JP3311041B2 - How to supply glass material for optical elements - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for supplying a glass material for an optical element in a molding method for obtaining an optical element by pressing a heat-softened glass material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a method of supplying a glass material is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-101578.
The vacuum suction chuck system in which the glass material is vacuum-adsorbed and moved from above by a finger (supply jig) is used. Further, since the glass is burned to other contact members by press molding, it is common to apply a release agent to a conveying jig or the like as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-5533.

[0003]

According to the above-mentioned conventional vacuum suction chuck method, when a glass material is supplied to a cylindrical transfer jig by a finger, the glass material and the transfer jig are not inserted when the glass material is inserted. Was always rubbed.

However, as described above, a release agent is applied to a portion of the transfer jig that comes into contact with the glass to prevent seizure of the glass. A mold was sometimes applied. Therefore, the above-mentioned rubbing caused the release agent to scatter and adhere to the optically formed surface of the glass material, and when pressed as it was, an optical element having poor appearance was obtained. For this reason, conventionally, a release agent cannot be used, and the glass material and the jig for conveyance are in close contact with each other, so that it has been difficult to remove the optical element after molding.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a method of supplying a glass material for an optical element which does not cause a poor appearance even when a release agent is used.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a method for supplying a glass material for an optical element to a conveying jig. Holding the effective surface of the glass material in a covered state by a pair of cylindrical supply jigs capable of moving back and forth in the direction; and opening the effective surface of the glass material to transfer the glass material to the transport jig. Supplying to the tool.

[0007]

According to the structure of the present invention, the glass material is supplied to the conveying jig because the supply jig covers the effective surface of the glass material even if the release agent is applied to a predetermined portion of the conveying jig. In this case, the droplets of the release agent do not adhere to the effective surface, and the transfer jig and the glass are not seized.

[0008]

Embodiment 1 First, before describing a specific embodiment of the present invention, an outline of the present invention will be described. The present invention provides a method for supplying a glass material for an optical element when the glass material for an optical element that has been heated and softened is pressed by a pair of molding dies to form a desired shape. An effective surface of the glass material is sandwiched and held by a pair of cylindrical supply jigs, and while maintaining this state, at least the glass material is transferred to a transfer jig that places the glass material with the effective surface open. Is to supply. In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a glass material 1 before heating and pressing is vacuum-adsorbed by a cylindrical upper finger (supply jig) 3. The upper finger 3 conveys the glass material 1 from the glass material pool to the insertion position where the conveying jig 2 is prepared. A cylindrical lower finger (supply jig) 4 is provided at the center of the ring-shaped transfer jig 2 so as to be vertically movable and inserted into the hole 2a. The outer diameter of the lower finger 4 is formed larger than the effective diameter of the optics. When the glass material 1 sucked and supported by the upper finger 3 is lowered, the lower finger 4 contacts the glass material 1 before the glass material 1 is inserted into the transport jig 2. Thereafter, the upper finger 3 is further lowered, and the lower finger 4 is pushed down together with the glass material 1 so as to be inserted into the transport jig 2 with the glass material 1 kept in contact with the lower finger 4. After insertion,
The upper finger 3 and the lower finger 4 are retracted (separated), and the supply is completed. Note that a release agent is applied to a portion where the glass material 1 is placed on the transfer jig 2. In the present invention having the above structure, since the release agent is applied to a predetermined portion of the transfer jig 2, there is no seizure of the glass, and the optically formed surface is covered by the lower finger 4. Spray of the release agent when inserted into the jig 2 does not adhere to the optically formed surface (effective surface).

Next, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows a supply method of the present embodiment, and shows a state in which a pair of cylindrical upper fingers 3 and lower fingers 4 formed of a resin such as Delrin are arranged on the same axis. The upper finger 3 is provided movably in the vertical and horizontal directions. Also, upper finger 3
Is connected to a vacuum generator (not shown) so that the glass material 1 can be sucked and conveyed. A cylinder 7 is provided below the lower finger 4, and a support rod 6 slidably inserted into the lower finger 4 is provided at an upper end of the cylinder rod 7 a facing upward.
Is fixed. A flange 4a is formed at the lower end of the lower finger 4, while a flange 6a is also formed at the lower end of the support rod 6, and a spring 8 is elastically mounted between the flanges 4a. Thereby, the lower finger 4 is configured to be vertically movable.

The transfer jig 2 is provided so as to be transferable between upper and lower fingers 3 and 4 via a transfer arm 5. The conveying jig 2 used in the present embodiment has a cylindrical shape having a step in the inner diameter portion (hole 2a), and the outer peripheral portion is related to the step from the effective surface (optically formed surface) of the glass material 1. By stopping, the glass material 1 can be placed in a state where the effective surface is opened. Further, a portion of the transfer jig 2 on which the glass material 1 is placed is coated in advance with boron nitride (BN) as a release agent.

In order to supply the glass material 1 with the above-described supply device, the transfer jig 2 for mounting and transferring the glass material 1 is moved to the supply position on the lower finger 4 via the transfer arm 5. Move to and set up. Thereafter, the cylinder 7 is driven to raise the lower finger 4, and the lower finger 4
Of the transfer jig 2 passes through the hole 2 a of the transfer jig 2 and is positioned higher than the upper surface of the transfer jig 2.

The glass material 1 is vacuum-sucked by the upper finger 3 and transported from the pool to the supply position. Next, the upper finger 3 is lowered, and the glass material 1 is moved to the lower finger 4.
, The glass material 1 is sandwiched between the upper finger 3 and the lower finger 4. Then, the upper finger 3 is further lowered to supply the glass material 1 to the transport jig 2. At this time, the lower finger 4 is constantly urged upward by the spring 8, and is brought into contact with the lower surface of the glass material 1,
The glass material 1 covers an effective surface (optically formed surface).

In this embodiment, since the glass material 1 and the transfer jig 2 are rubbed with each other, the release agent for preventing seizure at the time of pressing is scraped and scattered. However, since the lower finger 4 is in contact with the lower surface of the glass material 1 and covers the effective surface (optically formed surface) of the glass material 1, the spray of the release agent adheres to the lower finger 4, the effective surface, and the like. However, there is no adverse effect on the effective surface, and the appearance of the molded product does not deteriorate due to the release agent. After the glass material 1 is inserted, the cylinder 7 is driven to lower the lower finger 4 and the upper finger 3 is raised to terminate the supply. Thereafter, by pressing and molding the glass material 1, a molded product having no appearance defect can be obtained.

In this embodiment, if the suction by the upper finger 3 is stopped when the glass material 1 is lowered, the glass material 1 is transferred to the transfer jig 2 by a centripetal action similar to the action of the bell chuck by the pinching force. On the other hand, it can move to near the center. Thereby, the glass material 1 can be inserted in the state of the minimum displacement, and chipping of the edge and twisting at the time of insertion can be prevented.

[0015]

Embodiment 2 FIG. 3 shows a supply method according to the present embodiment.
The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, the release agent 9 is attached to the cylinder 11 via the holder 10. The upper finger 3 is connected to a motor (not shown) and is configured to be rotatable.

In this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment,
The glass material 1 is transported to the supply position by the upper finger 3 and is sandwiched by the contact of the lower finger 4. Next, the upper finger 3 is rotated by a motor, and is rotated while the glass material 1 is being sucked. The rotation is slow at about 60 rpm, and the cylinder 11 is driven during rotation.
The release agent 9 is applied by pressing against the edge of the glass material 1. In this embodiment, BN solid was used as the release agent 9.

Since there is a step of applying the release agent 9 to the glass material 1, there is no need to apply the release agent to the transfer jig 2 in advance. After the release agent 9 is applied, a supply step is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the mold release agent 9 can be effectively used particularly in molding the glass material 1 having a thin edge.

[0018]

As described above, according to the method for supplying a glass material for an optical element of the present invention, even if a release agent is used, the release agent does not adhere to the effective surface of the glass material. An optical element free from poor appearance can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the concept of a method for supplying a glass material for an optical element of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing Example 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Glass material 2 Transport jig 3 Upper finger (supply jig) 4 Lower finger (supply jig) 9 Release agent

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-62-265132 (JP, A) JP-A-3-279233 (JP, A) JP-A-6-87619 (JP, A) JP-A-6-40731 (JP) JP-A-5-339016 (JP, A) JP-A-6-40730 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) C03B 11/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for supplying a glass material for an optical element, which supplies the glass material for an optical element to a transport jig, wherein the glass material is supplied by a pair of cylindrical supply jigs which can move at least in an axial direction. An optical element comprising: a step of holding the effective surface of the glass material in a covered state; and a step of opening the effective surface of the glass material and supplying the glass material to the transport jig. How to supply glass materials for use.