A de-taping machine for removing a tape around a lens-mold-assembly. The machine including a lens-mold-assembly-rotation mechanism for holding and rotating the lens-mold-assembly and a tape gripping mechanism. The tape gripping mechanism including a first jaw having a clamping surface; a second jaw movable towards the first jaw for clamping a free end of the tape; a proximity sensing arrangement to generate a first detection signal when the free end of the tape is at a pre-determined distance from the first jaw; and a contact sensing arrangement to generate a second detection signal when the tape is in contact with the first jaw. A rotational speed of the lens-mold-assembly-rotation may be varied based on the first detection signal. Further, the lens-mold-assembly-rotation mechanism may be stop and the tape gripping mechanism may move the second jaw for clamping based on the second detection signal. A corresponding method for tape removal.

The present disclosure includes optical articles comprising a lens having first and second lens surfaces and a protective layer having first and second protective surfaces that is coupled to the lens such that the first protective surface is disposed on the second lens surface. The optical article can comprise a plurality of convex or concave optical elements defined on the second lens surface or the first protective surface. The protective layer can have a maximum thickness larger than a maximum height of each of the optical elements such that the protective layer encapsulates the optical elements.

Provided herein are methods of molding thermoplastic polymers into optical elements. The optical elements in the form of cylindrical discs, semi-finished lens blanks or finished lenses are compression molded at high temperature typically above thermoplastic polymers softening temperature and under high pressure. The semi-finished lens blanks and finished lenses are molded using front and back glass molds inside a mold assembly which reshapes the cylindrical discs that are either previously molded or cut out from thick slab. Also provided are methods for producing single vision and progressive addition lens prescriptions.

A method of producing a lens with an embedded foil, comprising the steps of positioning a foil (10) on a foil fixation holder, providing adhesive attachment dots (41) on the foil (10) on surface portions (12) opposite to the foil fixation holder, positioning the front mould (30) ensuring the contact of the attachment dots (41) with a surface (31) of the front mould (30), retracting the foil fixation holder and positioning a back mould (120) opposite to the front mould (30). Then the front mould (30) and the rear mould (120) are connected with a sealing bridging element (90) to build an assembly in order to form a mould cavity (45, 155) with a pouring opening, wherein the edge (11) of the foil (10) is spaced apart (112) from the bridging element (90) and the assembly comprises passages between the attachment dots (141), the foil (10) and the front mould backside (31) allowing pouring a monomer into the entire mould cavity (45, 155) before curing the monomer and decomposing the assembly as well as cutting the lens with the embedded foil from the polymer block.

A resin part includes a plate-shaped molded main body that is constituted of an injection-molded product. Of plate surfaces of the molded main body, a surface on an opposite side to a surface requiring surface accuracy constitutes a pressure-application surface to which pressure is applied by a movable insert. A parting line is formed on the pressure-application surface by the movable insert to satisfy the following relationship: (t/4)≤x≤(3t/2), where x is a distance from an end edge part of the molded main body to the parting line and t is a thickness of the molded main body.

A method for producing a spectacle lens 2 including a base portion 2 that is made of a resin material and includes a convex object-side face and a concave eyeball-side face, and an optical element 12 that is made of a material different from the material for forming the base portion and is embedded in the base portion, is described. The method includes: arranging an optical element in a cavity 28 of a mold including a first mold part 20 and a second mold part 24 that can be opened and closed; introducing a resin material for forming a base portion of the spectacle lens into the cavity of the mold; obtaining the spectacle lens by curing the resin material that is a resin for forming the base portion; disassembling the mold; and detaching the spectacle lens from the mold.

Provided herein are methods of molding thermoplastic polymers into optical elements. The optical elements in the form of cylindrical discs, semi-finished lens blanks or finished lenses are compression molded at high temperature typically above thermoplastic polymers softening temperature and under high pressure. The semi-finished lens blanks and finished lenses are molded using front and back glass molds inside a mold assembly which reshapes the cylindrical discs that are either previously molded or cut out from thick slab. Also provided are methods for producing single vision and progressive addition lens prescriptions.

A method of producing optical components includes providing an initial carrier including cutouts; carrying out a molding process to form transparent optical molded parts arranged in the cutouts of the initial carrier, wherein a molding compound is introduced into the cutouts of the initial carrier and the molding compound is molded and cured; and singulating the initial carrier including the optical molded parts so that separate optical components are formed that respectively include a carrier produced from the initial carrier and including a cutout, and an optical molded part arranged in the cutout.

An injection molding apparatus includes a substantially circular first substrate, a substantially circular second substrate disposed to face a surface of the first substrate, a fixing member which fixes a peripheral end portion of the first substrate and a peripheral end portion of the second substrate, and an injection portion which is provided in the fixing member and from which a composition is injected into a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, in which a space connecting with the injection portion and the gap is provided in at least a part of a periphery of the gap, and a width of the space in a thickness direction is larger than a width of the gap in the thickness direction.

A lens assembly includes a tube in which optical elements such as lenses or micro-lenses are individually fabricated by dispensing a volume of curable optical polymer into the tube, forming the desired shape for the optical element using one or more plungers having heads corresponding to a desired lensing curvature, applying radiant energy to the tube with the plungers in place to cure the optical polymer, and repeating as needed until the desired number of optical elements are fabricated within the lens assembly which may then be integrated as a single piece into a mobile or wearable device.