The invention concerns a method of manufacturing an ophthalmic lens, comprising the steps of providing, mounting and blocking a substrate (10) on a machining support unit (65), surfacing an upper face (12) of said substrate, edging a peripheral edge (13) of said substrate, wherein said machining support unit comprises a surfacing member (40) and an edging member (30) which are separable, said surfacing member having a cavity (51) in which said edging member is located during said step of surfacing, said surfacing and edging members being configured so that said substrate is mounted and blocked on said machining support unit in a first predetermined position for the surfacing and the edging and, between said steps of surfacing and edging, the method comprises the step of withdrawing said surfacing member from said machining support unit by retaining said substrate on said edging member.

A method of manufacturing an ophthalmic lens, includes the steps of providing, mounting and blocking a substrate (10) on a machining support unit (65), surfacing an upper face (12) of the substrate, edging a peripheral edge (13) of the substrate, wherein the machining support unit includes a surfacing member (40) and an edging member (30) which are separable, the surfacing member having a cavity (51) in which the edging member is located during the step of surfacing, the surfacing and edging members being configured so that the substrate is mounted and blocked on the machining support unit in a first predetermined position for the surfacing and the edging and, between the steps of surfacing and edging, the method further includes the step of withdrawing the surfacing member from the machining support unit by retaining the substrate on the edging member.

A mandrel for holding and positioning an intraocular lens blank during manufacturing includes a shank portion having a central axis and a lens blank holding section configured to hold the lens blank. The holding section includes a central cavity formed concentrically with the central axis of the mandrel. Projections are formed on a surface of the central cavity and are configured to support a first surface of the lens blank at a fixed distance from the surface of the central cavity. A ring fits within a peripheral portion of the central cavity to hold a second opposing surface of the lens blank. A method for making an intraocular lens using the mandrel includes filling the space formed under the first surface of the lens with a liquid, such as water, freezing the liquid, and then machining and/or milling the second surface of the lens blank.

There is provided a surfacing station for processing of surfaces of optical elements as workpieces, including a processing unit configured to process surfaces of optical elements; a controller unit configured to communicate with a database containing processing protocols, which can be carried out by the surfacing station, and to control operation of the processing unit in accordance with the processing protocols; and an identification tag base configured to communicate with the controller unit and configured to determine identification tags of consumable items used by the surfacing station, the controller unit being configured to enable a surfacing protocol for processing of the optical elements as workpieces in function of an identified consumable item.

A method for manufacturing a spectacle lens according to a prescription includes: blocking or fixing a semi-finished spectacle lens blank having a first face possessing a final curvature and a second face opposite the first face on a block piece or a vacuum or holding chuck, respectively, wherein the first face of the semi-finished spectacle lens blank faces the block piece or the vacuum or holding chuck, respectively; surfacing the blocked or fixed semi-finished spectacle lens blank on the second face to obtain a final curvature of the second face; and deblocking the surfaced spectacle lens blank from the block piece or removing the surfaced spectacle lens blank from the vacuum or holding chuck prior to any subsequent coating step. The first face is coated with a top coating having a surface energy of less than 20 mJ/m.sup.2.

A compensating pad for applying to an ophthalmic lens blank to be blocked, or for interposing between an ophthalmic lens blank and a block piece. The compensating pad comprises a main body that is designed to be elastic having a maximum thickness corresponding to a maximum layer thickness difference of the ophthalmic lens blank, in order to locally compensate for the layer thickness difference of the blocked ophthalmic lens blank.

Disclosed is a lamination machine including: a film support for receiving a functional film to be laminated; an article support configured to receive and position the optical article in a predetermined orientation; and an actuating member configured to move the film support and the article support toward each other for laminating at a predetermined pressure the functional film received in the film support onto the optical article received within the article support. The article support is a blocker support configured to receive a surfacing blocker onto which the optical article is to be disposed for lamination, the article support being further configured to transmit laminating forces induced by the predetermined pressure to the lamination machine during a lamination operation.

Methods for making ophthalmic lenses are generally discussed herein with particular discussions extended to plastic injection molded ophthalmic lens molds that are machined or lens buttons located on the injection molds that are machined. The machine process can include setting a lens axis of the ophthalmic lens and machining a ballast that is aligned to a major axis of a toric zone.

Method of taping an optical lens member (10) to be manufactured. An optical lens member providing step (S1) is performed during which an optical lens member (10) is provided, the optical lens member has a first optical surface (11) associated with a first reference system and a second optical surface (12) to be manufactured, the first and second optical surfaces being connected by a external periphery surface (14), the first reference system being identified by at least one referencing element (111) on the first optical surface and/or the external periphery surface of the optical lens member, a taping step (S2) during which an adhesive tape (17) is provided on the first surface of the lens member so as to cover at least part of the first surface and leaving the referencing element uncovered.

A collet (230) for holding a contact lens mold half (240) during machining of a surface of the mold half (240) comprises a disc (235) having a face and defining: a central structure (250a), at the centre of the face, for receiving a head portion (240a) of the mold half (240), and an elongate recess (250b), in the face, for receiving a tail portion (240b) of the mold half (240), the elongate recess (250b) extending from the central structure (250a) along a radius of the disc (235).