JP2009096676A - Apparatus and method for manufacturing optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing technique for an optical element with which concentration of oxygen in a molding chamber can be effectively reduced without requiring the supply of an unnecessarily large amount of inert gas to the molding chamber, and further, service life of a substance for reducing the concentration of oxygen can be made longer. <P>SOLUTION: The atmosphere of an inert gas 21a supplied from an inert gas supply source 21 is formed in a molding chamber 10 provided with a first heating stage 11, a second heating stage 12, a press stage 13 and a first cooling stage 14 where the mold molding of an optical element is performed by successively moving a mold set 40. Further, a catalyst chamber 31 is connected to the molding chamber 10 via an inert gas circulation path 32, and the inert gas 21a in the molding chamber 10 is circulated through the catalyst chamber 31 so as to perform the removal of oxygen. Thus, without supplying a large amount of inert gas 21a to the molding chamber 10, the low oxygen atmosphere of the molding chamber 10 is effectively maintained, and mold molding by the mold set 40 can be performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for manufacturing an optical element, and relates to a technique effective when applied to a technique for manufacturing an optical element from a molding material by molding.

In the field of optical element manufacturing, it is known to manufacture an optical element having a desired optical functional surface by heating and pressing a thermoplastic molding material such as glass or resin to mold it.
In that case, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the interior of the molding chamber in which the molding process is performed is inactive for the purpose of preventing oxidation of the molding material, the optical element, and the molding die in a heated atmosphere. Replacement with a gas atmosphere is performed.

  That is, in the technique of Patent Document 1, in an optical element manufacturing method in which an inert gas is supplied into a molding chamber to reduce the oxygen concentration, a substance that is easily oxidized is disposed in a chamber separate from the molding chamber. There has been proposed a manufacturing method for reducing the oxygen concentration of the inert gas supplied to the molding chamber so that the inert gas before flowing into the chamber passes through the chamber.

  However, since the technique described in Patent Document 1 only reduces the oxygen concentration of the inert gas before flowing into the molding chamber, the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber is replaced by the inert gas in the atmosphere in the molding chamber. There is a concern that the oxygen concentration of the inert gas in the molding chamber cannot be reduced so much due to the influence of the situation and the like.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber, it is necessary to supply a large amount of inert gas in order to maintain the molding chamber at a positive pressure and maintain an inert gas atmosphere. There is.

In addition, due to some device failure, the state where the inlet shutter for carrying the mold set into the molding chamber remains open or the state where the outlet shutter for discharging the mold set from the molding chamber remains open occurs. In this case, the molding chamber is opened to the atmosphere, and oxygen flows into the molding chamber and a chamber separate from the molding chamber. There is also a technical problem that the service life is significantly reduced and the life is shortened.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-10438

  The object of the present invention is to effectively reduce the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber without requiring supply of a larger amount of inert gas than necessary to the molding chamber, and to reduce the oxygen concentration. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical element manufacturing technique capable of extending the service life of the optical element.

A first aspect of the present invention is an optical element manufacturing apparatus that molds an optical element by putting a mold set containing a molding material into a molding chamber,
An inert gas supply means for supplying an inert gas to the molding chamber;
A catalyst chamber connected to the molding chamber via a circulation path, in which a catalyst for absorbing oxygen contained in the inert gas in the molding chamber is disposed;
An on-off valve for opening and closing a flow path provided in the circulation path;
An optical element manufacturing apparatus including the above is provided.

A second aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an optical element in which a mold set containing a molding material is put into a molding chamber and an optical element is molded.
Provided is a method of manufacturing an optical element that molds the optical element while circulating an atmosphere in the molding chamber through a catalyst chamber having a catalyst that supplies an inert gas to the molding chamber and absorbs oxygen.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively reduce the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber without requiring supply of a larger amount of inert gas than necessary to the molding chamber, and to reduce the oxygen concentration. It is possible to provide a manufacturing technique of an optical element capable of extending the lifetime of the optical element.

First, each aspect of the present embodiment will be summarized, and then detailed description will be given with reference to the drawings.
The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present embodiment is inactive in the molding chamber in an optical element manufacturing apparatus in which a mold set containing a molding material is placed in a molding chamber and the optical element is molded. An inert gas supply means for supplying gas, a catalyst chamber in which a catalyst for absorbing oxygen contained in the inert gas is disposed, a circulation inlet and a circulation outlet are located in the molding chamber, and the inert gas in the molding chamber An inert gas circulation path that circulates the catalyst in the catalyst chamber, a circulation path that is disposed at the circulation inlet, a respective on-off valve in the circulation path that is disposed at the circulation outlet, and the concentration of oxygen contained in the inert gas. And an oxygen concentration meter that can output the concentration value to the outside as a signal, and a control that can measure the concentration value signal received by the oxygen concentration meter and control the opening / closing state of the on-off valve of the circulation path by the signal Equipped with a knit.

Moreover, it can be set as the structure further equipped with the ventilation means which forcibly circulates the inert gas in the said molding chamber in the said 1st aspect to the said catalyst chamber as a 2nd aspect.
Moreover, it can be set as the structure further equipped with the heating means which heats the said catalyst in the above-mentioned 1st aspect as a 3rd aspect.

Moreover, it can be set as the structure further equipped with the flow volume control means which controls the flow volume of the said inert gas which flows through the inside of the said inert gas circulation path in the above-mentioned 1st aspect as a 4th aspect.
Further, as a fifth aspect, gas deflection is provided at or near the circulation outlet of the inert gas circulation path in the first aspect described above, and deflects the inert gas flowing from the inert gas circulation path into the molding chamber. It can be set as the structure further provided with a means.

  As a sixth aspect, in an optical element manufacturing method in which a mold set containing a molding material is put into a molding chamber and an optical element is molded, an inert gas is supplied to the molding chamber and is contained in the inert gas. The optical element is molded in a state where an inert gas in the molding chamber is circulated through a catalyst chamber in which a catalyst that absorbs oxygen is disposed.

  In each aspect of the present embodiment described above, the oxygen is absorbed by the catalyst even when oxygen flows into the molding chamber by molding the optical element in a state where the inert gas in the molding chamber is circulated into the catalyst chamber. be able to.

Therefore, it is not necessary to supply a large amount of inert gas into the molding chamber in order to reduce the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the supply amount of the inert gas to the molding chamber can be reduced and the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber can be reduced.

Furthermore, even when a large amount of oxygen flows due to some accident, it is possible to prevent expensive equipment from being damaged by oxidation.
Hereinafter, an optical element manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of an optical element manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a mold set used in the optical element manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment.

  An optical element manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a molding chamber 10, an inert gas supply source 21 and an inert gas supply path 22 as an inert gas supply means, a catalyst chamber 31, an inert gas circulation path 32, and the like. Yes.

  The molding chamber 10 is provided with an oxygen concentration meter 53 that can measure the concentration of oxygen contained in an atmosphere composed of an inert gas or the like in the molding chamber 10 and output the concentration value to the outside as a concentration measurement signal 53a. .

The optical element manufacturing apparatus 1 molds an optical element from the molding material 60 accommodated in the mold set 40 in the molding chamber 10.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the mold set 40 of the present embodiment accommodates the upper mold forming surface 41 a of the upper mold 41 and the lower mold forming surface 42 a of the lower mold 42 so as to face the inside of the body mold 43. A molding material 60 made of glass or resin, which is a thermoplastic molding material, is mounted between the upper mold molding surface 41a and the lower mold molding surface 42a.

  Then, in the molding space constituted by the upper mold molding surface 41a and the lower mold molding surface 42a and the inner peripheral surface of the body mold 43, the molding material 60 is heated and pressurized as described later to form the molding material 60. By molding so as to transfer the shapes of the upper mold molding surface 41a and the lower mold molding surface 42a, an optical element 60a having an optical function surface (not shown) whose concavities and convexities are opposite to those of the upper mold molding surface 41a and the lower mold molding surface 42a. (Convex lens in the example of FIG. 2) is molded.

The mold set 40 of the present embodiment is composed of the upper mold 41, the lower mold 42, and the trunk mold 43, but the mold set 40 may be composed of other combinations.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a first heating stage 11, a second heating stage 12, a press stage 13, a first cooling stage 14, and a second cooling stage are provided in the molding chamber 10 of the optical element manufacturing apparatus 1. 15 is disposed.

  The first heating stage 11 includes an upper heater block 11a that is in contact with the upper surface of the mold set 40, an upper heat insulating block 11b disposed above the upper heater block 11a, and a press shaft 11c connected to the upper heat insulating block 11b. And a cylinder 11d for raising and lowering the press shaft 11c, a lower heater block 11e on which the die set 40 is placed, and a lower heat insulating block 11f disposed below the lower heater block 11e (others) Since the second heating stage 12 to the second cooling stage 15 have the same configuration, the same reference numerals are attached to FIG.

  On the outside of the molding chamber 10 on the side where the first heating stage 11 is disposed, a loading table 16 on which a mold set 40 to be loaded into the molding chamber 10 is placed is provided, and a second cooling stage 15 is disposed. A discharge table 17 on which the mold set 40 discharged from the molding chamber 10 is placed is provided on the outside of the molding chamber 10 on the formed side.

  Further, a closing shutter 10a that is opened when the mold set 40 is loaded from the loading table 16 into the molding chamber 10 is provided outside the molding chamber 10 on the loading table 16 side. A discharge shutter 10 b that opens when the mold set 40 is discharged from the molding chamber 10 to the discharge table 17 is provided outside.

  An inert gas 21a (arrow A1) such as nitrogen is supplied from the inert gas supply source 21 through the inert gas supply path 22 to the upper part of the molding chamber 10 on the mold set 40 input side by a supply mechanism (not shown). ing.

  In the molding chamber 10, a fine gap (not shown) is formed to expel oxygen in the molding chamber 10 together with the inert gas 21a to quickly replace the atmosphere in the molding chamber 10 with the inert gas 21a. be able to.

  Even in this case, the positive pressure in the molding chamber 10 can be obtained simply by supplying a small amount of the inert gas 21a (arrow A1) flowing out from a minute gap (not shown) of the molding chamber 10 from the inert gas supply source 21. Therefore, without supplying a large amount of inert gas 21a to the molding chamber 10, it is possible to suppress the inflow of oxygen into the molding chamber 10 from the fine gap described above.

  The catalyst chamber 31 arranged in parallel to the molding chamber 10 is located on the side where the second cooling stage 15 is disposed via the inert gas circulation path 32 at one end and the other end of the catalyst chamber 31. Connected with.

In the catalyst chamber 31, a granular catalyst 31a that absorbs oxygen contained in an atmosphere such as an inert gas 21a (arrow A2) taken from the molding chamber 10 is disposed.
Any catalyst that can absorb oxygen, such as iron, copper, nickel, or a compound containing these, can be used as the catalyst 31a. Therefore, the catalyst 31a does not need to be granular.

  The catalyst 31a is preferably replaced periodically because it becomes difficult to absorb oxygen when it is heated by a catalyst heater 35 described later and changed to iron oxide, copper oxide, nickel oxide, or the like.

  A circulation inlet 32 c and a circulation outlet 32 d, which are both ends of the inert gas circulation path 32, are located in the molding chamber 10, and an atmosphere such as an inert gas 21 a (arrow A 2) in the molding chamber 10 is circulated to the catalyst chamber 31. I am letting.

  The inert gas circulation path 32 is connected to the first circulation path 32a connected to the molding chamber 10 (circulation inlet 32c) and the catalyst chamber 31, and to the catalyst chamber 31 and molding chamber 10 (circulation outlet 32d). The second circulation path 32b is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a net 31b having a mesh smaller than the particle size of the catalyst 31a is arranged on the bottom surface in the catalyst chamber 31 so that the catalyst 31a does not fall into the second circulation path 32b.

The net 31 b is disposed on the upper step of the both-end stepped hole 31 c that penetrates the bottom of the catalyst chamber 31.
The end of the second circulation path 32b is fitted to the lower step of the both-end stepped hole 31c.

The catalyst chamber 31 may be a portion where the catalyst 31a is disposed, such as a portion that holds the catalyst 31a inside the inert gas circulation path 32 (flow path).
A first circulation path opening / closing valve 50 for blocking the flow path is installed in the first circulation path 32a, and similarly, a second circulation path opening / closing valve 51 for blocking the flow path is installed in the second circulation path 32b. Has been.

  The first circulation path opening / closing valve 50 and the second circulation path opening / closing valve 51 are provided with an actuator (not shown) that can be opened and closed remotely, and further connected to a valve opening / closing control unit 52 for controlling the opening / closing thereof.

  The valve opening / closing control unit 52 measures the concentration of oxygen contained in the inert gas by the above-described oxygen concentration meter 53, receives the concentration measurement signal 53a of the measured value, and the first circulation path opening / closing valve by this concentration measurement signal 53a. 50 and the opening / closing state of the second circulation path opening / closing valve 51 are controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inert gas (arrow A3) flowing into the molding chamber 10 from the inert gas circulation path 32 is deflected to the circulation outlet 32d of the inert gas circulation path 32 (second circulation path 32b). A wind deflection plate 18 is provided as a gas deflection means.

  The wind deflector 18 sends the inert gas (arrow A3) from the mold set 40 so that the inert gas 21a (arrow A3) flowing into the molding chamber 10 is less likely to directly contact the mold set 40 being molded. It is desirable to arrange at a position to deflect in a direction away from it.

The wind deflector 18 may be disposed in the vicinity of the circulation outlet 32d, for example, in the second circulation path 32b, on the side wall of the molding chamber 10, or the like.
Further, as the gas deflecting means, instead of the wind deflecting plate 18, for example, a member in which a plurality of noble holes are formed so as to disperse the flow of the inert gas (arrow A3) in multiple directions can be used.

  The first circulation path 32a is provided with a blower 33 as a blowing means for forcibly circulating the inert gas 21a (arrow A2) constituting the atmosphere in the molding chamber 10 to the catalyst chamber 31.

  Note that the inert gas 21a (arrow A2) in the molding chamber 10 is forcibly circulated to the catalyst chamber 31 by arranging other forced circulation means such as a compressor instead of the blower 33 (blower means). It is possible.

  Further, a flow rate regulator 34 as a flow rate control means for controlling the flow rate of the inert gas 21a (arrow A2) flowing through the first circulation path 32a is provided in the first circulation path 32a closer to the catalyst chamber 31 than the blower 33. It is arranged.

The flow rate regulator 34 may be composed of only a throttle valve. For example, the flow rate regulator 34 may be a device including a flow rate display unit and an adjustment operation unit in addition to the throttle valve.
A catalyst heater 35 is disposed on the outer periphery of the catalyst chamber 31 as heating means for heating the catalyst 31a.

A temperature measuring device 36 is inserted into the catalyst 31a in the catalyst chamber 31 from both end stepped holes 31c.
A temperature control device 37 is connected to the catalyst heater 35 and the temperature measuring device 36.

  The temperature control device 37 can heat the catalyst 31a of the catalyst chamber 31 to an arbitrary temperature by transmitting a control signal to the catalyst heater 35 and receiving a temperature measurement value signal from the temperature measuring device 36. It has become.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the optical element of this Embodiment is demonstrated.
First, the upper heater blocks 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a and the lower heater blocks 11e, 12e, 13e, 14e, and 15e shown in FIG. 1 are respectively applied to a heating stage, a press stage, and a cooling stage by control means (not shown). Set to a suitable temperature and keep that temperature.

Further, the inert gas 21a (arrow A1) such as nitrogen is continuously supplied from the inert gas supply source 21 to the molding chamber 10 via the inert gas supply path 22 by a supply mechanism (not shown).
As a result, oxygen in the molding chamber 10 is exhausted from the fine gap or the open shutter 10a or the exhaust shutter 10b, and the atmosphere in the molding chamber 10 is replaced with the inert gas 21a and maintained at a positive pressure. .

Then, the mold set 40 containing the molding material 60 is transported to the input table 16, the input shutter 10 a is opened, and the mold set 40 is input into the molding chamber 10.
The mold set 40 put into the molding chamber 10 is placed on the lower heater block 11e of the first heating stage 11.

  Then, the press shaft 11c is lowered by driving the cylinder 11d, and the mold set 40 and the molding material 60 accommodated in the mold set 40 are heated by heat conduction from the upper heater block 11a and the lower heater block 11e.

  The mold set 40 heated in the first heating stage 11 is transferred to the second heating stage 12 by a transfer means (not shown), and is heated by the upper heater block 12a and the lower heater block 12e in the same manner as the first heating stage 11. .

By being heated in this way, the molding material 60 in the mold set 40 is softened.
Next, the die set 40 is transferred to the press stage 13, and the die set 40 is clamped between the upper heat insulating block 13b and the lower heater block 13e by pressing force on the cylinder 13d and the press shaft 13c. Then, the molding material 60 is pressed until the target thickness is reached.

  After the molding material 60 is pressed, the mold set 40 is sequentially transferred between the upper heater block 14a and the lower heater block 14e, the upper heater block 15a and the lower heater block 15e of the first cooling stage 14 and the second cooling stage 15. By being sandwiched, it is gradually cooled.

Thereby, the molding material 60 is solidified as the optical element 60a inside the mold set 40, and the optical element is molded.
After the molding of the optical element in the molding chamber 10 as described above is completed, the mold set 40 of the second cooling stage 15 is discharged from the molding chamber 10 to the discharge table 17 by opening the discharge shutter 10b.

In the optical element manufacturing apparatus 1, the mold set 40 as described above is sequentially charged into the molding chamber 10 and discharged from the molding chamber 10, and the optical elements are continuously manufactured.
During the molding of the optical element, the inert gas 21a (arrow A2) constituting the atmosphere in the molding chamber 10 flows through the inert gas circulation path 32 and circulates through the catalyst chamber 31.

When the blower 33 is operated, the inert gas 21 a (arrow A <b> 2) in the molding chamber 10 can be forcibly circulated through the catalyst chamber 31.
If the flow rate (circulation amount) of the inert gas 21a in the inert gas circulation path 32 is excessively increased by the blower 33, unnecessary convection occurs in the molding chamber 10, and the molding temperature of the mold set 40 and the optical element In order to affect the accuracy, it is desirable to adjust the flow rate of the inert gas 21a circulated by the blower 33 after comparing the oxygen absorption amount and the occurrence of convection.

  Further, during the molding of the optical element, it is possible to prevent unnecessary convection in the molding chamber 10 by suppressing the flow rate of the inert gas 21a by the flow rate regulator 34.

  When the blower 33 is operated at the same time, the flow rate adjustment can be easily realized by using the flow rate regulator 34 instead of changing the operation state (the rotational speed or the like) of the blower 33.

Further, during the molding of the optical element by the mold set 40, the catalyst 31a in the catalyst chamber 31 can be heated to an arbitrary temperature by the catalyst heater 35 described above.
The heating temperature of the catalyst 31a is desirably set to a temperature at which the catalyst 31a can effectively absorb oxygen, for example.

In addition, when it is desired to promote the absorption of oxygen by the catalyst 31a, it is desirable to set the temperature according to a temperature at which the catalyst 31a is likely to chemically change to iron oxide, copper oxide, nickel oxide, or the like.
In the present embodiment described above, when the optical element is molded in a state where the inert gas 21a (arrow A2) in the molding chamber 10 is circulated through the catalyst chamber 31, oxygen flows into the molding chamber 10. In addition, oxygen can be absorbed by the catalyst 31a.

Therefore, it is not necessary to supply an excessive amount of inert gas 21a to the molding chamber 10 in order to reduce the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber 10.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the supply amount of the inert gas 21a (arrow A1) to the molding chamber 10 can be reduced, and the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber 10 can be efficiently reduced and maintained at a low concentration. can do.

In the present embodiment, a blower 33 that forcibly circulates the inert gas 21a (arrow A2) in the molding chamber 10 to the catalyst chamber 31 is disposed.
Therefore, the speed at which the oxygen concentration in the molding chamber 10 is reduced can be increased, and therefore the amount of inert gas (arrow A1) supplied to the molding chamber 10 can be further reduced and the oxygen in the molding chamber 10 can be reduced. The concentration can be lowered more quickly, and the waiting time for forming the atmosphere of the inert gas 21a in the molding chamber 10 can be shortened.

  In the present embodiment, since the catalyst heater 35 for heating the catalyst 31a is disposed, the catalyst 31a can absorb oxygen effectively, and the amount of oxygen absorbed by the catalyst 31a can be adjusted. Can do.

Therefore, the supply amount of the inert gas 21a (arrow A1) to the molding chamber 10 can be further reduced, and the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the molding chamber 10 can be effectively reduced.
In the present embodiment, since the flow rate regulator 34 for controlling the flow rate of the inert gas 21a flowing in the inert gas circulation path 32 is disposed, the amount of oxygen absorbed by the catalyst 31a can be adjusted. it can.

  Furthermore, by appropriately controlling the circulation flow rate of the inert gas 21a, unnecessary convection in the molding chamber 10 can be suppressed, which is caused by the temperature change of the mold set 40 due to the convection of the atmosphere in the molding chamber 10. The deterioration of the molding accuracy of the optical element to be performed can be prevented.

  Furthermore, when the flow rate regulator 34 is used together with the blower 33, the amount of oxygen absorbed by the catalyst 31a can be adjusted by the control of the flow rate regulator 34 without changing the operation state (rotation speed, etc.) of the blower 33. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the inert gas 21a (arrow A3) is provided at the circulation outlet 32d of the inert gas circulation path 32 (second circulation path 32b) and flows into the molding chamber 10 from the inert gas circulation path 32. A wind deflector 18 for deflecting the air is disposed.

  Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the inert gas (arrow A3) flowing into the molding chamber 10 from the inert gas circulation path 32 to directly hit the mold set 40 during molding, and thus, due to the temperature change of the mold set 40. The deterioration of the accuracy of the optical element can be prevented.

  In addition, due to some device failure or the like, there is an open shutter 10a for carrying the mold set 40 into the molding chamber 10, or a discharge shutter 10b for discharging the mold set 40 from the molding chamber. When an open state or the like occurs, the molding chamber 10 is opened to the atmosphere, and the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere of the inert gas 21a in the molding chamber becomes high, the valve opening / closing control unit 52 operates the oxygen concentration meter 53. Concentration measurement signal 53a is received.

  The valve opening / closing control unit 52 determines whether the oxygen concentration significantly reduces the performance of the catalyst 31a in the catalyst chamber 31, and drives the opening and closing of the first circulation path opening / closing valve 50 and the second circulation path opening / closing valve 51 remotely (not shown). An inactive gas 21a containing high-concentration oxygen flows into the catalyst 31a in the catalyst chamber 31 by sending a command signal for closing the valve to the actuator that can be closed and closing the first circulation path on-off valve 50 and the second circulation path on-off valve 51. To prevent.

  In the present embodiment, the optical element manufacturing apparatus 1 includes the circulation type optical element manufacturing apparatus 1 that forms an optical element while transferring the mold set 40 from the plurality of first heating stages 11 to the second cooling stage 15. Although illustrated and explained, even in the case of a manufacturing apparatus having another configuration, such as a manufacturing apparatus that performs each process of heating, pressing, and cooling the molding material 60 in the same place, as in the present embodiment, the molding chamber By circulating the inert gas (arrow A <b> 2) in the catalyst chamber 31, the above-described effect can be obtained.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the configuration exemplified in the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the optical element manufacturing apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the type | mold set provided to the optical element manufacturing apparatus which is one embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical element manufacturing apparatus 10 Molding chamber 10a Input shutter 10b Discharge shutter 11 1st heating stage 12 2nd heating stage 13 Press stage 14 1st cooling stage 15 2nd cooling stage 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, 15a Upper heater block 11b , 12b, 13b, 14b, 15b Upper heat insulating block 11c, 12c, 13c, 14c, 15c Press shaft 11d, 12d, 13d, 14d, 15d Cylinder 11e, 12e, 13e, 14e, 15e Lower heater block 11f, 12f, 13f, 14f, 15f Lower heat insulation block 16 Input base 17 Discharge base 18 Wind deflection plate 21 Inert gas supply source 21a Inert gas 22 Inert gas supply path 31 Catalyst chamber 31a Catalyst 31b Net 31c Both-ends stepped hole 32 Inert gas circulation path 32a First circulation path 32 Second circulation path 32c Circulation inlet 32d Circulation outlet 33 Blower 34 Flow rate regulator 35 Catalyst heater 36 Temperature measuring device 37 Temperature control device 40 Mold set 41 Upper mold 41a Upper mold molding surface 42 Lower mold 42a Lower mold molding surface 43 Body mold 50 1st circuit open / close valve 51 2nd circuit open / close valve 52 Valve open / close control unit 53 Oxygen concentration meter 53a Concentration measurement signal 60 Molding material 60a Optical element

Claims (8)

An optical element manufacturing apparatus that molds an optical element by putting a mold set containing a molding material into a molding chamber,
An inert gas supply means for supplying an inert gas to the molding chamber;
A catalyst chamber connected to the molding chamber via a circulation path, in which a catalyst for absorbing oxygen contained in the inert gas in the molding chamber is disposed;
An on-off valve for opening and closing a flow path provided in the circulation path;
An optical element manufacturing apparatus comprising: In the optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,
The optical element manufacturing apparatus further includes an oxygen concentration meter capable of measuring the concentration of oxygen contained in the inert gas in the molding chamber and outputting the concentration value to the outside as a concentration measurement signal. In the optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2,
The optical element manufacturing method further includes a control unit that receives the concentration measurement signal output from the oximeter and controls the opening / closing of an on-off valve provided in the circulation path based on the concentration measurement signal. apparatus. In the optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,
The apparatus for manufacturing an optical element, further comprising a blowing unit provided in the circulation path and forcibly circulating an inert gas in the molding chamber to the catalyst chamber. In the optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,
The apparatus for manufacturing an optical element further comprising heating means for heating the catalyst in the catalyst chamber. In the optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,
The apparatus for manufacturing an optical element, further comprising flow rate control means for controlling a flow rate of the inert gas flowing in the circulation path. In the optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1,
And a gas deflecting unit provided at a connection portion of the circulation path to the molding chamber and deflecting an inflow path of the inert gas flowing into the molding chamber from the circulation path via the catalyst chamber. An optical element manufacturing apparatus. A method of manufacturing an optical element in which a mold set containing a molding material is put into a molding chamber to mold an optical element,
A method of manufacturing an optical element, wherein the optical element is molded while an atmosphere in the molding chamber is circulated through a catalyst chamber including a catalyst that supplies an inert gas to the molding chamber and absorbs oxygen.