Hoya Corporation

Other

Kishio Sugawara

Shinichiro Hirota

Tadayuki Fujimoto

Tetsuro Izumitani

Ken Uno

Kohichi Saitoh

Hiroyuki Sakai

Hidemi Tajima

Shinji Hada

Kenji Okamura

Helmuth E Meissner

In a press molding apparatus for press molding a plurality of glass materials into a plurality of glass optical elements by the use of a pressing mold including upper and lower molds each of which has a plurality of molding surfaces, at least one of the upper and the lower molds is a heat generator within which heat is generated when the heat generator is subjected to a high-frequency induction heating by an induction heating coil. The heat generator having a plurality of shape-processed portions () produced by partially processing a shape of the heat generator in order that a temperature distribution of the heat generator is adjusted. The apparatus simultaneously press forms, into the glass optical elements, the glass materials supplied between the molding surfaces of the upper and the lower molds which are subjected to the high-frequency induction heating.

Press molding apparatus

A molded glass article manufacturing device, having a means of forcefully separating a molded glass article attached to the forming surface of an upper mold or a lower mold, and readily and reliably aligning the axes of the upper mold and lower mold, a molded glass article manufacturing method, and a method of assembling a molded glass article manufacturing device are provided. A molded glass article manufacturing device comprising a drum capable of regulating an upper mold and a lower mold having opposing forming surfaces so that the displacement axes thereof align; a forced mold separating means separating a molded glass article adhered to a forming surface from the mold by contact with at least the rim portion of the molded glass object; and a displacement means for displacing said forced mold separating means relative to said upper mold or said lower mold so that, in the course of separation of said upper mold and said lower mold, said forced mold separating means contacts at least the rim portion of said molded glass article and separates said molded glass article from the forming surface. Further, a manufacturing method for molded glass articles employing this device and a method of assembling molded glass article manufacturing devices are disclosed.

Method and apparatus for preparation of molded glass

A method for supplying a glass molding material by dropping it from a higher level onto a molding surface of a lower mold of a mold constituted of an upper mold and the lower mold, in which a guide means is used for dropping the glass molding material and is disposed at a position such that the glass molding material drops onto the molding surface of the lower mold, and the guide means used for this method are disclosed. Moreover, a method for supplying a glass molding material to a molding surface of a lower mold of a mold constituted of an upper mold and the lower mold, in which after the glass molding material is supplied to the molding surface of the lower mold the position of the glass molding material is corrected so that the vertical center of the glass molding material substantially coincides with the center point of the molding surface of the lower mold, and a position correcting means used for this method are disclosed. A manufacturing method for glass optical elements in which a glass molding material supplied to a molding surface of a lower mold by the above method is press-molded is disclosed.

Method for supplying glass molding material to molds, and method for manufacturing glass optical elements

Disclosed are a molding apparatus for glass optical elements a plurality of molds each constituted of an upper mold and a lower mold, a matrix supporting the molds, and heating means wound around the matrix for heating the molds, wherein the matrix extends in a longitudinal form and has a constant width, wherein the plurality of the molds are arranged in the matrix in a line so that the center of each mold is located on a center line of the matrix, and wherein a distance between the heating means and the matrix is constant at least at an edge of the matrix in a transverse direction, and a molding method for optical elements comprising the steps of: softening a plurality of glass material pieces by heat; and making a simultaneous press molding of the glass material pieces with a plurality of molds, constituted of upper and lower molds, arranged in a longitudinal form matrix, in a line extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein each mold is heated by thermal conductance from the matrix heated by heating means wound around the matrix, to heat at least substantially equally two opposite positions in a horizontal cross section of each mold. By the press molding apparatus and the press molding method according the invention, the press molding is performed upon heating uniformly a plurality of molds, thereby manufacturing glass optical elements having a good surface precision and a good surface quality.

Press molding apparatus for glass optical elements and molding method

Disclosed is a manufacturing method for molded glass articles including glass optical elements such as high precision lenses not requiring grinding and polishing after press molding. The manufacturing method according to the invention is a method for manufacturing the molded glass articles having a higher surface precision with a high productivity by pressing a glass material in a stepwise manner constituted of some steps depending on a temperature condition of the glass material.

Manufacturing method for molded glass articles

A manufacturing method for molded glass articles including glass optical elements such as high precision lenses not requiring grinding and polishing after press molding. The manufacturing method according to the invention is a method for manufacturing the molded glass articles having a higher surface precision with a high productivity by pressing a glass material in a stepwise manner constituted of some steps depending on a temperature condition of the glass material.

A mold for use in producing a lens comprises a pair of first and second mold portions which are arranged in opposed relation to each other. At least one of the first and second mold portions is movable toward and away from the other. Molding surfaces of the respective first and second mold portions have their respective areas which are located radially outwardly of an effective aperture of the lens. A plurality of recesses are formed in the molding surface of at least one of the first and second mold portions and are located in the area of the molding surface of the at least one mold portion. These recesses separate the lens from the molds.

Mold for producing lens, using mold recesses to aid in lens release

A method of and an apparatus for molding glass articles. A first pressing of glass preform within a mold is carried out at a first pressing position, when the glass preform has its viscosity within a range of from 10.sup.8 to 10.sup.9.5 poises. The mold having accommodated therein the pressed glass is transferred from the first pressing position to a second pressing position where a second pressing is carried out with respect to the pressed glass within the mold when the pressed glass has its viscosity within a range of from 10.sup.10.5 to 10.sup.12 poises.

Method of and apparatus for molding glass articles

In an apparatus for molding glass articles, a plurality of processing chambers including a heating chamber, a press chamber and a cooling chamber are arranged in order along a predetermined circular transport path. The processing chambers are surrounded by a case within a furnace body. A rotary table is driven for intermittent rotation about an axis thereof. The transport path extends in concentric relation to the axis of the rotary table. The rotary table extends radially outwardly to a position below the case. A plurality of sample mounts are mounted on the rotary table and are arranged along the transport path in spaced relation to each other. The sample mounts extend into the processing chambers through a slit formed in a bottom wall of the case. A plurality of molds each having accommodated therein a glass preform to be molded are mounted respectively on the sample mounts. When the rotary table rotates intermittently, the molds are transported along the transport path so as to pass successively through the processing chambers.

Apparatus for molding glass articles

In a press-molding device for lenses, an upper surface of a drag is formed into a molding surface, and a lower surface of a cope is formed into a molding surface. An inner peripheral surface of a guide mold portion is in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the drag, and has an axial length longer than that of the outer peripheral surface of the drag so that the inner peripheral surface extends upwardly from the molding surface of the drag. The cope is capable of sliding along the inner peripheral surface. A pressure plate is in contact with an upper surface of the cope before pressing, and is abutted against the upper surface of the guide mold portion by the pressing. A glass preform to be molded is arranged between the molding surfaces of the respective cope and drag. The cope is pressed from above through the pressure plate, thereby molding the glass preform to a lens. The guide mold portion may be divided into a pair of upper and lower portions.

Press-molding device for lenses

According to a method of molding a glass body, a glass preform is placed between upper and lower molds of a mold assembly. The mold assembly is then heated to a predetermined heating temperature falling within a heating temperature range corresponding to a glass viscosity range of the glass preform of 10.sup.8 to 10.sup.10.5 poise. A pressure high enough to mold the glass preform is applied between the upper and lower molds when the glass preform is at the predetermined heating temperature, so that an unfinished glass molded body is formed. The pressure is released, and the unfinished glass molded body and the mold assembly are gradually cooled to a temperature within a glass viscosity range of 10.sup.11.5 to 10.sup.14 poise while the unfinished glass molded body is held in the mold assembly. A glass molded body is then released from the mold assembly.

Method of molding glass body

Optical lenses high in configurational accuracy with smooth surfaces are press molded in a carefully finished, polished and properly dimensioned mold preferably in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. The molding operation includes placing a quantity of glass having an internal viscosity of at least about 10.sup.6 poises in such a mold while maintaining the mold at a temperature at least equal to the glass transition temperature and thereafter passing the glass into a lens of predetermined configuration at a pressure of at least 100 Kg/cm.sup.2. Performing procedures are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Hamura, Japan

Kishio Sugawara