A holder (10) for holding a substrate (L) during vacuum coating comprises a base body (12) with a masking portion (14) provided with an opening (16) adapted to receive the substrate. The opening in the masking portion is shaped to correspond to or closely match the shape of the substrate to be held without substantial gaps therebetween. The masking portion is provided with a slot (22) that extends radially outward from an inner edge (18) of the opening. A narrow spring arm of a spring arrangement mounted to the holder is received in the slot and adapted to resiliently bear against an outer edge (E) of the substrate to urge the substrate toward a support area (24) at the inner edge of the opening on a side opposite said slot. Further, a loading/unloading device (60) for loading the substrate into such holder and for unloading it therefrom is proposed.

An ophthalmic substrate conveyor and method of conveying ophthalmic substrates for vacuum deposition utilizes gravity and impulse action energy to convey an ophthalmic substrate to an adjacent vacuum deposition machine, for coating the ophthalmic substrate with an ophthalmic substance through physical vapor deposition. The conveyor provides a spring-loaded lens wheel that selectively retains the ophthalmic substrate during coating. The lens wheel rides a pair of inclined rails, urged by gravity, to a vacuum deposition machine that coats HEV absorbing material onto ophthalmic substrate. An escapement mechanism subassembly transfers impulse action energy to the lens wheel to regulate the speed and direction of the lens wheel across the inclined rails. A rotation servomechanism senses and rotates the lens wheel to the desired orientation during coating. A ring spreader actuator engages springs in the lens wheel to clamp and release the ophthalmic substrate. A control unit regulates servomechanism and ring spreader actuator.

A dyeing data management method is performed between dyeing systems disposed at different locations. The method includes a first dyeing step of dyeing a lens in a first dyeing system, a first acquisition step of acquiring first result color information of the lens dyed in the first dyeing system, a dyeing data creation step of creating dyeing data based on a discharge amount of dye in the first dyeing step and the first result color information, a data provision step of providing the dyeing data for dyeing a lens to a predetermined color from the first dyeing system to a second dyeing system, a second dyeing step of performing dyeing of a lens according to the provided dyeing data in the second dyeing system, and a second acquisition step of acquiring second result color information of the lens dyed in the second dyeing system.

An apparatus for accommodating an article in a vacuum-coating installation has a carrier with a coating opening and a retaining device for retaining the article in the coating opening. The retaining device has a pivot bearing that is secured on the carrier and a pivot axis, about which it is possible to pivot the retaining device to thereby turn the article in the coating opening. The pivot bearing has a bearing body with a circumferentially closed mount for a round body, which extends in the direction of the pivot axis, wherein the bearing body has a circumferentially closed mount and a circumferentially open mount for the round body, and therefore, when the retaining device is arranged on the carrier, the round body can be introduced through the circumferentially open mount into the circumferentially closed mount.

A method and assembly for removing an intraocular lens from an injection molded mold half. With the method and the assembly, first spill ring material is removed from the mold half. Subsequently, the mold/lens-assembly is subjected to an oscillating mechanical load without substantial deformation of at least a part of the mold half that is in direct contact with the lens body. The oscillating mechanical load has an oscillation frequency which is in a range that excites the mold/lens-assembly to break bonds between the intraocular lens and the mold half. After that, a static mechanical push force is exerted on the bottom side of the mold half to at least partly separate the intraocular lens from the mold half.

A system and a method for processing of optical lenses in which the processing takes place by different processing apparatus between which there is a respective transfer apparatus. The transfer apparatus are used both for longitudinal and also cross conveyance. Each processing apparatus has its own conveyor apparatus which is controlled by the processing apparatus itself. The transfer apparatus are controlled by a central transfer control.

A device and a method for processing, in particular edge processing, an optical lens, wherein the device has a measuring system, a processing system, a loading system, an unloading system, an intermediate conveyor, and a belt conveyor. The loading system is arranged between the measuring system and the processing system. The unloading system is arranged on the opposite side of the processing system. A lens that is to be processed is picked up and oriented at the optical reference point that is determined by the measuring system in order to determine as precisely as possible the blocking point for the subsequent processing. The loading system and unloading system each have a linearly movable swiveling system with linearly movable suction devices arranged therein. The processing system is designed for the simultaneous processing of two lenses.

To form a multilayer plastic lens, a plurality of intermediate layers of a plastic material are injected one after another onto a basic part in an injection molding device in different cavities, wherein at least some of the cavities have a common first runner system with a common material feed. At least its [sic—“one”—“seine” is an obvious typo for “eine” meaning “one”—Tr.Ed.] outer layer consisting of a plastic material is then injected in a cavity by means of a second runner system, the second runner system having a material feed of its own and a control of its own.

A method of preparing individual spectacle lenses (L) in accordance with a prescription order comprises the steps of: (i) blocking, a provided lens blank (LR) as workpiece on a block piece provided from a plurality of block pieces (B) from a block piece store (BL), (ii) processing the blocked lens blank at least at a second surface so as to obtain a blocked, processed spectacle lens (L) as workpiece, and (iii) deblocking the processed spectacle lens from the block piece, wherein the workpiece, optionally in the blocked state, is transported between the steps (i) to (iii) in one of a plurality of provided transport boxes (T). In the method, the block pieces prior to the step (i) of blocking are stored in the transport boxes in the block piece store and, for the step (i) of blocking, are provided in the transport boxes from the block piece store.

A method, an installation and a system for processing optical workpieces in which workpieces are conveyed to individual processing apparatus or processing lines corresponding to an assignment. The respective assignment preferably takes into consideration assignment parameters, such as the availability and capability of processing apparatus and/or processing lines. The assignment that already has been carried out is examined before the actual or ultimate conveying and/or when there is a change in the assignment parameters and optionally is changed in a corresponding manner, taking into consideration the current assignment parameters, in order to adapt to current circumstances. As an alternative or in addition, jobs for processing workpieces are forwarded to the processing installations at different sites based on corresponding assignment parameters. Optionally, an examination and, as appropriate, a change in the assignment are made when new jobs or significant changes in the assignment parameters are detected.