JP2001066401A - Method for coloring plastic lens - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a method for coloring of a plastic lens which is excellent in the uniform dyeing property for the lens and in the dying speed of the lens compared to the method for coloring of a plastic lens by a conventional vapor phase method. SOLUTION: A coloring agent containing a sublimating dye is sprayed or applied by a spraying means of the coloring agent or by a spray method, brush coat method or immersion method so that the coloring agent containing the sublimating dye is formed into the same size as or a larger size than the shape of the lens portion to be colored. Moreover, by bringing a heating member into contact with the whole color layer 3 corresponding to the shape of the lens portion to be colored and heating the color layer 3, the sublimating dye is sublimated to color the plastic lens 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for coloring a plastic lens, and more particularly, to a method for coloring a plastic lens which is superior in the levelness of the lens and the dyeing speed of the lens, as compared with a conventional method of coloring a plastic lens by a gas phase method. The present invention relates to a method for coloring a lens.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, plastic lenses have been used in various fields instead of glass lenses. Among them, contact lenses and eyeglass lenses used for correcting vision have a cosmetic effect or a medical effect (for example, protection from ultraviolet rays). For example, coloring and use of lenses are frequently performed. The reason why the glass lens is replaced with the plastic lens is that, in addition to the weight reduction and safety (hard to break) of the plastic lens, dyeability which can be easily colored can be mentioned.

Various methods have been used for coloring plastic lenses, and one of them is a method of coloring plastic lenses by a gas phase method.

The method of coloring a plastic lens by the gas phase method has an advantage that a lens which is difficult to be colored by a conventional immersion method can be easily colored. For example, (a) an organic dye pigment is used. (2) A method of coloring a plastic lens by sublimating a solid sublimable dye (JP-A-56-153321, JP-A-56-183) 1
59376) and (c) a method in which a substrate coated with a sublimable dye is heated to sublimate the dye to form a dyed layer on the surface of a plastic lens (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
-277814) and the like.

However, in the above method (A), since an organic dye pigment is used as a coloring agent, only an opaque thin film of the pigment is formed. In the method (B), a solid sublimable dye is used. Cannot be quantitatively attached to the lens surface, uniform heating of the coloring source is impossible, and it is difficult to adjust the dyeing concentration. Further, in the method (c), the substrate coated with the sublimable dye is heated in a non-contact state with the heating means, and the substrate is colored, as can be seen from the use of the tapered lens holder. The colored layer having a shape smaller than that of the lens to be formed is heated to form a stained layer on the surface of the plastic lens (see JP-A-1-277814, FIG. 1). According to such a method, uniform heating of the coloring source is possible and the adjustment of the dyeing concentration is easy as compared with the method (b), but the dyeing speed and the leveling property of the coloring in the plastic lens are It was not always satisfactory. Further, it does not specifically describe how to control the coloring density of the plastic lens, and the means for controlling the coloring density. Therefore, it is possible to easily color a plastic lens, which was difficult to color by the conventional immersion method, to easily adjust the dyeing concentration, and to develop a method for coloring a plastic lens which is excellent in leveling property and dyeing speed. Was desired.

[0006]

Under such circumstances, the present invention provides a method which is more effective than the conventional coloring method using a gas phase method.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for coloring a plastic lens which is excellent in the levelness of the lens and the dyeing speed of the lens.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive studies to achieve the above object, and as a result, discharged or applied a colorant containing a sublimable dye by a colorant discharge means or other means. Then, a colored layer containing a sublimable dye is formed in a size equal to or larger than the shape of the lens portion to be colored, and the heating member is formed on the entire colored layer corresponding to the shape of the lens portion to be colored. And heating the colored layer to sublimate the sublimable dye and color the plastic lens to find that the object can be achieved.Based on this finding, the present invention has been completed. Reached.

That is, according to the present invention, the colored layer containing the sublimable dye has a size equal to or larger than the shape of the lens portion to be colored, and corresponds to the shape of the lens portion to be colored. The heating member is brought into contact with the entire layer,
A method of coloring a plastic lens by sublimating a sublimable dye by heating the colored layer, wherein the colored layer is formed by discharging a colorant containing a sublimable dye by a colorant discharging unit. Or by applying a coloring agent containing a sublimable dye by a spray method, a brush coating method or an immersion method.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the coloring method of the present invention, the sublimable dye contained in the coloring layer may be any dye that has the property of sublimating when heated in air or vacuum. No restrictions. Examples of such sublimable dyes include the dyes described in JP-A-1-277814, page 2, lower left column, lines 6 to 13, furthermore, Dianix Red TA-N (Mitsubishi Chemical), Kayalon. Mi
croester Red C-LS conc (Nippon Kayaku), Kayalon
Microester Red AQ-LE (Nippon Kayaku), Miketon
Fast Red Z (Mitsui Chemicals), Kayalon Microester R
ed DX-LS (Nippon Kayaku), Dianix Blu UN-SE
(Mitsubishi Chemical), Disperse Fast Blue Z (Mitsui Chemicals), Dianix / Samaron Navy Blue TA-N (Mitsubishi Chemical), Kayalon Microester Blue C-LS conc
(Nippon Kayaku), Kayalon Microester Blue AQ-LE
(Nippon Kayaku), Kayalon Microester Blue DX-LS
conc (Nippon Kayaku), Dianix / Samaron Orange TA-
N (Mitsubishi Chemical), Dianix Yellow TA-N (Mitsubishi Chemical), Kayalon Microester Yellow AQ-LE (Nippon Kayaku), Kayalon Microester Yellow DX-LS conc
(Nippon Kayaku), Miketon Fast YellowZ (Mitsui Chemicals), Kayalon Microester Yellow C-LS (Nippon Kayaku) and the like can be preferably mentioned. These sublimable dyes may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The coloring method of the present invention is a method of coloring a plastic lens by sublimating a dye having a sublimation property, preferably by sublimating substantially all of the dye. By such a method, it is possible to control the coloring concentration of the plastic lens by correlating the amount of the sublimable dye with the coloring concentration of the plastic lens and controlling the amount of the subliming dye contained in the coloring layer. it can.

In the present invention, a heating member is brought into contact with the colored layer containing the sublimable dye, and the colored layer is heated to sublimate the sublimable dye. In this case, interposing a plate-like heat conductive substrate between the heating member and the coloring layer is advantageous in terms of the efficiency of the coloring operation. The substrate is preferably larger than the diameter of the plastic lens to be colored. Therefore, the colored layer may be formed on the surface of the plate-shaped thermally conductive substrate, and the substrate and the colored layer may be integrated with each other, or the fibrous product having the colored layer adhered may be used as the plate-shaped thermally conductive substrate. It may be arranged on the surface.

The colored layer in the present invention can be formed using a solution containing a colorant (hereinafter, referred to as a colorant solution). From the viewpoint of controlling the amount of the sublimable dye, the colorant solution may be added to the sublimable dye, an organic solvent such as water or alcohol, or a binder such as a water-soluble acrylic resin, if necessary. It is preferable to add a pH adjuster, a surfactant, an antifoaming agent, a preservative, and other auxiliaries to the extent that the object of the invention is not impaired. The concentration of the coloring agent is not particularly limited, and is determined in consideration of the material of the plastic lens, the coloring concentration of the plastic lens, and the like.

As a method for forming the colored layer, the colorant solution is discharged onto a heating member using a discharging means such as an ink jet type discharging mechanism or a spraying method, a brush coating method or a dipping method. On a fiber molding or the like. When formed on the heating member and the plate-shaped heat conductive substrate, it is preferable to heat the heating member and the plate-shaped heat conductive substrate in advance in order to fix the dye. If a binder such as a water-soluble acrylic resin can be added and solidified at room temperature, there is no need to heat the heating member and the plate-like heat conductive substrate in advance.

Further, in order to improve the coating property of the colorant and form a uniform colored layer on the surface of the heating member or the plate-shaped heat conductive substrate (substrate for forming the colored layer), an aqueous system of a water-soluble polymer must be prepared in advance. After performing the coating treatment using the solution, the cured coating of the water-soluble polymer may be provided by heating.
The type of the water-soluble polymer will be described later. On the other hand, when formed on a fiber molding, a binder such as a water-soluble acrylic resin is used to fix a coloring layer on a fiber molding such as paper, synthetic fiber, glass fiber or natural fiber. In addition to the above, a method of discharging such a colorant solution onto a fiber molding is advantageous.

In order to form the colored layer into a desired shape and size, a method is used in which a mold having a desired shape is placed on a substrate on which the colored layer is to be formed, and a sublimable dye is sprayed. Can be.

The material of the plate-shaped heat conductive substrate is not particularly limited as long as it has thermal conductivity and has sufficient resistance to heating required for sublimation of the dye. And a metal plate such as aluminum, an aluminum alloy, and stainless steel are used. In particular, an aluminum plate or an aluminum alloy plate is preferable from the viewpoint of lightness and thermal conductivity.

The coloring layer in the present invention has a size equal to or larger than the shape of the lens portion to be colored in order to make the coloring of the plastic lens uniform, and the heating of the coloring layer is intended to be colored. It is necessary to bring the heating member into contact with the entire colored layer corresponding to the shape of the lens portion to be formed. According to such a method, the sublimable dye forming the colored layer is sublimated uniformly, and coloring unevenness is less likely to occur at a lens portion to be colored. The heating means is not particularly limited as long as it can form a uniform dyed layer on the lens surface and can heat it in contact with the entire colored layer corresponding to the shape of the lens portion to be colored.
It is not preferable to provide a space between the colored layer and the heating means, as shown in FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-277814, since coloring unevenness is likely to occur.
No space is provided between the coloring layer and the heating means.

The size of the colored layer is required to be at least the same as the shape of the lens portion to be colored or to include such a shape in order to uniformly color the color layer. When the colored layer is smaller than the shape of the lens portion to be colored, the dye is sublimated radially, but coloring unevenness is likely to occur.

The plastic lens material used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be a homopolymer of methyl methacrylate or a copolymer containing methyl methacrylate and one or more other monomers as monomer components. Polymer, diethylene glycol bisallyl carbonate homopolymer, copolymer containing diethylene glycol bisallyl carbonate and one or more other monomers as monomer components, sulfur-containing copolymer, halogen copolymer Coalescence, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, unsaturated polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, polythiourethane and the like. On these plastic substrates,
It is also possible to apply a known primer layer and a hard coat layer for coloring.

In the present invention, a cured film of a water-soluble polymer may be formed on the surface of the plastic lens to be colored in order to more uniformly color the lens. By forming the cured film of the water-soluble polymer, the sublimed dye can be easily absorbed and held uniformly in the cured film of the water-soluble polymer, and the dye can be diffused to the plastic lens. The type of the water-soluble polymer and the water-soluble polymer applied to the colored layer forming substrate is not particularly limited, but is excellent in solubility in an aqueous medium, highly safe, inexpensive, and reacts with the disperse dye. Those having a hard property are preferably used.
Specific examples of the water-soluble polymer include polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid, metal salts of polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and polyethylene glycol. These water-soluble polymers may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The method for forming a cured film of a water-soluble polymer on the surface of a plastic lens or a substrate for forming a colored layer is not particularly limited. For example, an aqueous solution of the water-soluble polymer is prepared and this is prepared. A method of forming a cured film of a water-soluble polymer by applying a coating treatment to the surface of a plastic lens or a substrate for forming a colored layer by using the same and then heating. The aqueous solution of the water-soluble polymer is prepared by adding and dissolving the water-soluble polymer in an amount of preferably 2 to 20 parts by weight, more preferably 5 to 10 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the aqueous medium. Can be.

The viscosity of the aqueous solution of the water-soluble polymer is
At room temperature, a range of 5 × 10 ^{−3 to} 500 × 10 ⁻³ (Pascal second) is preferable, and particularly, 10 × 10 ^{−3 to} 100 × 10 ^−3.
(Pascal second) is preferable. If the viscosity is too low, the aqueous solution of the coated water-soluble polymer tends to flow on the surface of the plastic lens or the substrate for forming the colored layer, and it is difficult to form a water-soluble polymer having a required thickness. If the viscosity is too high, it is difficult to form a cured film with a uniform thickness.

As the aqueous medium, water is used. If necessary, an organic solvent having miscibility with water can be added to the water as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired.

The method of coating an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polymer on the surface of a plastic lens or a substrate for forming a colored layer is not particularly limited as long as the thickness of the cured film is made uniform. Immersion method, spray method and the like.

After coating the aqueous solution of the water-soluble polymer on the surface of the plastic lens or the substrate for forming the colored layer, heating may be performed to accelerate the curing of the aqueous solution of the water-soluble polymer.

After the coloring of the plastic lens is completed, the cured film composed of the water-soluble polymer is immersed in water or the like and removed. When the lens is immersed in water or the like, an ultrasonic cleaner or a surfactant may be used.

The operation of heating the coloring layer with a heating member to sublimate the sublimable dye to color the lens can be performed in the air or in a vacuum. When coloring in a short time is preferably performed in a vacuum atmosphere. The degree of vacuum is appropriately determined in consideration of the coloring time, the material of the lens to be colored, the coloring temperature, and the like.

Next, the coloring apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one example of each member constituting the coloring apparatus. The lens holding member 1, a base (plate-like heat conductive base) 2 having a coloring layer 3, a heating member 4, , A container 5 and a vacuum pump (vacuum mechanism) 6.
The lens holding member 1 includes a plastic lens 7 to be colored.
A member for supporting the peripheral portion of the lens and holding the lens, and having a stepped portion 8 in which the colored surface direction of the lens is opened and the base 2 sealing the opening is engaged. I have. The step 8 is also used to engage a lens position adjusting ring 9 used for positioning the plastic lens 7 to be colored, and a plurality of steps 8 are provided.

The substrate (plate-like thermally conductive substrate) 2 has a colored layer 3 on the side facing the colored surface of the plastic lens 7 to be colored, and is used for sealing the opening of the lens holding portion 1. Used. The colored layer 3 may be formed directly on the surface of the substrate 2, the substrate 2 and the colored layer 3 may be integrated, or a fiber molded article having the colored layer 3 attached may be formed on the substrate 2. You may stick it.

The heating member 4 is provided on the back surface of the base 2 (colored layer 3).
This is used to dye the colored surface of the plastic lens 7 to be colored by sublimating the sublimable dye of the colored layer by contacting and heating the entire surface (the surface on the opposite side).

The housing 5 is a member for housing one or a plurality of combinations of the lens holding member 1, the plastic lens 7 to be colored, and the base 2 having the colored layer 3. In order to store the lens holding member 1 and the like, the storage device 5 has an opening and is closed by the heating member 4. The container 5 may be provided with a heating mechanism 10 for controlling the temperature of the container 5. Further, a temperature measuring sensor and a vacuum degree measuring device (not shown) can be provided at appropriate positions. In addition, it is also possible to provide the packing 11 in order to raise the degree of vacuum.

The vacuum pump 6 is used to make the inside of the container 5 a vacuum state. In this coloring apparatus, the distance between the plastic lens 7 to be colored and the coloring layer 3 is appropriately determined by the material of the lens, the heating temperature of the lens and the coloring layer, the coloring time, the degree of vacuum, and the like. In consideration of the above, it is preferable that the distance be set between 1 mm and 1000 mm.

On the other hand, it is preferable to form the colored layer by using an ink jet type discharging means in order to discharge a predetermined amount of the sublimable dye, but it is preferable to use a spraying method, a brush coating method or a dipping method. Can also be used. The ink jet type discharging means is not particularly limited as long as it has a property of discharging a predetermined amount of the sublimable dye. Further, (1) colorant amount control means for controlling the amount of the colorant, for example, in the ink jet method, in order to discharge a predetermined amount of the sublimable dye, the type of the colorant discharged from the discharge means of the ink jet method (2) lens coloring information storing means for storing the correlation data between the color and density of the colored plastic lens and the sublimable dye, and (3) the lens coloring information storing means. It is preferable to have a selection means for selecting any coloring information from the color and density information of the coloring plastic lens stored in the above.

The arbitrary coloring information obtained by the selection means may be Internet, intranet, WAN, LA
N can be transmitted to the colorant amount control means by an information transmission means using a communication line such as N. According to such means, the colored layer can be formed by remote control. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of the above-described method for coloring a plastic lens of the present invention.

[0036]

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. The coloring apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was used, and an unprocessed sulfur-containing plastic lens having a diameter of 80 mm [HOYA
Co., Ltd., trade name: Tesla lid].

Reference Example 1 "Dianix Red TA-N" which is a sublimable dye [Mitsubishi Chemical
Co., Ltd.] and 3 g of “Dianix Blue UN-SE” [manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation] were added to 100 ml of pure water to prepare a coating liquid. On a circular aluminum plate with a diameter of 103 mm and a thickness of 1 mm, which was previously heated to 100 ° C,
Spraying the above coating liquid with a spray (discharge means)
A colored layer was formed. The colored layer having a diameter of less than 103 mm was formed by spraying (discharging means) a circular colored layer having the intended size at the center of the aluminum plate.

Example 1 The aluminum plate obtained in Reference Example 1 had a diameter of 103 m
1 is a plate-like heat conductive substrate in which a plastic lens “Teslidalid” 7 having a diameter of 80 mm and the above-mentioned colored layer 3 are formed on the lens holding member 1 using the apparatus shown in FIG. The aluminum plate 2 was attached, and this was put in the container 5, and the container 5 was sealed with the heating member 4. The heating member 4 was in contact with the back surface of the aluminum plate 2, and the distance between the plastic lens 7 and the colored layer 2 was 1.5 mm.

The temperature of the plastic lens is maintained at 120 ° C. by the heating mechanism 10 of the container 5, the degree of vacuum in the container is maintained at 740 mmHg by the vacuum pump 6, and the heating member 4 is heated to 120 ° C. Staining was performed for 10 minutes. About the lens colored in this way,
When the transmittance was measured at a wavelength of 525 nm, it was 13.2%
Met. Also, when the uniformity of the coloring was visually examined,
It was uniformly colored. Further, no deformation of the lens was observed. This coloring treatment was repeated five times, and similar results were obtained.

Comparative Example 1 In Example 1, the distance between the aluminum plate and the heating member was 2 mm without contacting the aluminum plate with the heating member.
A plastic lens was dyed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the interval was provided. The transmittance of this colored lens at a wavelength of 525 nm was measured.
5%. Further, when the uniformity of the coloring was visually examined, slight unevenness in the color of the plastic lens, which was not suitable for a commercial product, was found.

Comparative Example 2 A plastic lens was dyed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a colored layer having a diameter of 70 mm was formed on an aluminum plate. The transmittance of this colored lens at a wavelength of 525 nm was measured.
8%. Further, when the uniformity of the coloring was visually examined, slight unevenness in the color of the plastic lens, which was not suitable for a commercial product, was found.

Comparative Example 3 "Dianix Red TA-N", a sublimable dye (supra) 3
g and 3 g of “Dianix Blue UN-SE” (described above) were added to 1 liter of pure water to prepare a coating solution.
, And a plastic lens "Teslarid" having a diameter of 80 mm was immersed therein for 30 minutes, but the plastic lens could not be colored.

[0043]

According to the coloring method of the present invention, a colored plastic lens having excellent leveling properties can be easily produced in a short time by a vapor phase method as compared with a conventional coloring method by a vapor phase method. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one example of each member constituting a coloring apparatus used in the method for coloring a plastic lens of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing one embodiment of a method for coloring a plastic lens of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lens holding member 2 Substrate (plate-shaped heat conductive substrate) 3 Coloring layer 4 Heating member 5 Container 6 Vacuum pump (vacuum mechanism) 7 Plastic lens to be colored 8 Step 9 Ring for adjusting the position of lens 10 Heating mechanism 11 Packing

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Ken Ken 2-7-5 Nakaochiai, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo F-term in Hoya Corporation (reference) 2K009 AA15 BB12 BB13 BB14 BB15 BB24 BB25 CC22 CC24 CC32 DD02 DD06 DD08 EE01 4D075 AA01 AE03 BB85X CA48 DA08 DB31 DC24 EA06 EB19 EB39 EC07

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A colored layer containing a sublimable dye has a size equal to or larger than the shape of a lens portion to be colored, and is heated over the entire colored layer corresponding to the shape of the lens portion to be colored. A sublimation dye by sublimating the sublimation dye by contacting the coloring member, and heating the coloring layer, thereby coloring the plastic lens. A method for coloring a plastic lens, wherein the method is performed by discharging an agent. 2. The method for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the colorant discharging means is based on an ink jet type colorant discharging mechanism. 3. The method for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 2, wherein the amount of the colorant discharged from the colorant discharge mechanism of the ink jet printer is controlled by a colorant amount control unit. 4. A colored layer containing a sublimable dye has a size equal to or larger than the shape of a lens portion to be colored, and is heated over the entire colored layer corresponding to the shape of the lens portion to be colored. A sublimation dye by heating the colored layer to sublimate the sublimable dye, thereby coloring the plastic lens. A method for coloring a plastic lens, wherein the method is applied by coating or dipping. 5. Coloring information obtained by selecting means for selecting arbitrary coloring information from lens coloring information stored by lens coloring information storing means having a plurality of coloring information relating to coloring of a plastic lens. 4. The method for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 3, wherein the amount of the colorant is controlled by the colorant amount control means based on the following. 6. The method for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 5, wherein the coloring information obtained by the selecting means is transmitted to the coloring agent amount controlling means by the information transmitting means. 7. The method for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 6, wherein the information transmitting means uses at least one selected from the Internet, an intranet, a WAN, and a LAN. 8. The plastic lens according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the plastic lens is subjected to a coating treatment using an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polymer, and then heated to form a cured film of the water-soluble polymer. The method for coloring a plastic lens according to claim 1. 9. A coating treatment is performed on the surface of the colored layer forming substrate in advance using an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polymer, and then a cured film of the water-soluble polymer is provided by heating.
The method for coloring a plastic lens according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a coloring layer is formed thereon. 10. The water-soluble polymer is at least one selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid, metal salts of polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyethylene glycol. 10. The method for coloring a plastic lens according to item 9.