a second mold half () are first arranged in an intermediate closed position in which the mold surfaces of the two mold halves are spaced apart from each other at a distance increase (d1) of preferably 1 to 100 &#x3bc;m relative to a final distance (d0) in a final closed position, and wherein, during curing of the lens forming material (), the mold surfaces () of the mold halves () are actively or passively moved or moving from the intermediate closed position to the final closed position, where the distance increase (d1) is 0.

Process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens

There are described a method for applying a coating to a surface of an ophthalmic lens mold. The mold includes male and female () mold halves, with each of the mold halves being provided with a lens forming surface (). The method includes

Method for molding an ophthalmic lens

There is described a method of dosing a lens forming material into a mold (), which comprises dosing a metered amount of a lens forming material (P) including a volatile solvent into a mold cavity () enclosed by a female mold half () and a male mold half of a mold (). The lens forming material (P) is subsequently polymerized and/or cross-linked to form an ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens. Dosing of the lens forming material (P) into the mold cavity () is accomplished while the mold halves () are associated with each other substantially gas-tight. There is also described an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Method of dosing a lens forming material into a mold

The present invention relates to a mold half for making an ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens, wherein the mold half comprises a release sheet removably arranged on the mold surface of said mold half to separate a lens forming material from the mold surface, as well as to a method for applying a removable mold release sheet to said mold half. The mold half of the invention comprises a vacuum means to removably attach said release sheet to said mold surface, and preferably the mold half further comprises a pinch-off rim for forming the edge of said ophthalmic lens.

Mold release sheet

There is described a method of removing excess lens forming material from a molded ophthalmic lens (), such as the peripheral region of a contact lens. In order to form a lens () a lens forming material is polymerized and/or cross-linked within a mold cavity of a mold comprising female and male mold halves. The mold is opened by moving the female and male mold halves apart from each other. The formed lens () is supported on a carrier () such, that a front surface () of the lens () is exposed. Residues of non-polymerized and/or non-cross-linked lens forming material are removed mechanically by contacting the exposed surface () of the formed lens () for a period of time of about 0.5 seconds to about 4 seconds, preferably about 0.8 seconds to about 2 seconds, with a cleaner () having a hardness which is smaller than that of the polymerized and/or cross-linked lens forming material. There is also described a device () for carrying out the method.

Method of removing excess lens forming material from a molded ophthalmic lens such as a contact lens

The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a contact lens with a printed image thereon, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens with a printed image thereon, comprising applying one or more ink drops to at least a portion of at least one molding surface of a lens mold, wherein each ink drop is sufficiently flat, that the forces exerted by the mold surface to the ink drop surface in the area where they make contact, are higher than the forces exerted by the flowing lens forming material to the facing surface of the ink drop, and wherein the ink material and the lens forming material are sufficiently immiscible or not miscible at all.

Method for making a colored contact lens

The present invention generally relates to a printing apparatus including one or more print heads for depositing printing fluid onto a substrate, wherein the apparatus comprises a maintenance unit for the one or more print heads. The present invention further relates to a method for cleaning one or more print heads from adhering printing fluid. The present invention also relates to the use of the apparatus in the automated manufacture of a contact lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens.

Maintenance unit for print head

There is described a process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens and an apparatus for forming an ophthalmic lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens, wherein in a mold assembly a first and a second mold half () are first arranged in an intermediate closed position in which the mold surfaces of the two mold halves are spaced apart from each other at a distance increase (d) of preferably 1 to 100 &#x3bc;m relative to a final distance (d) in a final closed position, and wherein, during curing of the lens forming material (), the mold surfaces () of the mold halves () are actively or passively moved or moving from the intermediate closed position to the final closed position, where the distance increase (d) is 0.

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Aschaffenburg, Germany

Axel Heinrich