JPH03177319A - Optical element manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an optical element manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for continuously producing an optical element having an optically functional surface from a molding material by direct press molding.

[Problems to be solved by conventional techniques and inventions] In recent years,
A material for forming an optical element, such as a glass blank preformed to a certain degree of shape and surface accuracy, is placed in a mold with a predetermined surface accuracy and press-molded under heat, after grinding and polishing. A method for manufacturing an optical element having a high-precision optical function surface that does not require processing has been developed.

In such a press molding method, an upper mold member for molding and a lower mold member for molding are generally arranged slidably facing each other within the lower mold member for molding, and these upper mold member, lower mold member, and assembly member Introduce the molding material into the cavity formed by
To prevent oxidation of the mold member, the atmosphere is set to a non-oxidizing atmosphere, such as a nitrogen atmosphere, and the mold member is heated to a moldable temperature, such as a temperature at which the molding material has an IQ of 10 to 12 poise, and the mold is closed and pressed for an appropriate time. The surface shape of the mold member is transferred to the surface of the molding material, the temperature of the mold member is cooled to a temperature sufficiently lower than the glass transition temperature of the molding material, the press pressure is removed, and the mold is opened to take out the molded optical element.

The molding material may be preheated to an appropriate temperature before being introduced into the mold member, or the molding material may be heated to a moldable temperature and then introduced into the mold member. Furthermore, while conveying the molding material together with the mold member, heating, pressing, and cooling can be performed at predetermined locations, thereby achieving continuity and speeding up.

The above-mentioned optical element press molding method and its apparatus are disclosed in, for example, JP-A-58-84134 and JP-A-49-97.
Publication No. 009, British Patent No. 378199,
JP-A-63-11529, JP-A-59-1507
This method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 28, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-26528, and the like.

By the way, in the device that performs the above press continuously,
It is necessary to feed the molding material toward the mold and take out the molded optical element obtained by molding with the mold, and a conveying means is used for this operation. on the other hand,
When conveying by the above-mentioned conveyance means, temperature control can be performed such as preheating the molding material when introducing it into the mold and slowly cooling it without giving a thermal shock when taking out the molded optical element. desirable.

Conventionally, as means for such temperature control, a heating element disposed around the transport path of the transport means has been used, and temperature control has been performed by appropriately controlling the amount of heat generated by the heating element. However, with this conventional method, it is difficult to precisely control the temperature of the molding material and the molded optical element, and the thermal energy consumption is large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that can precisely and efficiently perform temperature control such as preheating and slow cooling during the transportation of the molding materials and molded optical elements in the production of optical elements. It is something to do.

C Means for Solving the Problem] According to the present invention, the above object is achieved in an apparatus for manufacturing an optical element by housing a molding material in a mold and press-molding it under heating. , an optical element manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that the conveying means for holding and moving the molding material and/or the molded optical element obtained by molding with the mold for molding is equipped with a heating element; is provided.

In the present invention, the conveying means transports the molding material to the first
There is a form in which the molded optical element is moved to the mold through the second position and the second position in this order, and the molded optical element is moved through the second position and the first position in this order. .

In the present invention, the conveying means has a rotation axis, and a first holding part for holding the molding material is provided on one side of the plane including the rotation axis, and the first holding part for holding the molding material is provided on the other side of the plane including the rotation axis. There is a form in which a second holding part for holding the optical element is provided.

In the present invention, there is a form in which the conveying means is movable back and forth in the direction of the rotation axis.

In the present invention, there is a mode in which both the first holding part holds the molding material and the second holding part holds the molded optical element by vacuum suction.

In the present invention, there is a configuration in which the first holding part is maintained at a higher temperature than the second holding part by the heat generated by the heating element.

In the present invention, there is a form in which the heating element is arranged closer to the first holding part than to the second holding part.

In the present invention, there is an embodiment in which a temperature measuring means is provided at a position equidistant from the first holding part and the second holding part.

In the present invention, the second position is located within a molding chamber that includes a press section equipped with a mold, and the first position is located within a displacement chamber that is communicatively connected to the molding chamber via a sealable gate. There is a form in which there is a position.

In the present invention, there is an embodiment having means for introducing a non-oxidizing gas into the molding chamber.

In the present invention, there is an embodiment having means for introducing a non-oxidizing gas into the replacement chamber.

In the present invention, there is a form having means for reducing the pressure inside the exchange chamber.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of an embodiment of the optical element manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG.
-C-D-E-F cross-sectional schematic diagram.

In the figure, 2 is a casing, and 4a14b is its support leg. A molding chamber 6 and a replacement chamber 8 are formed by the casing so as to be able to be isolated from the outside air. The molding chamber 6 and the replacement chamber 8 are separated by a sealable gate valve 10 provided between them, and the replacement chamber 8 is attached to the side of the molding chamber 6. A gate valve 12 that can be sealed between the exchange chamber 8 and the outside is provided at the lower part of the exchange chamber 8.

A feeding/extracting means 20 is disposed below the gate valve 12 for feeding a molding material from the outside into the replacement chamber 8 and taking out the molded optical element from the inside of the replacement chamber 8 to the outside. ing.

In the vicinity of the replacement chamber 8, there is a transport means for transporting the molding material in the replacement chamber 8 into the molding chamber 6, and further transporting the molded optical element from the molding chamber 6 into the replacement chamber 8. 22 are arranged.

Inside the molding chamber 6, there is a heating section 24. A transfer section 26 and a press section 28 are provided.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two equivalent press parts P+ and Pa are provided.

The heating unit 24 is heated to the molding chamber 6 by the conveying means 22.
It receives the molding material conveyed therein, heats the material to an appropriate temperature, and further receives the molded optical element from the transfer section 26.

The transfer unit 26 transfers the molding material in the heating unit 24 to the press unit 28, and further transfers the molded optical element in the press unit to the heating unit 24.

The press section 28 heats the molding material transferred by the transfer section 26 to an appropriate temperature and then presses it with a mold member.

The details of each part will be explained below.

In the feeding/unloading means 20, the cylinder 32 is supported by support legs 34a, 34b and arranged in the vertical direction. A piston rod 36 is moved up and down by a cylinder 36, and a mounting table 38 is attached to the upper end of the piston rod on which a molding material or a molded optical element is placed.

The mounting table 38 has two press parts 28 in the molding chamber 6.
(P+, Pg), two placing parts are provided in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 so that two molding materials or molded optical elements are placed. It is attached.

The mounting table 38 is set so that the upper and lower end positions of its vertical movement stroke are inside the exchange chamber 8 and outside the exchange chamber. Of course, when moving the mounting table 38 up and down,
A gate valve 12 attached to the replacement chamber 8 is opened.

In the conveying means 22, a rodless cylinder 42 is supported by rodless cylinder support legs 44a and 44b and is arranged horizontally facing the replacement chamber 8. Reference numeral 46 designates a bearing that is horizontally reciprocated by the rodless cylinder 42, and this bearing has one end of a horizontal conveying shaft 48 parallel to the direction of movement of the bearing that rotates around the axial direction. installed as possible. The other end of the transport shaft extends into the exchange chamber 8, and a suction means 50 for suctioning a molding material or a molded optical element is attached to the tip thereof. On the other hand, in the bearing, a rotating cylinder 52 is attached to the member 46, and the rotating cylinder 52 is attached to the member 46.
4 is its output gear. Further, a gear 56 that meshes with the gear 54 is fixed to the tip of the conveyance shaft 48, so that the conveyance shaft 48 can be rotated by the rotation cylinder 52.

The suction means 50 is provided with two suction sections on each of the upper and lower surfaces, and the arrangement thereof corresponds to the arrangement of the two placement sections of the placement table 38 (see FIG. 2). The suction portions on the upper and lower surfaces are turned upside down by rotating the conveying shaft 48 by 180 degrees. Note that the suction means 50 has a built-in heater.

The horizontal movement of the suction means 50 attached to the conveyance shaft 48 moves from a position in the exchange chamber 8 above the mounting table 38 (the position shown in FIG. 1) to a position in the heating section 24 in the molding chamber 6.
Do this until the position is reached. Of course, when the suction means 50 is moved horizontally, the gate valve 10 between the displacement chamber 8 and the molding chamber 6 is
is in the open state.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing details of the suction means 50 attached to the tip of the conveyance shaft 48, in which (b) is a partially sectional plan view, and (a) and (c) are respectively its views. A-A
It is a figure substantially equivalent to a cross section and a CC cross section.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 152 designates a mounting member provided on the conveying shaft 48, and the mounting is performed by attaching two plates 15 to the member.
4,156 are attached butt to each other in the same horizontal plane. These two plates have a substantially symmetrical shape, and two suction parts 158 and 160 are held in holes formed by abutting each other by being engaged with the edges of the plates. Reference numeral 162 denotes a partition plate between these two suction sections and is attached to the two plates.

Note that the suction parts 158 and 160 are attached to the plates 154 and 160, respectively.
It is possible to move slightly relative to 156 in the horizontal direction.

Suction portions 15 are provided on both upper and lower end surfaces of the suction portion 158, respectively.
9a and 159b are formed. These suction parts are dish-shaped, and a suction port 164 is provided at the bottom thereof, and the suction port is connected to a vacuum suction means (not shown) via a pipe 166.

Similarly, suction portions 161 a and 16 l b are formed on both upper and lower end surfaces of the suction portion 160, respectively.

These suction parts are dish-shaped, and the bottom has a suction port 16.
4, and the suction port is connected to a vacuum suction means (not shown) via a vibrator (not shown).

In addition, each of the above-mentioned suction parts 159a, 159b, 161a, 16
The vacuum suction for 1b is independently controlled.

Two heaters 168 and a thermocouple 170 for temperature measurement are built into the adsorption section 158.
60 includes two heaters 172 and a thermocouple 174 for temperature measurement.

In the heating section 24, a cylinder 62 is attached to the casing 2 outside the molding chamber 6 and is arranged in the vertical direction. A piston rod 64 is moved up and down by the cylinder 62, and extends through the casing 2 into the molding chamber 6. At its upper end, there is a mounting table 66 on which a molding material or a molded optical element is placed. is installed. The mounting table 66 is provided with two mounting sections in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane of FIG. 1 so that two molding materials or molded optical elements can be mounted thereon (see FIG. 2).

Above the mounting table 66, a heating cylinder 68 is mounted on a support member 70.
It is placed suspended by. The cylindrical body 68 is open at the bottom, and a heater 72 is attached to its inner surface.

The mounting table 66 is moved up and down from a position below the position where the suction means 50 arrives (the position shown in FIG. 1) to a position inside the heating cylinder 68.

In the transfer section 26, a cylinder 82 is attached to the casing 2 outside the molding chamber 6 and is arranged in the vertical direction. A piston rod 84 is moved up and down by the cylinder 82, and extends through the casing 2 into the molding chamber 6. A rotary sleeve 86 is attached to the outer surface of the rod so as to be relatively rotatable in the vertical direction. There is.

The sleeve passes through the casing 2, and has a bifurcated arm 88a extending horizontally at its upper end.

88b is attached. Adsorption means 90a and 90b are attached to the tips of these arms, respectively. One adsorption means 90a is a press part P.

The other suction means 90b corresponds to the press part P2.
It corresponds to A suction section is provided on the lower surface of each suction means. Further, 92 is a driving means for rotating the sleeve 86 with respect to the piston rod 84.

The rotation of the suction means 90a based on the rotation of the sleeve 86 moves the heating unit 24 from a position above the mounting table 66 to a second position.
The press section 28 (P,
), and the suction means 90
The rotation b is from the position above the mounting table 66 of the heating unit 24 to the intermediate position shown in FIG.
It is necessary to perform the process up to the position P,).

A fixed cylinder 102 in the vertical direction is fixed to the casing 2 in the press section 28 . The cylinder 104 is the molding chamber 6
It is attached to the lower end of the fixed cylinder 102 on the outside and is arranged in the vertical direction. 106 is cylinder 10
The lower shaft is connected to the piston rod No. 4 and moved up and down, and the lower shaft is accommodated in the fixed cylinder 102 so as to be slidable in the up and down direction.

The lower end of a cylindrical shaping member 110 is placed on the upper end of the fixed cylinder 102 via a ring-shaped heater plate 108, and the lower end is fixed to the fixed cylinder 102 by a presser ring 112. There is. Further, a lower mold member 114 is arranged above the upper end of the lower shaft 106. The lower mold member is housed within a copper member 110 and is slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the mold adjusting member.

Further, a cylinder 122 is attached to the casing 2 outside the molding chamber 6 and is arranged in the vertical direction. 124 is an upper shaft connected to the piston rod of the cylinder 122 and moved up and down, and the upper shaft is connected to the lower shaft 1.
02 and coaxially with the lower axis.

The lower end surface of the upper shaft 124 has a convex spherical shape, and 126
is a spherical seat having a concave spherical upper surface corresponding to the convex spherical shape. The spherical seat 126 exhibits a self-centering function during pressing. The upper mold member 1 is located below the spherical seat 126.
An upper end flange portion 28 is disposed, and the upper end flange portion is locked by a retainer ring 130 that fixes the upper shaft. The upper mold member 128 is housed within the mold adjusting member 110 and is slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the mold adjusting member.

Note that the upper end surface of the lower mold member 114 and the upper mold member 12
The lower end surface of 8 is a transfer surface for forming an optically functional surface of an optical element to be molded, and is finished to a desired surface precision.

Coolant flow paths C1 and Cm are provided in the lower shaft 106 and upper shaft 124, respectively. Furthermore, heaters H1+H2 and Hs are built in the heater plate 108, the mold adjustment member 110, and the lower part of the upper shaft 124, respectively.

Next, the operation of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation timing of each part.

The inside of the molding chamber 6 is filled with a nitrogen atmosphere using a nitrogen gas supply system (not shown). Initially, gate valve 10.12 is closed.

First, the gate valve 12 is opened (To), two molding materials are placed on the mounting table 38 in the lower position shown in FIG. 12 into the exchange chamber 8 (
T1). In the exchange chamber, the molding material is adsorbed by the lower suction portion of the suction means 50.

During this suction, the suction pieces 158 and 160 can be moved horizontally as appropriate with respect to the plates 154 and 156, so that they can be arranged concentrically with respect to the mounting table 38.

Incidentally, the rotational position of the suction means 50 at this time is taken as a reference state,
A state rotated by 180° from this point is defined as an inverted state.

Next, the mounting table 38 is lowered a little, the conveyance shaft 48 is rotated 180 degrees by the rotary cylinder 52, and the suction means 50 is turned upside down in the replacement chamber 8 (T2). As a result, the molding material is positioned on the upper surface side of the suction means 50.

Next, the mounting table 38 is lowered from a position inside the exchange chamber 8 to a lower position outside the exchange chamber (Ts).

Next, the gate valve 12 is closed (T,), the pressure inside the displacement chamber 8 is reduced by a pressure reduction means (not shown), and the molding material is preheated by a heater built in the adsorption means 50.

Next, nitrogen gas is supplied into the substitution chamber 8 by a nitrogen gas supply system (not shown) to fill the substitution chamber 8 with a nitrogen atmosphere, and then the gate valve 10 is opened ('rs).

Then, the conveying shaft 48 is moved toward the molding chamber 6 by the cylinder 42, and the suction means 50 is moved to the heating section 24 in the molding chamber 6.
is positioned above the mounting table 66 at the lower limit position (T,).

Next, at this position, the conveyor shaft 48 is moved by the rotary cylinder 52.
is rotated 180' and the suction means 50 is turned upside down (
T.).

Then, the mounting table 66 is slightly raised by the cylinder 62 of the heating section, and the molding material adsorbed on the lower surface side of the suction means 50 is placed on the mounting table 66 by releasing the suction.

Even when this suction is released, the suction pieces 158 and 160 can be moved horizontally as appropriate with respect to the plates 154 and 156, so that they can be arranged concentrically with respect to the mounting table 66.

Note that, prior to the arrival of the suction means 50, the mounting table 66 is raised to the upper limit position by the cylinder 62 (T
, ) is placed in the heating cylinder 68 for an appropriate time to be heated to an appropriate temperature, and then lowered to the lower position shown in FIG. 1 (T, ). Therefore, when a molding material is placed on the mounting table 66, the material will not crack due to temperature shock.

Next, the mounting table 66 is slightly lowered to the lower limit position and the transport shaft 48 is moved in the horizontal direction to retreat the suction means 50 to the replacement chamber 8 (T6), and the gate valve 10 is closed (T,).

Note that the mounting table 66 on which the molding material is mounted is raised to the upper limit position (Tc) by the cylinder 62 after T and before T, and is placed in the heating cylinder 68 for an appropriate time. By this, it is heated to an appropriate temperature, and after T, it is lowered to the lower position shown in FIG. 1 (T4).

Next, the arms 88a and 88b are rotated by the rotation drive means 92.
First, the suction means 90a is positioned above the mounting table 66 (T, , ), and the mounting table 66 is slightly raised by the cylinder 62 of the heating section, and the first molding on the mounting table 66 is rotated. The material to be used is adsorbed to the suction means 90a, and the mounting table 66 is lowered slightly again. The adsorption is performed by an air suction means (not shown).

Next, the arm 88a is rotated by the rotation driving means 92.

88b is rotated to move the suction means 90a to the first press section P1 (T11). Here, the adsorption means 90
The molding material G1 adsorbed by a is the molding member 11
The suction means 90a is introduced into the molding member through the opening 111 provided on the side of the molding member (FIG. 4(a)), and the suction means 90a is slightly lowered by the cylinder 82 of the transfer section (Fig. 4(a)).
4(b)), a molding material is placed on the lower mold member 114 (FIG. 4(C)).

In addition, the above T. At T, the suction means 90b is moved to the second press section P2.

In this case, the suction means 90b is positioned above the mounting table 66. Then, at Tr+, the mounting table 66 is slightly raised by the cylinder 62 of the heating section, and the mounting table 66 is raised slightly by the cylinder 62 of the heating section.
The second molding material on 6 is adsorbed by the suction means 90b, and the mounting table 66 is lowered slightly again.

Subsequently, the arms 88a and 88b are rotated to move the suction means 90b to the second press section P2 (T,
,). Here, as in the case of the first press part P1, the molding material being sucked by the suction means 90b is introduced into the molding member through the opening provided on the side surface of the molding member 110. At this point, the suction means 90b is lowered slightly by the cylinder 82, and the molding material is placed on the lower mold member 114.

Next, by rotating the arms 88a and 88b, the suction means 9
Return 0b from the second press part to the intermediate position (TI4) -
Incidentally, at the above T1m, the suction means 90a is attached to the above-mentioned mounting table 6.
At T I4, the suction means 90a returns to the intermediate position.

The state shown in FIG. 2 is thus obtained.

Next, press forming is performed in the two press sections 28 (P+, P2).

In addition, the molding material G is placed inside the moisturizing member 110.

When the upper shaft 124 is introduced, the upper shaft 124 is pulled upward by the cylinder 122, thereby causing the upper shaft 124 to
) to (c), the upper mold member 128 has moved to the upper position within the lubrication member 110, and thereby the opening 111 on the side of the body wall member communicates with the cavity within the mold member. The molding material G1 is introduced into the cavity from here.

During pressing, the upper shaft 124 is moved downward by the cylinder 122, the upper mold member 128 closes the opening 111 of the mold adjusting member 110, the cavity is closed, and the upper mold member 128 is further pressed downward. As a result, the molding material in the cavity is press-molded, and the optical element G2 is formed (FIG. 4(d)). In addition, the upper mold member 12
8 moves downward until the lower end of the presser ring 130 comes into contact with the upper end of the mold adjusting member 110.

The press molding is performed by heating the molding material with heaters H, H2, and H until it has a moldable viscosity, and then performing the press molding for an appropriate time. After molding into a cavity shape, the refrigerant is passed through the refrigerant flow paths CI and Ct. , cooling the molded optical element. In the cooling process, the cylinder 104 cools the lower mold member 11.
4 is pressed upward with a moderate pressure (however, less pressure than the downward pressing force of the upper mold member 128 by the cylinder 122) to prevent the occurrence of sink marks due to contraction of the optical element.

Thereafter, the upper shaft 124 is raised to open the opening 111 on the side of the lubrication member.

Then, the suction means 90a and 90b of the transfer section 26 are moved in almost the reverse order of the introduction of the molding material into the press section 28, and the first press section P1 and the second press section P2 are moved.
The molded optical elements are each sucked and taken out, placed on the mounting table 66 of the heating section 24, and finally the suction means 90a,
90b in the intermediate position shown in FIG.
．． ).

After the above T and before T+s, the mounting table 66 is raised by the cylinder 62 and moved into the heating cylinder 68 at (T,), and after heating to an appropriate temperature, as shown in FIG. Move it to the lower position shown (T,).

This is the same process as T and Ttl above.

On the other hand, in the same manner as T0 to T6 above, the gate valve 12
is opened, a new molding material on the mounting table 38 is adsorbed by the suction means 50 in the replacement chamber 8, preheated, and conveyed to the heating section 24 in the molding chamber 6 (T2° to T26). .

Note that the timing of Taa is adjusted so that it is after T and 9.

Then, the mounting table 66 is slightly raised, the molded optical element on the mounting table is sucked by the lower suction part of the suction means 50, and after the mounting table 66 is slightly lowered, the suction means 50 is lowered. Invert it (Ta,) and then place it on the mounting table 6.
6 is slightly raised and placed on the mounting table 66, which is a molding material that has been adsorbed to the newly lower suction section.

Also during these suction and suction release, the suction section 158.
160 is movable horizontally relative to the plates 154 and 156, so that it can be arranged concentrically with respect to the mounting table 66.

Then, in the same manner as T8 to T above, the adsorption means 50 is moved from the heating section 24 into the replacement chamber 8 ('ris), and then the gate valve 10 is closed ('r*i).

Incidentally, in the same manner as T and -T above, the mounting table 66 on which the molding material is placed is raised to the upper limit position by the cylinder 62 after the Tea and before the To, and is heated. By being placed in the cylinder 68 for an appropriate time, it is heated to an appropriate temperature and is lowered to the lower position shown in FIG. 1 after Th (T
h).

Hereinafter, in the transfer section 26 and the press section 28, the above T1
A process similar to ゜~T+s is executed.

On the other hand, the gate valve 12 is opened (T8°), and the mounting table 38 on which a new molding material is placed is raised ('rm
,) After being sucked by the lower suction part of the suction means 50 in the exchange chamber 8, the mounting table 38 is lowered a little, and then the conveying shaft 48 is rotated 180'' by the rotary cylinder 52.
The suction means 50 is turned upside down ('rs,), and the mounting table 3 is
8 is slightly raised, and the molded optical element, which has been sucked to the sucking section that is now on the lower side, is placed on the mounting table 38.

Also during these suction and suction release, the suction section 158.
160 is movable horizontally relative to the plates 154 and 156, so that it can be arranged concentrically with respect to the mounting table 38.

Next, the mounting table 38 is lowered to the outside of the replacement chamber 8 (Tss
), close the gate valve 12 (Ta4).

As described above, the molding material placed on the mounting table 38 is press-molded and collected on the mounting table.

Thereafter, press molding can be performed continuously by repeating the same process.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the suction parts of the suction means 50 are such that the suction parts 159a and 161a on one side are always used for suctioning the molding material, and the suction parts 159b and 161b on the other side.
is always used for adsorption of molded optical elements.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the suction part 158, the heater 168 is arranged closer to the suction part 159a than to the suction part 159b. Similarly, in the suction section 160, the heater 172 is arranged closer to the suction section 161a than to the suction section 161b.

The temperature of the heaters 168 and 172 is controlled by controlling the temperatures measured by the thermocouples 170 and 174, respectively. Adsorption parts 159a and 161a adsorb the molding material by controlling the temperature measured by the thermocouples 170 and 174 to be (Temp-1).
The temperature of the adsorption parts 159b and 161b that adsorbs the molded optical element is (Temp-2).
3). Here, based on the difference in distance from the heater to the suction part, (Temp-2) ''> (Temp-3
).

The molding material adsorbed to the suction parts 159a and 161a and the molded optical element adsorbed to the suction parts 159b and 161b are efficiently heated by the suction parts directly by conductive heat and radiant heat, respectively.

Here, when the above (Temp-1) is controlled to, for example, 330°C, the above (Temp-2) is, for example, 300°C, and the above (Temp-3) is, for example, 280°C. As a result, the molding material can be preheated to 300°C in the exchange chamber 8, while the adsorption means 5 can be heated in the heating section 24.
The molded optical element (approximately 280° C.) that is adsorbed at 0° C. will not be damaged by thermal shock during adsorption.

In addition, when conveying the molding material from the replacement chamber 8 to the heating section 24, the preheating temperature is increased by controlling the set temperature (Temp-1) to be gradually increased, and conversely, the replacement from the heating section 24 is carried out. When transporting the molded optical element to the chamber 8, slow cooling can be performed by controlling the set temperature (Temp-1) to gradually lower it.

As described above, the temperature of the adsorption parts on both sides of the adsorption means 50 is not controlled separately, but the temperature of the adsorption parts on both sides is appropriately controlled by one temperature measuring means, and the molding material is held for conveyance. The temperature of the molded optical element can be well controlled. This makes it possible to simplify the device and control, and to perform efficient temperature control with less thermal energy consumption.

In the above embodiment, the inside of the replacement chamber 8 is the first position according to the present invention, and the heating section 24 inside the molding chamber 6 is the second position according to the present invention. In addition, in the present invention, it is also possible to set the position of the molding die to the second position.

Further, in the above embodiments, both the molding material and the molded optical element are held by vacuum suction, but an appropriate gripping mechanism may be used as the holding mechanism.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, the temperature of the molding material and molded optical elements held for transportation can be well controlled by providing a heating element in the conveyance means. This makes it possible to simplify the device and make it easier to control, as well as efficiently controlling the temperature with less thermal energy consumption.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of an embodiment of the optical element manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG.
-C-D-E-F cross-sectional schematic diagram. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation timing of each part of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4(a) to 4(d) are all schematic cross-sectional views of the press section of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing details of the suction means. 6: Molding chamber, 8: Substitution chamber, 10.12: Gate valve, 20: Feeding/unloading means, 22: Conveying means, 24: Heating section, 26: Transfer section, 28 Nibbles section, 38: Mounting table, 48: Transport shaft, 50: Adsorption means, 66: Placement table, 68: Heating cylinder, 90a, 90b: Adsorption means, 106: Lower shaft, 110: Lubricant member, 114: Lower mold member, 124: Upper shaft, 128: Upper mold member, 158.160: Adsorption part, 159a, 159b, 161a, 161b: Adsorption part, 164: Suction port, 166: Pipe, 168.17
2: Heater, 170.174: Thermocouple, H1 to H3: Heater, C1, C2: Refrigerant flow path, PI, Pg nibless part.

Claims (12)

[Claims] (1) In an apparatus that manufactures an optical element by housing a molding material in a molding die and press-molding it under heat, the molding material and/or the molded product obtained by molding with the molding die described above. An optical element manufacturing apparatus characterized in that a conveyance means for holding and moving the optical element is equipped with a heating element. (2) The conveyance means moves the molding material to the mold through the first position and the second position in this order, and transports the molded optical element to the second position and the first position. 2. The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical element manufacturing apparatus is moved in this order. (3) The conveying means has a rotation axis, and a first holding part for holding the molding material is provided on one side of a plane including the rotation axis, and a molded optical element is provided on the other side. The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second holding section for holding. (4) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the conveying means is capable of reciprocating in the direction of the rotation axis. (5) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first holding part holds the molding material and the second holding part holds the molded optical element by vacuum suction. (6) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first holding part is maintained at a higher temperature than the second holding part by heat generated by the heating element. (7) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the heating element is arranged closer to the first holding part than to the second holding part. (8) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a temperature measuring means at a position equidistant from the first holding part and the second holding part. (9) the second position is within a molding chamber that includes a press section equipped with a molding die, and the first position is within a displacement chamber that is communicatively connected to the molding chamber via a sealable gate; The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: (10) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for introducing a non-oxidizing gas into the molding chamber. (11) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for introducing a non-oxidizing gas into the replacement chamber. (12) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for reducing the pressure inside the exchange chamber.