Novartis Ag

Beat Müller

Aaldert Rens Molenberg

Alain Laurent

Veerle Coessens

Peter Hagmann

Peter Herbrechtsmeier

Bernhard Seiferling

Sharla Borghorst

John Golby

Otto Kretzschmar

Norbert Söllner

A measured amount of a material that is crosslinkable by impingement of a suitable form of energy, especially UV light, is introduced into a two-part mould of which the cavity determines the shape of a moulding to be produced. The two mould halves are held a small distance from one another so that a thin annular gap is formed between them, which gap is in communication with the mould cavity and through which gap excess material can escape. The crosslinking is triggered by impingement of the selected form of energy, the impingement being spatially restricted to the cavity by suitable masking so that material disposed outside the mould cavity is not crosslinked. In that manner mouldings are obtained that do not require subsequent mechanical processing, and the mould is reusable. The process is especially, but not, however, exclusively, suitable for the manufacture of contact lenses.

Process for the manufacture of mouldings

The invention relates to novel crosslinkable copolymers which are obtainable by The crosslinkable copolymers of the invention are especially useful for the manufacture of biomedical mouldings, for example ophthalmic mouldings such as in particular contact lenses.

Process for making contact lenses from prepolymers

The invention relates to novel crosslinkable copolymers which are obtainable by (a) copolymerizing at least one hydrophilic monomer having one ethylenically unsaturated double bond and at least one crosslinker comprising two or more ethylenically unsaturated double bonds in the presence of a chain transfer agent having a functional group; and(b) reacting one or more functional groups of the resulting copolymer with an organic compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group. The crosslinkable copolymers of the invention are especially useful for the manufacture of biomedical mouldings, for example ophthalmic mouldings such as in particular contact lenses.

Polymers

The invention relates to novel crosslinkable copolymers which are obtainable by (a) copolymerizing at least one hydrophilic monomer having one ethylenically unsaturated double bond and at least one crosslinker comprising two or more ethylenically unsaturated double bonds in the presence of a chain transfer agent having a functional group; and (b) reacting one or more functional groups of the resulting copolymer with an organic compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group. The crosslinkable copolymers of the invention are especially useful for the manufacture of biomedical mouldings, for example ophthalmic mouldings such as in particular contact lenses.

Crosslinkable prepolymers from a hydrophilic monomer and a hydrophobic crosslinker

Growing community of inventors

Marly, Switzerland

Beat Müller