A machine for transferring a preformed functional film onto a curved face of an ophthalmic substrate, including: a first device for receiving and holding the substrate; a second device for receiving the film, the first device and/or second device configured to hold the film by applying a pressure force to the periphery thereof; a first mechanism for moving the devices, configured to place the curved face such that it faces the film, a second mechanism for moving the devices, configured to bring into contact the center of the film with the center of the curved face and to apply the film with the substrate to radially spread, from the center of the film up to the periphery thereof, a conformal contact between the film and the curved face; and a control and command unit configured to control at least the second mechanism when the film and the substrate are in contact.

A manufacturing module (MM) for contact lenses comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations (300, 301, 302, 310, 320, 321, 322, 330, 331, 340, 341, 342, 350, 351, 352) arranged in a closed loop and a plurality of lens mold carriers (1, 2) which are transported through the manufacturing stations. Each lens mold carrier (1, 2) comprises a frame (10, 20) having a predetermined number of mounting sites (100, 200) arranged along the frame. Each lens mold carrier (1, 2) further comprises a predetermined number of molds (112, 212) removably mounted to the frame (10, 20) at the mounting sites (100, 200), the molds being reusable male or female molds (212, 112). Two lens mold carriers (1, 2) are assigned to each other to form a pair, so that upon mating the pair of lens mold carriers (1, 2) the male and female molds (212, 112) are mated to form mold cavities defining the shape of the lenses. The manufacturing stations comprise a mold changing station (300, 301, 302) configured to be capable of removing a mold from its mounting site (100, 200) and mounting a different mold at the said mounting site (100, 200), or configured to change the rotational position of a mold (112, 212) mounted to the frame (10, 20), or both.

A modular production line for the production of contact lenses comprises at least three separate modules: a manufacturing module (MM), an inspection module (IM), and a packaging module (PP).

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 (300, 301, 302, 310, 320, 321, 322, 330, 331, 340, 341, 342, 350, 351, 352) which are grouped to form a plurality of individual manufacturing units (30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35) arranged in a closed loop. Reusable male and female molds (212, 112) are transported through the manufacturing stations of the manufacturing units, and each manufacturing unit (30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35) comprises a plurality of the manufacturing stations (300, 301, 302, 310, 320, 321, 322, 330, 331, 340, 341, 342, 350, 351, 352). A plurality of transfer robots (36) is provided, each transfer robot (36) of the plurality of transfer robots (36) being arranged at a location between two manufacturing units (30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35) to transfer the reusable molds from one manufacturing unit to the other manufacturing unit.

Contact lenses having even surface coatings are manufactured by coating a polyvinyl alcohol polymer on a lens-forming surface of a contact lens mold, applying a contact lens coating composition onto the polyvinyl alcohol polymer, and curing a contact lens formulation in the coated contact lens mold. During curing, the coating composition transfers from the mold to the contact lens surface. The polyvinyl alcohol helps prevent the contact lens coating composition from being solubilized by the contact lens composition during the curing step.

The present invention relates to nanoprocessing and heterostructuring of silk. It has been shown that few-cycle femtosecond pulses are ideal for controlled nanoprocessing and heterostructuring of silk in air. Two qualitatively different responses, ablation and bulging, were observed for high and low laser fluence, respectively. Using this approach, new classes of silk-based functional topological microstructures and heterostructures which can be optically propelled in air as well as on fluids remotely with good control have been fabricated.

A method of removing an ophthalmic lens from a lens mold portion is provided and includes reciprocally displacing a region of the mold portion and thereby causing an edge portion of the ophthalmic lenses to become detached from the mold portion. Related apparatus, methods of manufacturing ophthalmic lenses, delensing stations, and manufacturing times are provided.

The invention is directed to a cast molding method for making embedded hydrogel contact lenses. The method comprises a step of actinically curing a lens-forming composition in specific locations in molding assemblies each of which is formed from one male lens mold half and one female insert mold half having a molded insert adhered thereon and comprises the lens-forming composition filling a gap between the back surface of the mold insert and the molding surface of the male lens mold half. This tack curing step ensures molded inserts adhered through multiple spots to the molding surface of each male lens mold halves which in turn will be used together with a female lens mold half in cast-molding of a lens forming composition to form an embedded silicone hydrogel contact lens.

A contact lens constructed to limit the water transmissibility of at least one area of the lens while maintaining at least a minimum oxygen transmissibility. The water transmissibility maximum and oxygen permeability minimum are achieved by a predetermined lens thickness of a single lens material or by the use of two or more material layers.

The invention concerns a method to manufacture a mold (10) for forming contact lenses (100) using the technique of molding with molds of monomeric and/or polymeric material; such molds (10) comprise a male element (11) and a female element (12), which cooperate to define a cavity suitable to accommodate monomeric and/or polymeric material in the liquid state intended to form the lens (100), wherein the method provides to obtain, by means of laser processing, a plurality of grooves (23) in the male element (11) intended to form functional elements in relief (101) of the lenses (100). The invention also concerns a mold (10) for contact lenses (100) made of monomeric and/or polymeric material that can be obtained with the method as above.

A method of providing a male mold half for molding a toric contact lens at a predetermined target rotational orientation is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: providing the male mold half at a predetermined rotational orientation, picking the male mold half up with a gripper having a central axis, rotating the gripper with the male mold half about the central axis of the gripper by a predetermined rotational angle (?) towards the predetermined target rotational orientation, and releasing the rotated male mold half from the gripper. Prior to picking the male mold half up, the method comprises centering the grippe and the male mold half relative to each other such that the central axis of the gripper and a central axis of the male mold half coincide.