Patent ID: 6716294
Filing Date: 2004-04-06
Classification: B29D,B29K,B32B,G02B,Y10T

Abstract:
A plant for the continuous production of polarizing lenses, comprising:a coil polarizing film feeding station; a glass convex lens feeding station; a concave lens feeding station; a vacuum film shaping station having spherical moulds, the coil polarizing film feeding station configured to automatically feed polarizing film from a coil to the vacuum shaping station, the vacuum film shaping station configured to automatically vacuum shape the film on the spherical moulds to form a shaped film; a deposition and gluing outer convex lens station configured for automatically robot feeding an outer convex lens to the shaped film to contact a glue bead on the shaped film; a translation station for pre-glued lenses; a deposition and gluing inner concave lens station configured for automatically robot coupling of a concave lens to the shaped film; a lens separation and film cutting station for trimming the film from a finished lens; and a palletization station for the finished lenses, wherein said concave and convex lens deposition and gluing stations comprise a robot arm with controlling means for controlling the robot arm to approach the lens to a glue bead and contact the lens to the glue bead to provide a substantial point of contact between the lens and the glue bead free of any trapped air, and the controlling means controls the robot arm i) so that the lens is approached to the glue bead with an axis of the lens not coinciding with an axis of the glue bead at the point of contact between the lens and the glue bead, ii) so that after the point of contact is accomplished, the robot arm realizes a diagonal motion of the lens with respect to the glue bead to center the lens on the glue bead, and iii) so that after the lens is centered on the glue bead, a vertical pressure is applied by the robot arm to the lens to spread the glue to a uniform thickness and free of any trapped air.