An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses comprises:

a production line front end comprising: a first and a second injection-molding machine, a casting module, a filling station and a capping station, a stacking module and a curing module, a destacking module and a demolding and delensing module

a production line back end comprising:

a treatment module,

an inspection module,

wherein self-driving shuttles in the inspection module can form a queue and act as a buffer for the primary packaging module if an interruption of the primary packaging module and variations of the cycle time in the primary packaging module are buffered so that the extraction module is able to operate largely independently from the upstream and downstream components of the manufacturing line.

An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses comprises:

a production line front end (1) comprising: a first injection-molding machine (10) and a second injection-molding machine (12) a casting module (14) comprising a filling station (144) and a capping station (145); a stacking module (15) and a curing module (16); a destacking module (17) and a demolding and delensing module

a production line back end (2) comprising:

a treatment module (20),

an inspection module (21),

wherein the production line has the easy adaptability of curing times and temperatures, and in the capability of using different treatment liquids and treatment times in the extraction module to achieve the product flexibility.

The invention relates to a pad printing instrument comprising an ink supply system capable of control the temperature, viscosity and colorant concentration of an ink in an ink cup. Such controls are achieved by continuously adding and mixing a cold ink having a composition identical to the ink in the ink cup but having a lower temperature. The continuous addition of a small amount of a cold ink into the ink cup could compensate heat generated by the friction between the ink cup and a cliché and could minimize the evaporation of a diluent in the ink and change in the concentration of colorants in the ink and ink viscosity. The invention also relates to use of a pad printing instrument comprising an ink supply system of the invention for producing colored hydrogel or silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

The invention relates to a method for producing embedded hydrogel contact lenses involving a set of 3-mold halves consisting essentially of: one female lens mold half having a molding surface defining the anterior surface of a contact lens; one male lens mold half having a molding surface defining the posterior surface of the contact lens; and an insert mold half having a molding surface defining one of the front and back surfaces of an insert. One of the lens mold halves is used twice: first with the insert mold half for molding an insert during first curing process and then with the other lens mold half for molding an embedded hydrogel contact lens with the molded insert embedded partially or fully therein during second curing process. The invention also relates to embedded hydrogel contact lenses produced from a method of the invention.

The invention is directed to an embedded hydrogel contact lens, which comprises an insert sandwiched between two layers of hydrogel materials and can be produced according to a cast molding method including the procedures involving two females halves (FC1 and FC2) and two male halves (BC1 and BC2) and three consequential molding steps involving three molding assemblies: the 1st one formed between FC1 and BC1 for molding an insert; the 2.sup.nd one formed between FC1 and BC2 for molding a lens precursor having the molded insert embedded in a layer of a hydrogel material in a way that the front surface of the molded insert merges with the convex surface of the lens precursor; and the 3rd one formed between FC2 and BC2 for molding an embedded hydrogel contact of the invention.

A UV (ultraviolet) curing apparatus for a contact-lens polymerization process is provided. A UV curing module is equipped for the mold cavities of contact-lens curing molds, including a plurality of first UV light sources arranged above the mold cavities and a plurality of second UV light sources arranged below the mold cavities. A plurality of light output areas of a first light guide device guides the light beams emitted by the first UV light sources to illuminate upper light receiving surfaces of the molds. A plurality of reflecting plates of a second light guide device reflects and scatters the light beams emitted by the second UV light sources to lower light receiving surfaces of the molds. Thereby, the contact-lens polymer inside the molds is uniformly cured, and the yield is raised.

A contact lens comprising one or more microchannels for transport of liquid through the lens is provided. The contact lens can be made by contacting a curable composition with a microfiber that is insoluble in the curable composition; curing the curable composition to provide a polymeric lens body with the microfiber embedded therein; and contacting the polymeric lens body with a solvent to dissolve the microfiber.

A lens comprises an internal cavity structure formed by dissolution of a soluble insert material. The internal soluble material may dissolve through a body of a lens such as a contact lens in order to form the cavity within the contact lens. The cavity within the lens can be shaped in many ways, and corresponds to the shape of the dissolved material, such that many internal cavity shapes can be readily fabricated within the contact lens. The insert can be placed in a mold with a pre-polymer material, and the pre-polymer material cured with the insert placed in the mold to form the lens body. The polymerized polymer may comprise a low expansion polymer in order to inhibit expansion of the lens when hydrated. The polymer may comprise a hydrogel when hydrated. The soft contact lens material comprises a sufficient amount of cross-linking to provide structure to the lens and shape the cavity.

Disclosed are methods, systems, and apparatus for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens component. In one embodiment, a method includes placing at least part of a soluble core component on a first molding surface of a first mold component or a second molding surface of a second mold component, mating the second mold component to the first mold component to form an assembled mold comprising a mold cavity, introducing a lens component material into the mold cavity, curing the lens component material within the assembled mold to form a molded lens component, and immersing the molded lens component in a solvent to dissolve the soluble core component. At least one of the first mold component and the second mold component can also be made of a soluble material.

A tray (20) for holding contact lens mold assemblies (70) during thermal curing of a contact lens precursor material in an oven 210 to form contact lenses. The tray (20) comprises a plurality of plates (60) and a frame (25) supporting the plates (60). The frame (25) is configured to be stacked vertically with a plurality of identical frames to form a tray stack (10). Each plate (60) is a carbon-fiber reinforced polymer plate and comprises a plurality of support structures (110) each arranged to support one contact lens mold assembly (70) during curing and a plurality of channels (90, 100) connecting the support structures (110), to allow gases to flow between them in the tray stack (10) during curing.