An optical element manufacturing method includes: heating and softening a molding material so as to mold an optical element; and creating a scattering region outside an effective diameter of the optical element while substantially maintaining an outside dimension of the optical element formed in molding, wherein, in the creating, the scattering region is created in a region outside the effective diameter of the optical element by irradiating the region outside the effective diameter of the optical element with a laser and forming a crack or an altered layer.

A process deciding method in a method of manufacturing an optical element by heating and press-molding an optical material to mold the optical element using a molding die on which a release film is formed, includes a basicity degree identifying process in which a degree of basicity of the optical material is identified; and a removing process determining process of determining whether to perform one or both of first removing process in which an oxidizing substance is removed and a second removing process in which a basic substance is removed from at least one of a surface of the optical material and a surface of the release film by comparing the degree of basicity of the optical material identified in the basicity degree identifying process with a predetermined reference value, before press-molding the optical material.

The present disclosure provides an improved production method for optical elements. In this case, it is desirable to achieve high contour accuracy and/or surface quality for optical elements or lenses or headlight lens. In addition, it is desirable to reduce the costs of a production process for objective lenses and/or headlights, microprojectors or vehicle headlights.

A mold for molding a glass product is provided. The mold includes a lower mold and an upper mold. The lower mold includes a lower pressing surface. The upper mold includes an upper pressing surface. The upper pressing surface includes a plurality of upper molding surfaces and an upper mold closing surface connecting the plurality of upper molding surfaces. The lower pressing surface includes a plurality of lower molding surfaces and a lower mold closing surface for connecting the plurality of lower molding surfaces. The upper mold closing surface and/or the lower mold closing surface include at least two mold closing regions sequentially arranged from center to outside. The at least two mold closing regions have surface roughnesses increasing from center to outside. The disclosure achieves the technical effect of even filling, synchronous demoulding, and reduced error between mold cavities.

A method for manufacturing an optical element includes heating an optical material up to a first temperature that is higher than a transition point, pressurizing the optical material using a first mold and a second mold that are situated opposite to each other across the optical material, first cooling the optical material down to a second temperature that is higher than a strain point and lower than the first temperature while pressurizing the optical material with a predetermined load using the first mold and the second mold, releasing the predetermined load at a set speed that is higher than or equal to a speed obtained in advance, at which an elastic deformation occurs preferentially over a viscous deformation in the optical material upon releasing a load, and second cooling the optical material down to a third temperature that is lower than the second temperature.

Provided is a method for producing an inexpensive chalcogenide optical element having high performance. An inside of chalcogenide glass is also heated uniformly by heating the chalcogenide glass with an infrared ray (light LI). Therefore, a molded lens LE hardly causes a crack or the like, a work piece WP as a block of the chalcogenide glass can be softened in a short time, and time required for molding can be shortened. In addition, direct heating with an infrared ray (light LI) allows heating and cooling to be performed in a short time. Therefore, an effect of volatilization, oxidation, crystallization, or the like can be reduced, and the lens LE having a high transmittance can be molded. Press molding can be performed while the temperature of the second mold die 12 is lower than that of the glass. Therefore, the lens LE hardly causing fusion and having an excellent appearance can be molded with a low maintenance frequency.

The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing an aspherical prism and an aspherical prism. The method includes step S1, forming a prism and a lens into one piece to obtain a forming body glass by using a hot-pressing molding; step S2, adhering the forming body glass to a tooling, and performing a right-angle surface milling on the forming body glass according to a preset size while reserving a processing amount for a polishing process; step S3, adhering the forming body glass formed after the right-angle surface milling to an optical backing plate for polishing; step S4, cutting the forming body glass formed after the polishing; step S5, coating the forming body glass formed after the cutting; and step S6, inking the forming body glass formed after the coating. The method can improve the structural precision and processing efficiency of the aspherical prism.

Systems and methods according to one or more embodiments are provided for annealing a chalcogenide lens at an elevated temperature to accelerate release of internal stress within the chalcogenide lens caused during a molding process that formed the chalcogenide lens. In particular, the annealing process includes gradually heating the chalcogenide lens to a dwell temperature, maintaining the chalcogenide lens at the dwell temperature for a predetermined period of time, and gradually cooling the chalcogenide lens from the dwell temperature. The annealing process stabilizes the shape, the effective focal length, and/or the modulation transfer function of the chalcogenide lens. Associated optical assemblies and infrared imaging devices are also described.

An optical element shaping mold set includes a first shaping mold and a second shaping mold that face each other; a tubular third shaping mold which is located around the first shaping mold and the second shaping mold and in which at least one of the first shaping mold and the second shaping mold slides, and heating, pressing and cooling are conducted with a shaping-target material accommodated between the first shaping mold and the second shaping mold, the third shaping mold has a slit formed on at least one of ends in a sliding direction of the at least one of the first shaping mold and the second shaping mold, and the third shaping mold has a linear expansion coefficient that is smaller than a linear expansion coefficient of the first shaping mold and smaller than a linear expansion coefficient of the second shaping mold.

A mold apparatus of a lens array and a method for using the same are provided. The mold apparatus includes an upper pressing die, a lower pressing die and a plate structure. The upper pressing die includes a plurality of upper engaging portions. The lower pressing die includes a plurality of lower engaging portions. The plate structure includes a plurality of through holes. A glass article is installed at the through hole. The glass article includes a first sectional width W1. The through hole includes an upper opening and a lower opening. The upper opening corresponds to the upper pressing die. The lower opening corresponds to the lower pressing die. The upper opening includes a second sectional width W2. The lower opening includes a third sectional width W3. Wherein W1W2 or W1W3; the glass articles are extruded by the mold apparatus to manufacture the lens array.