JPH03187925A - Optical element producing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to quickly and accurately carry out temperature control on the way for transfer and efficiently carry out continuous optical element by providing a relay part for transferring a forming raw material and formed optical element in a forming chamber and providing a heating means in the relay part. CONSTITUTION:A heating part 24 which is a relay part, transfer part 26 and press part 28 are provided in a forming chamber 6. The heating part 24 receives forming raw material carried into the forming chamber by conveying means 22 and heats the raw material to proper temperature and further receives formed optical element from a transfer part 26. The transfer part 26 transfers the forming raw material in the heating part 24 to a press part 28 and further transfers the formed optical element in the press part 28 to the heating part 24. The press part 28 heats the forming raw material transferred by the transfer part 26 to a proper temperature and then presses the forming raw material using a forming mold member.

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, generally, an upper mold member for molding and a lower mold member for molding are arranged slidably facing each other within the lower mold member for molding, and these upper mold member, lower mold member, and body mold 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, for example, a temperature at which the molding material becomes 108 to 1012 poise.The mold is closed and pressed for an appropriate time to complete the mold. The surface shape of the 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, the mold is opened, and the molded optical element is taken out.

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 Application Laid-open No. 2.8 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-26528.

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. Here, since pressing is generally performed in a molding chamber with a non-oxidizing atmosphere, the molding material is transported from outside the molding chamber into the molding chamber, and the molded optical element is transported from the molding chamber to the outside of the molding chamber. be done. By appropriately controlling the temperature during the movement of the molding material and the molded optical element, the press cycle can be shortened.

Conventionally, the temperature control described above has been performed by moving the molding material or the molded optical element, but with this method, control becomes difficult as the press cycle becomes shorter, and in order to achieve good control, it is necessary to move the molding material or the molded optical element. Although it is possible to increase the distance, this increases the size of the device, which is not preferable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that can efficiently continuously manufacture optical elements by controlling the temperature of molding materials or molded optical elements during movement with a simple apparatus configuration. be.

[Means for Solving the Problems] According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a relay part is provided in a molding chamber including a press part equipped with a mold member for molding, and the relay part and a means for transporting the molding material and the molded optical element between the press part and the molding part, and a means for transporting the molding material and the molded optical element between the relay part and the outside of the molding chamber, An optical element manufacturing apparatus is provided, wherein the relay section has a heating means.

In the present invention, there is a form in which the temperature of the heating means is adjustable.

In the present invention, there is a form in which the relay section has a mounting table for the molding material and the molded optical element.

In the present invention, the mounting table may be movable toward and away from the heating means.

In the present invention, there is a form in which the above-mentioned mounting table is provided with a heating means.

In the present invention, there is an embodiment having means for introducing a non-oxidizing gas into the molding 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 4a and 4b are its supporting legs. 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. The replacement chamber 8
A gate valve 12 that can be sealed from the outside is provided at the lower part of the main body.

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, which is a relay section, and a transfer section 2.
6 and a press section 28 are provided.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two equivalent press parts PI and P2 are provided.

The heating section 24 receives the molding material transported into the molding chamber 6 by the transport means 22, heats the material to an appropriate temperature, and further receives the molded optical element from the transport 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.
(PI, P2), 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. A bearing 46 is a member that is horizontally reciprocated by the rodless cylinder 42, and the bearing has one end of a horizontal conveyance shaft 48 parallel to the direction of movement of the member, and is rotatable around the axial direction. installed on. 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 portions on each of the upper and lower surfaces, and the arrangement thereof corresponds to the arrangement of the two placement portions of the placement table 38 (see FIG. 2). The suction parts on each of the upper and lower surfaces are connected to the transport shaft 4.
By rotating 8 by 180", it can be turned upside down.
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 adsorption means 50 is moved horizontally, the gate valve lO between the displacement chamber 8 and the molding chamber 6 is
is in the open state.

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 amount of heat generated by the heater can be controlled by a control means (not shown).

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.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing details of the mounting table 66. As shown in FIG.

In the figure, 142 is a base material attached to the upper end of the piston rod 64, and 144 is a mounting part for a molding material or a molded optical element fixed on the base material. The base material 142 is pressed by the pressing member 146.
Fixed on top. As shown, the mounting section 14
Two 4's are provided at the same 12-height. The mounting portion 144 is made of molybdenum, for example. 148 is a thermocouple for temperature measurement. , since the two mounting parts are at almost the same temperature,
Providing a thermocouple on one side allows sufficient temperature measurement for temperature control.

Note that FIG. 5 shows that the molding material G is placed only on one of the placing parts 144.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another example of the above-mentioned mounting table 66.

In this example, the base material 142 itself has a built-in heater 150 that can directly heat the molding material or the molded optical element. The amount of heat generated by the heater can be controlled by a control means (not shown). As a result, the heating cylinder 68
Temperature control is possible in cooperation with the heater 72 on the inner surface of.

Further, in some cases, the temperature can be controlled only by the heater 150.

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

Based on the rotation of the sleeve 86 (the rotation of the adsorption means 90a), the rotation of the suction means 90a moves from the position above the mounting table 66 of the heating section 24 to the intermediate position shown in FIG.
), and the suction means 90b must be rotated from the position above the mounting table 66 of the heating section 24 to the intermediate position of the press section 28 (P2) shown in FIG. It is necessary to reach the position.

In the press section 28, a vertically fixed cylinder 1.degree. 2 is fixed to the casing 2. 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 11.0 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. has been done. In addition, the lower shaft 106
A lower mold member 114 is arranged on the upper end of the mold member 114 . The lower mold member is housed within the body wall member 110 and is slidable in the vertical direction relative 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 body wall 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.

5 6 Refrigerant flow paths C, C2 are provided in the lower shaft 106 and the upper shaft 124, respectively. Furthermore, heaters HH2 and H3 are built into 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 by a nitrogen gas supply system (not shown) (initially, the gate valves 10 and 12 are 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 (
T.). In the exchange chamber, the molding material is adsorbed by the lower suction portion of the suction means 5o.

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 (T3).

Next, the gate valve 12 is closed (T4), 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 (T5).

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 (I6).

Next, at this position, the conveyor shaft 48 is moved by the rotary cylinder 52.
is rotated 180° and the adsorption means 50 is turned upside down (
I7).

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.

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, heated to an appropriate temperature, and then lowered to the lower position shown in FIG. 1 (Tb). 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, thereby retracting the suction means 50 to the replacement chamber 8 (I8) and closing the gate valve 10 (I9).

Note that the mounting table 66 on which the molding material is mounted is raised to the upper limit position by the cylinder 62 (Tc) after T8 and before I9, and is placed in the heating cylinder 68 for an appropriate time. As a result, it is heated to an appropriate temperature, and after I9, it is lowered to the lower position shown in FIG. 1 (I6). The heating temperature can be set to be slightly lower than the temperature at which the molding material can be pressed.

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 part P (T,,), where the forming material G1 being suctioned by the suction means 90a is attached to the body chamber member. The suction means 90a is introduced into the molding member through the opening 111 provided on the side of the molding member 110 (FIG. 4(a)), and the suction means 90a is slightly lowered by the cylinder 82 of the transfer section (FIG. 4(a)). (b)) A molding material is placed on the lower mold member 114 (FIG. 4(C)).

Note that at T1°, the suction means 90b is moved to the second press section P2, and at Tll, the suction means 90b is positioned above the mounting table 66. Then, at T11, the mounting table 66 is slightly raised by the cylinder 62 of the heating section, and the second
The molding material 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+
s). 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 shaping member through the opening provided on the side surface of the body chamber 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 (T+4).

In addition, in the above T's, the suction means 90a is 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 (Pl, P2).

Incidentally, when the molding material G1 is introduced into the body chamber member 110, the upper shaft 124 is pulled upward by the cylinder 122, and thereby, as shown in FIGS.
), the upper mold member 128 has moved to the upper position 2 within the barrel chamber member 110, and thereby the opening 111 on the side of the mold member is in communication with the cavity within the mold member. , a molding material G 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 for an appropriate time after heating the molding material with heaters H, H2H3 until it has a moldable viscosity, and after molding into a cavity shape, the refrigerant flow path C
,,C2 to cool the molded optical element.

In the cooling process, the cylinder 104 cools the lower mold member 114.
is pressed upward with a moderate pressure (however, a pressure smaller 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 shaping 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
, 90 b at the intermediate position shown in FIG.
5~T+o).

In addition, before T 16 after T 11 above,
The mounting table 66 is raised by the cylinder 62 (T6) and moved into the heating cylinder 68, heated to an appropriate temperature, and then moved to the lower position shown in FIG. 1 (T,). . This is the same process as T1 to Twa above. Therefore, when a molded optical element is placed on the mounting table 66, the element will not break due to temperature shock.

3 4 On the other hand, the above T. - Gate valve 12 in the same manner as T6
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 (T 2o-T 26
).

Note that the timing of T26 is adjusted to be after T19.

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 (T,,) and then place it on the mounting table 6.
6 is slightly raised, and the molding material adsorbed by the newly lower suction part is placed on the mounting table 66. The material will not crack due to temperature shock when placed on it.

Then, in the same manner as T8 to T9 above, the adsorption means 50 is moved from the heating section 24 into the replacement chamber 8 (T0n), and then the gate valve 10 is closed (T2O).

Incidentally, in the same manner as the above Te-T, the mounting table 66 on which the molding material is placed is raised to the upper limit position by the cylinder 62 after the above T28 and before T29 (T,), By being placed in the heating 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 Tau (TI,).

Hereinafter, in the transfer section 26 and the press section 28, the above T,
. The steps similar to ~T +e are performed.

On the other hand, the gate valve 12 is opened (Tao), and the mounting table 38 on which a new molding material is placed is raised (Tl
l) 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 1806 times by the rotary cylinder 52,
The suction means 50 is turned upside down (T,,), and the mounting table 38
5, and place it on the mounting table 38, which is the molded optical element that has been adsorbed to the newly lower suction part.

Next, the mounting table 38 is lowered to the outside of the replacement chamber 8 (Ti3
), close the gate valve 12 (T, 4).

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 above embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the molding material and the molded optical element in the heating section 24 is controlled by the thermocouple 148.
This allows for accurate measurement of temperature.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, a relay part for moving the molding material and the molded optical element between the outside of the molding chamber and the press section inside the molding chamber is provided in the molding chamber. With a simple device configuration in which the relay section is equipped with a heating means, the temperature of the molding material or the molded optical element can be quickly and accurately controlled during the movement of the molding material or the molded optical element, and continuous optical element manufacturing can be carried out efficiently. becomes possible.

[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 diagrams. 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. FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views showing details of the mounting table. 6: Molding chamber, 8: Substitution chamber, 10.12: Gate valve, 7 8 20: Feeding/unloading means, 22: Conveying means, 24: Heating section, 26: Transfer section, 28 Nibbles section, 38: Mounting table, 48: conveyance shaft, 50: suction means, 66: mounting table, 68: heating cylinder, 90a, 90b: suction means, 106: lower shaft, 110: body chamber member, 114: lower die member, 124: upper shaft, 128: Upper die member, 144: Placement section, 148: Thermocouple, 150: Heater, H1 to H3: Heater, C1, Ct: Refrigerant flow path, P+, Pg nibless section.

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) A relay section is provided in a molding chamber that includes a press section equipped with a mold member for molding, and means for transferring the molding material and the molded optical element between the relay section and the press section. and a means for transporting a molding material and a molded optical element between the relay section and the outside of the molding chamber, and the relay section has a heating means. Device. (2) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating means is temperature adjustable. (3) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relay section has a mounting table for the molding material and the molded optical element. (4) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mounting table is movable toward and away from the heating means. (5) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the mounting table includes a heating means. (6) The optical element manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for introducing a non-oxidizing gas into the molding chamber.