MXPA96001645A

MXPA96001645A - Apparatus to remove and transport articles from mol

Info

Publication number: MXPA96001645A
Application number: MXPA/A/1996/001645A
Authority: MX
Inventors: William Walker Craig; Robert Beaton Stephen; Lust Victor; Tsufang Wang Daniel; Armand Dagobert Henri; Frederick Ansell Scott; King Parnell Phillip
Original assignee: Johnson & Johnson Vision Products Inc
Priority date: 1995-05-01
Filing date: 1996-05-02
Publication date: 1997-12-01

Abstract

This invention relates to a device for removing and transporting articles, such as mold sections of ophthalmic lenses, or package elements from a mold, the invention, in one embodiment, includes first, second and third assemblies; which removes the articles from the molding station in a first location and transports them to a second location, the second assembly receives the articles from the first assembly and transports them to a third location, and the third assembly receives the articles from the second assembly and the transports to a fourth location, a second mode includes a launcher assembly arranged between the first and second assemblies, which shuttle receives the articles of the first assembly and reverses them before depositing them on the second assembly, this second modality is useful together with the molded articles that are transported to the launcher assembly in an inverted position, a third mode includes undo and third assemblies that also include means to alter the relative space of the articles while the articles are transported

Description

APPARATUS TO REMOVE AND TRANSPORT ARTICLES FROM MOLDS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application is a continuation in part of the patent application of E.U.A. number 0ñ / 25ß, 2? 7.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention generally relates to an apparatus for removing and transporting articles from molds. More specifically, the present invention relates to said apparatus which is very suitable for transporting articles, in a very short period, away from the molds and depositing the articles for further processing in an automatic production system, at high speed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE Recently, attention has been directed to the formation of contact lenses in an automatic molding system. In such a system, each lens is formed by sandwiching a monomer between the front and back mold sections. The monomer is polymerized to form a lens, which is removed after the mold sections, is treated and packaged for consumer use. The mold sections used in the process underlined above can be formed by themselves in injection molding or compression molding processes. These mold sections can be made from the family of thermoplastics, for example, polystyrene, which is an excellent material for making these mold sections. Polystyrene does not react chemically with the hydrophilic material used to make the contact lens, therefore, contact lenses of very high quality can be formed in polystyrene molds. In addition, polystyrene is widely available and is relatively inexpensive. Because of its ease and low cost of the polystyrene with which mold sections are made and then used to mold contact lenses, each pair of polystyrene mold sections is typically used to mold only one contact lens and then disposed of. In the automatic contact lens production system discussed above, it is desired to eliminate or minimize any exposure of the hydrophilic monomer to oxygen. Correspondingly, it is desirable to eliminate or minimize exposure of the lens mold sections to oxygen. Therefore, when the polystyrene mold sections are made and then used in the manner discussed above, it is desired to transfer these mold sections quickly from the mold where they are made, to an environment with a low oxygen content (preferably nitrogen). ). It is difficult to achieve the desired transfer speed with conventional robotic assemblies or controls since the currently available robots do not move fast enough and are not precise enough to enter and exit the mold at the desired speed. In particular, if these robots move at the necessary speed, they tend to acquire a wafer-like appearance and shake undesirably as they suddenly stop, and the movements of the robot are not precise enough. If the robots go slower to move more precisely, the robots do not reach the desired speed. Also, in the aforementioned automatic contact lens production system, the mold sections of the contact lens may not be completely solidified when they are ejected from the mold where they are made. Therefore, it is important that any robot or apparatus that is used to transport the lens mold sections away from that mold does not interfere with the desired optical qualities of the contact lens mold sections. In particular, it is important that any robot or apparatus absorbs the energy of the lens mold sections as they are transferred to that robot or apparatus without altering the shape, configuration or dimensions of the lens mold sections. Said robot or apparatus must, likewise, be capable of carrying the sections of the lens mold in a form that allows those sections of the lens mold to be cooled and completely hardened into a desired shape. further, in order to maximize the optical quality of the contact lenses, it is preferred that the optical surfaces of the polystyrene mold sections, i.e. the surfaces of those mold sections touching or lying against the hydrophilic monomer As the lens preform is molded, do not engage or touch by any mechanical handling equipment, as the mold sections are transported and placed in the lens molding system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus for removing articles from molds. Another object of this invention is to remove articles, which can not be completely hardened, from a mold and bring said articles away from that mold without causing undue plastic deformations of the articles. Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-speed apparatus for removing fragile articles from a mold in which those articles are made, and then transporting these articles and depositing them in an automatic manufacturing system, at high speed. A further object of this invention is to transport articles made from the family of thermoplastics, such as polystyrene, from a mold in which those articles are made, and to an environment with a low oxygen content of a system of Automatic contact lens molding in less than 12 seconds. Another object of the present invention is to remove a plurality of discrete molded articles from a mold with the molded articles arranged in a matrix arrangement, and selectively preserve that array arrangement during subsequent handling of the molded articles, or reorient the matrix and the relative space of the articles in it according to a second predetermined matrix. These and other objects are achieved with an apparatus for removing and transporting articles from a mold, said apparatus generally comprising first, second and third robot or material handling assemblies. The first assembly removes the articles from the mold at the first location and transports the articles to a second location, the second assembly receives the articles from the first assembly at that second location and transports the articles to a third location, and the third assembly receives the articles of the second assembly and transports the articles to a fourth location. These locations can be selected from an infinite group of specific locations; and these first, second, third and fourth locations may change from time to time and from application to application. An alternative embodiment of the present invention further comprises a first intermediate assembly, disposed between the first and second assemblies, in said embodiment, the articles are transported from the first assembly towards the first intermediate assembly, and said intermediate assembly transports the articles towards the second assembly. assemble Yet another embodiment of the present invention comprises a second assembly that changes the relative position of the articles disposed therein while transporting them from the second location to the third location, such as moving articles closer along an axis and toward a denser packed layout. This additional embodiment comprises a third assembly that alters the order of the article array. In each embodiment, it is preferable that the first material handling assembly includes receiving means for retrieving and transporting articles from the mold to the second location. In various embodiments, it is preferable that the receiving means be a head having fingers for receiving the articles of the mold and for holding the articles. In other embodiments, the first assembly comprises a vacuum plate having depressions therein for securely receiving and holding the articles during the transfer. With respect to all modes, the receiving means are mounted to a support subassembly, which, during operation, reciprocates along an axis, whereby its far end moves in and out of a close position with respect to the focus of the mold section manufacture. The receiving means is mounted on the support subassembly in such a way as to allow sliding movement along the same axis of the reciprocal movement so that it can reciprocally move along the support subassembly from one end towards the distal end. It is understood that the sliding action of the reception means, in relation to the support subassembly, it can be driven by a driving impeller of either the receiving means or the supporting subassembly. The receiving means, therefore, can reciprocally move between the focus of the mold section manufacture and the second location in accordance with the appropriate selection of the reciprocal movement speeds of the receiving means and the supporting subassembly. In addition, the first material handling assembly comprises means for rotationally pivoting the receiving means between a substantially vertical orientation and a substantially horizontal orientation. It is understood that either the receiving means or the supporting subassembly may comprise a rotary actuator that drives the rotation. In embodiments wherein the receiving means is a head, the fingers and the head are preferably condescending, or otherwise capable of damping the energy of the articles, so that the transportation of the articles from the manufacturing focus to the The second location does not cause any undesirable plastic deformation of the articles, even if said articles are not completely solidified when they are received by the head. In embodiments wherein the receiving means is a vacuum plate having depressions, the mounting of the plate to the subassembly is preferably elastically biased so that similarly the mechanical energy imparted during the transfer of the article is dissipated. The second material handling assembly preferably includes a generally horizontal platform having receiving rails on its surface that receive the articles when they are deposited by the first assembly. The second assembly is moved horizontally from the second location to the third. In certain embodiments, there is an additional desire for the platform to be mounted on a support frame having means for moving the platform vertically as well as horizontally at the second location and / or the third. During operation, the first assembly transports the articles from the manufacturing focus to the second location and deposits the articles in the receiving portholes on the surface of the platform. In those modalities where the second assembly also moves vertically, the assembly moves upward to receive the articles, descends after the items have been received and is horizontally translated to the third location. At the third location, a third assembly retrieves the items from the second assembly and transports them to the fourth location, which may be, for example, a pallet. In the preferred variation of several embodiments, the third assembly comprises a rotating platform that rotates the articles that are transported 90 ° within the horizontal plane. This reorientation is necessary to be used in manufacturing environments having pallets, or other reception means, in the fourth location that are oriented orthogonally with respect to the orientation of the matrix of the articles being manufactured and transported by the first and second. assemblies In a variant of this embodiment, a first intermediate assembly is provided between the first and second assemblies, said intermediate assembly launches the articles with respect to their vertical orientation, so that the articles are appropriately placed for the last assembly. In this embodiment, the first assembly transports the articles from the first location, which is the mold section, and deposits the articles in the depressed portholes in the first intermediate assembly. Once the articles have been placed within the first intermediate assembly, the assembly rotates about an axis in the horizontal plane, throwing the articles there with respect to their vertical orientation, and depositing them in the ports of the second assembly. In a preferred variation of this modality, the first intermediate assembly is mounted on both means so that it rotates as well as on the means for transporting the platform vertically, so that its ports can be raised in a separate relationship close to the receiving means of the first assembly for the exact deposition of the articles in the gates, while the second assembly is also very close during the translation of the articles therefrom to the second assembly. In the preferred variation of the alternative embodiment where the second and third assemblies reorient the articles transported by them, the second assembly comprises movement blocks on which the articles are deposited by the first assembly, and which are forced together or scattered by elements of reciprocal movement, thus altering the relative space of the articles. In addition, the translation of the articles from the second assembly to the third assembly is carried out in multiple steps so that the order of the distribution matrix can be altered. The reoriented and redistributed item matrix is then transported to the fourth location by means of the third assembly. In this preferred variation, the design of the third material handling assembly includes a plurality of receiving plates having limbs for fastening and slidably holding the articles and a support rail to which they are mounted. During operation, the receiving plate descends to the third position where it removes the items from the platform ports of the second assembly via the limb holding function. The receiving plates and articles are then lifted and transported to the fourth location, during said transfer, the receiving plates can be forced together to further tighten the distribution of the articles. Once the third assembly has reached the fourth location, the articles are lowered and deposited, for example, on pallets where articles can be brought to the lens manufacturing stations. Other benefits and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which specify and show the preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a simplified perspective view of the first apparatus according to the present invention. Figures 2a, 2b, and 2c are side views of the variation of the first assembly that can be included in the apparatus shown in Figures 1, 5 and 9.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the second assembly that is included in the first apparatus shown in Figure .1. The Figure is a time function diagram illustrating the integrated cycles of operation of the first apparatus. Figure 5 is a simplified perspective view of the second apparatus according to the present invention. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the launcher assembly that is included in the apparatus shown in Figure Figure 7 is a perspective view of the third assembly that is included in both the first and the second apparatus. Figure & it is a time function diagram that illustrates the integrated cycles of operation of the second device. Figure 9 is a simplified perspective view of the third apparatus according to the present invention. Figure 10 is a perspective view of the second crush assembly that is included in the third apparatus shown in Figure 9. Figure 11 is a perspective view of the third assembly of the third apparatus shown in Figure 9. Figure 12 is a time function diagram illustrating the integrated cycles of operation of the third apparatus. Figures 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d are edge and top views of the back and front mold sections that can be transported by this invention. Figure 1 «- > is a side view of one of the ends provided with bellows that is included in a variation of the first assembly of this invention. Figure 15 is a side view showing the coupling of the vacuum plate to the vacuum head of the first assembly of the first apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES This invention relates to the removal of molded articles, which are used in the manufacture of contact lenses, at regular intervals from a molding station in a first location, and the subsequent arrangement of articles in a remote location, such as on a pallet of an assembly line. As such, this application incorporates by reference the specification and description of the patent application of E.U.A. No. 0S / 25ñ, 65i + by Wallace Anthony Martin and others (Attorney No. VTN-0092) for "Consolidated Contact Lens Molding". The present invention is particularly suitable for carrying out the above-identified function in an improved form than those devices and prior assemblies. The following descriptions, with reference to the corresponding figures, establish the predominant aspects and elements of three different modalities of the present invention; the first is directed to the removal and transportation of posterior curve mold halves; the second is directed to the removal and transportation of front curve mold halves; and the third is directed to the removal and transportation of molded packing elements.

TRANSPORTATION ASSEMBLY OF REAR CURVE The process for making contact lenses, in the form for which the present invention could be useful, comprises creating a pair of mold halves, between which a liquid monomer can be arranged, configured to a lens, and subsequently irradiated to insulate enough interlacing to provide the structural integrity appropriate to the lens. The half-mold sections that are used to create the lenses are themselves molded; the molding process being especially intolerant of irregularities to the optical perfection required of the surfaces. The mold sections are created in a fast injection molding machine that produces a multiplicity of mold sections every 6 seconds. The molding machine comprises two opposing elements that abut on the surface to form the mold halves; an element has a disposition of concave depressions regularly separated, the opposite element has a corresponding arrangement of convex protuberances. The concave depressions and the convex protuberances define, between them, a volume configured to produce half-mold sections. A more detailed description of the molding machine, together with which the present invention is used, can be found in the application of E.U.A. copending No. 0 / 257.7d5, for "Mold Halves and Molding Assembly for Making Contact Lenses" (Proxy No. V? N-079), which is incorporated herein by reference. During operation, the opposite elements come together, the material of the mold halves, for example, the molten polymer, is injected into the volumes configured between the surfaces of the opposing elements, and the mold halves are maintained for a sufficient time to fix your forms. Once the shape of the mold half has been fixed, the opposing elements of the molding machine are separated and the mold halves can be removed. The rear curve mold halves are referred to as such because they provide the convex optical mold surface that forms the portion of the contact lens that contacts the eye. The front curve mold halves are so called because they provide the CAVA CAVA optical surface that molds the front face of the lens. According to established methods to optimally maintain the integrity of the optical surface, the molding machine that produces the rear curve mold sections is specifically designed so that in the non-optically revealing separation, the concave surfaces of the halves of mold are exposed (the convex surfaces remaining inside the concave depressions). Since the machine that produces the front curve mold sections is identical in almost all functional aspects to the rear curve machine described above, when the opposite elements of the front curve molding machine are separated, the sections of the mold of frontal curve remain in contact with the convex protuberances. In any case, when the opposite elements of the molding machine are separated then the molded articles can be removed. Figures 13a-d show the front and back curve mold sections that are used in the manufacture of contact lenses. Figures 13c and 13d are top and side views, respectively, of a rear curve mold section; which includes a curved portion 452 that forms the central lens, an annular flange portion 451 and a tongue 461. Since, in the case of the posterior curve, the central curved portion is used to form or configure the posterior curve or surface of a contact lens, it is desirable to minimize direct contact therewith; the tab 451 and tongue portions 461 are, therefore, used to facilitate the handling and placement of the article. The simultaneous molding of the curve surface 452 with the annular flange portions 451 and tab 461 has an additional manufacturing benefit since it perfects the injection molding process. Preferably, the mold sections are each integrally molded from a plastic material of the thermoplastic family such as polystyrene or other suitable material; and preferably each mold section has a thickness, typically 0. & mm and 0.6 mm, respectively, and a stiffness such that the mold section effectively transmits the light and resists the attractive forces applied to separate the mold sections from the mold in which those sections were made. The mold sections are also described in detail in the aforementioned co-pending application, "Mold Halves and Molding Asse bly for Making Contact Lenses". The first device that is going to be described isconsequently, directed to the removal and rapid transport without damage of the mold halves of the rear curve contact lens from the molding station to a distant location, for example to a pallet on a lens manufacturing assembly line contact. More particularly, referring now to Figure i, the first apparatus 10 includes first, second and third material handling assemblies 20, 30 and 40. The first assembly 20 is provided for removing the articles from the mold 12 in a first location and transport the items to a second location. A second assembly 30 is placed to receive the articles from the first assembly 20 and transport the articles from the second location to a third location. The third assembly 40 is provided for receiving the articles of the second assembly 30 and for transporting those articles from the third location to a fourth location, which is the remote location, for example, a pallet 50 on a contact lens manufacturing line. 52. Referring to Figures 2a and 15, the first assembly 20 includes a vacuum head structure 102, a hopzontally aligned cursor arm 104, a vertically mounted traveling arm 106 and a stationary support subassembly 106. The sub-assembly of stationary support 106 includes a support frame 110, to which it is fixedly mounted, and a main body structure 112. Within the main body structure 112 is a vacuum control unit 114 (the cover of which is shown), and translation means (not shown) reciprocally moving the vertically mounted traveling arm 106 along the horizontal axis. In a preferred embodiment, these translation means comprise a ball screw which is oriented horizontally. At its far end 116, the vertically mounted traveling arm 106 is fixedly coupled to the horizontally aligned cursor arm 104, the reciprocal movement of the vertical arm 106 necessarily causes the cursor arm 104 to move with a regular sliding movement forward and backwards, according to the horizontal translation of the ball screw. A distribution band (not shown) is coupled to the horizontal ball screw in the main body structure 112 and extends below the vertical arm 106 and along the extension of the cursor arm 104. Mounted slidably to the cursor arm 104 , and coupled to the distribution band, is the vacuum head 102, which is translated along the length of the cursor arm 104. This arrangement allows the additive movement of the vertical arm 106 and the vacuum head 102, allowing the head 102 to travel to the first location, which is between the opposed separation elements, without the head or the arm remaining undesirably at relatively high speeds, which leads to vibration. In a preferred embodiment, the distribution band defines a head speed ratio of? vacuum 102 to cursor arm 104 from 2 to 1. Vacuum head 102 of the preferred embodiment comprises a vacuum plate 103 having depressions 105 in which articles can be placed. The vacuum plate 103 is mounted to the vacuum head by means of a multiple silicone bellows 27 and a linear slider 29 (also see Figure 1, elements 121). This assembly allows the plate 103 to move reciprocally with respect to the vacuum head 102, according to the drawing of a vacuum in the plate 103. Once the vacuum head 102 has been moved to the molding station 12, and it is at the extreme point of its reciprocal movement, an actuator and distributor mechanism (not shown) activates the vacuum extraction means (not shown also). It is understood that a variety of equivalent means can be used to extract a vacuum within the vacuum plate 103, however, a venturi pipe system is particularly suitable for this apparatus 10 since the vacuum extracted in the plate 103 needs to be strong enough to hold the articles, but not too strong to deform the optical surfaces of the hardened plastic. The molding station 12 has pins and injectors (not shown) that push the curve articles out of the molding element and into the depressions 105 in the vacuum plate 103. The vacuum that is being forced into the depressions 105 and the plate 103 It helps to secure items within the depressions. Once the sealing of the articles to the vacuum plate 103 causes the plate to move towards the vacuum head 102. it is preferable to have a set of elastic silicone bellows which mount the vacuum plate 103 to the vacuum head 102 so that the plate can be deflected back towards the extended position away from the vacuum head once the vacuum is released. The depressions 105 may comprise small depressions formed in a surface of the plate, or small cups mounted on said surface of the plate, or the bellows-provided extremities described with respect to the front curve conveying apparatus and Figure 14. It is also preferable that the receptacles are connected to a vacuum source, so that The resulting low pressure in the depressions can assist in the translation of articles from the molding station to the plate as the pins and ejectors eject the articles from the mold. The entire translation procedure is carried out through the following steps: presenting the head moved forward towards a position adjacent to the mold station element. The pins and injectors push the molded articles forward towards the depressions of the plate; the vacuum suction that ensures that the items are inside the depressions; the sealed vacuum conduits provide the low pressure within the vacuum plate structure so that the plate is retracted away from the mold station element. Referring again to the specific embodiment shown in Figure 1, the mounting of the vacuum head 102 to the cursor arm 104, said head is slidably coupled thereto for reciprocal forward and backward movement of the first location of pick-up of mold half to the second mold half separation location, further comprises a rotation joint 25. This gasket 25 is driven, by an air cylinder (not shown) having stops therein, which allows the head and the plate 102, 103 rotate from vertical to horizontal, through a rotation of 90 degrees during each linear stroke of the reciprocal regular movement of the head. During operation, when the vacuum head 102 starts its linear reciprocal movement after receiving the articles from the mold half from the mold 12, it is oriented vertically (in correspondence with the plane of the mold element face). As the head 102 is translated, along with the cursor arm 104, towards the second location, it rotates towards a horizontal position where the depressions 105 in the vacuum plate are oriented downwards. In the second location, the articles are released from the depressions, via the vacuum release, towards a platform of the second assembly 30. Once the articles have been released and the head 102 starts moving reciprocally back towards the mold 12 , turn back to a vertical orientation for the next harvest. It is understood that the rotation of the head 102 through a rotation of 90 degrees is achieved equivalently by a number of different means, for example, by providing a translation rail along the cursor arm having a 90 degree torsion, the linear reciprocal movement of the head along the cursor arm, where it is also? imparts a 90 degree rotation to the head 102. Preferably, this first assembly 20 is a low mass, high speed assembly, and is capable of moving the head 102 towards the mold 12 and removing articles thereof in less than 0.6 seconds , and most preferably, in less than 0.4 seconds. Also, preferably the head 102 is constructed of a low mass, high rigidity material, for example, polyvinyl chloride foam core and unidirectional carbon fiber fabric. Referring now to Figures 1 and 3, the second assembly 30 of this embodiment is shown. The second assembly 30 includes a platform 34, a translation carriage structure 39 and a support frame 36 forming linear rails 36 along which the translation carriage structure reciprocates from the second location towards the third location. It is understood that a variety of suitable means can be selected for the easy and efficient translation of the assembly, for example, a motor and a ball screw, a reciprocating hydraulic arm, or a combination of gear and motor. In the preferred embodiment, the translation means is a system of two ball screws, the first of which moves the assembly from the second location to the third, and the second of which moves the assembly up and down at each location in accordance with the preferred function of the device. The platform 34 of the second assembly 30 has a regular arrangement of depressions 35, which are suitable for deposition in, and removal from, mold articles such as are deposited therein by the first assembly 20 at the second location. . During operation, the first assembly 20 reciprocates backwardly from the mold 12, removing the mold articles therefrom., and rotates from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation during the time it reaches the second location. Simultaneously with the proper orientation and positioning of the first assembly 20 in the second location, the second assembly 30 is in the position to receive the articles. The vacuum release within the vacuum plate 103 of the first assembly allows the articles to fall into the depressions 35 of the platform of the second assembly 30. Once the articles have been thus placed, the second assembly 30 is linearly moved to the along lanes 36 to the third location. Referring now to Figures 1 and 7, the third assembly 40 includes a receiving head 42, a support body 46 and rotatable engagement means 44, and a horizontal reciprocal movement rail 46. The first end 45 of support body 46 it is arranged in the rail 46, and coupled to translation means wherein the body 46 (and the receiving head and others) can move reciprocally from the third location to the fourth location. The translation means of the support body and the receiving head 42 are preferably a horizontal axis ball screw assembly. The support body 46 is coupled to the rotary coupling means 44, which is, at the same time, coupled to the receiver head 42. The rotary coupling means 44, which may be, for example, an air cylinder with 90 degree rotation stops, it is designed to provide rotation of the receiving head in the horizontal plane. In addition, the support body 46 comprises a vertical axis ball screw which allows the translation of the receiving head 42 upwards and downwards, this ascending and descending movement is preferred in the functions of? recovery and position of the third assembly in the third and fourth locations, respectively. The receiving head 42 is oriented downward to allow it to remove the articles from the platform 34 of the second assembly 30 at the third location, and subsequently deposit the articles at the fourth location, for example, on a pallet 50 on an assembly line 52 The receiving plate 42 comprises an arrangement of bellows 22, which will be described later with respect to Figure 14. A low pressure can be removed at the ends to lift the articles out of the depressions 35 in the platform 34 of the second assembly 30, and to hold and transport the articles from the third location to the fourth location. It is understood that those skilled in the art can substitute other means of extraction, restraint and support and relationships for the exchange of articles between the tedescribed herein without removing said apparatus from the scope of the invention described herein. Other alternative transfer means may include a set of extension pins, disposed in the depressions of the second assembly, which could raise the mold curves out of the depressions in the third location and insert them into the reception depressions in the third platform such as it comprises the first assembly. However, in such a design, great care must be taken to avoid misalignment of the articles with respect to one another during the transfer. During operation, the receiving plate 42 of the third assembly 40 is first placed in the third location, oriented so that the ends (or other receiving means) are properly positioned for removal of the articles from the platform 34 of the second assembly. Once the articles have been removed by the third assembly 40, the mounting arm is translated along the rail 46 by means of a ball screw mechanism, towards the fourth location, during said translation, the air cylinder rotary 44 reorients plate 42 90 degrees in the horizontal plane. At the far end of the translation, if a reception structure exists, such as a pallet 50, it is appropriately placed with the plate 42 positioned thereon, the vertical ball screw within the support body 45 lowers the plate 42 and its ends, to the deposition blade. Already in the position, the items are released by the plate and deposited. If it is determined that no appropriate receiving structure 50 is present in the fourth location, the third assembly 40 reciprocates by means of the rotating ball screw, back toward the third location, stopping briefly at an intermediate location between the third and fourth locations and frees the half-mold articles towards a tank 60. These released mold halves can then be discarded, recirculated or otherwise used in other manufacturing processes. For example, during the quality test of the mold halves that are produced by the mold, a test apparatus can be inserted into the intermediate location that receives the released items for testing purposes. It is understood that control means may be provided to move the various elements of this apparatus in the desired sequence, and to interrupt or terminate the operation of the apparatus under predetermined conditions. For example, one or more time distributors may be provided and programmed to generate signals to initiate movement of the movable components of the assemblies. The timing controllers can also be provided and programmed to operate solenoid activated valves which connect the bellows or suction plate receptacles to positive and negative pressure sources at the desired moments. Position sensors can also be used to initiate the movement of the movable elements of the apparatus and to operate the aforementioned valves, in response to the various elements of the apparatus, such as the vacuum head 102, the platform 34 of the second assembly 30 and the receiving plate of the third assembly 42, reaching predetermined positions. If desired, position sensors may be used to sense whether the movable members of the apparatus 10, such as the reciprocating movement cursor arm 104 and the vacuum head 102, move between the appropriate locations. In addition, sensors may be provided to determine if each of the depressions receives a respective contact lens mold section from the mold and to determine whether these contact lens mold sections are properly transferred from one assembly to another assembly. For example, said sensors can be located and perceive the pressures in the suction lines that lead to the plenums or internal volumes of the assembly platforms. During processing, the sections of the contact lens mold are appropriately mounted in the depressions of a platform element, for example, those lens mold sections near the ends of the internal volumes of the platform. If the mold sections of the contact lens do not provide the seal to the internal volumes, when the low pressure source is operated, the pressure is not reduced to the appropriate insured level. In this way, the pressure within the inner plenums through which the vacuum pressure is removed is an indication that if the mold sections of the contact lens are properly assembled, a pressure sensor may be employed to generate a signal or alarm to indicate when a contact lens mold section of one of the bellows is missing. The function and relation of all the assemblies comprising the apparatus 10, which together are an embodiment of the present invention, is complex, having been individually described in detail in the foregoing discussion. Referring now to Figure 4, a time-position function chart showing the relative positions and functions carried out by all assemblies of this mode is shown. The rear curve mold transport apparatus, which is the first embodiment of the present invention, having first, second and third assemblies that function as described above, operates in the following manner. Starting with the initial forward movement of the first assembly, the cursor arm is moved to the molding station, which remains closed, to form the mold articles. As the cursor arm slides forward, the vacuum head structure rotates to a vertical position so that the vacuum plate and depressions are properly oriented to receive the mold articles. The cursor arm temporarily stops as it waits for the mold station to open. Once the opposing elements are separated, the cursor arm is transferred forward, placing the vacuum plate adjacent to the mold station element to which the molded articles remain adhered. In this embodiment, it is important to note that the vacuum plate is coupled to the vacuum head by elastic means, for example silicone bellows and a linear slider. At this time in the transport cycle, the vacuum plate is in its extended state since no vacuum can be kept in the vacuum plate because the depressions in the plate are empty. A set of pins and nozzles inside the molding station element is extended, therein pushing the molded articles out of the concave depressions in the molding station element, and pushing them towards the depressions in the vacuum plate. If the ejector pins push the molded articles too far into the depressions, the silicone bellows cups are compressed under the load, moving the plate backwards, and there ensuring that the mold sections are not damaged. If the mold sections are not pushed far enough into the depressions, the subsequent action of vacuum extraction on the plate will provide sufficient suction to extract the articles fully into the depressions. In the fully inserted position, the outer ring of the molded articles is brought into contact with the annular ring at the base of the vacuum plate depressions, there sealing together the internal volume within the plate. The vacuum that is drawn in this volume from the plate secures the molded elements within the plate, while simultaneously causing the silicone bellows to retract, thus pulling the plate away from the mold and closer to the head. It is understood that one of ordinary skill in the art can substitute equivalent means for the elastic mounting of the vacuum plate to the vacuum plate, for example, with vacuum pistons and diverter springs, or with an air cylinder operable. These are equivalent means which, together with a myriad or other equivalences, are anticipated herein and are within the scope of the invention. Once the articles have been secured within the depressions, the cursor arm begins to reciprocate backward toward the second location, towards the second waiting assembly. Since the cursor arm moves reciprocally backward, the vacuum head rotates downward, so that the depressions in the plate are directed downward, the vacuum forced into the plate keeping the articles inside the depressions and holding the plate in a retracted position on the silicone bellows. Once the first assembly has moved reciprocally all the way back to the second location, with the vacuum plate turned downward and disposed directly above the platform of the second assembly, the first assembly stops. The second assembly is slightly elevated via a vertical ball mechanism, bringing its platform closer to the plate, with the depressions of each surface aligned for easy transfer of items. It is understood that a variety of equivalences can be substituted for the ball screw mechanism to raise the platform of the second assembly., such as a mechanical cutting structure, a tire or hydraulic lift. These equivalences are anticipated in the present and, therefore, are incorporated as reasonable variations of the present modality. At this time, the vacuum is released into the vacuum plate of the first assembly, there releasing the vacuum grip on the mold articles. In svariations of this embodiment, the vacuum release is coupled with the application of positive pressure to ensure ejection of the mold sections. In any case, the release of the vacuum causes the vacuum plate to extend downward to its position extended by the elastic coupling silicone bellows. Once the articles have been transferred, the platform of the second assembly falls and begins to slide from the second location to the third location. As this happens, the first assembly begins to move backwardly forward, and the vacuum plate rotates back toward its vertical position (backward in its extended state). At the time when the first assembly rotates the plate vertically, and has prematurely stopped the mold station opening, the second assembly has reached the third location, below the third hold assembly and stops. The receiving plate of the third assembly falls to coincide with the platform of the second assembly, and the articles are removed by the receiving plate in a suitable manner, as described above. Once the items have been removed by the third assembly, the reception plate rises, rotates 90 degrees (thus rotating the items) in the horizontal plane, and begins to slide back to the fourth location. At the same time that the third assembly rotates with the receiving plate, the molding station is separated and the first assembly enters to extract a new batch of articles from the station. At the same time, the second assembly reciprocates backward to the left, moving to the second location to receive the new batch of items. At the time when the third assembly reaches the fourth location, the first assembly slides back to the second location and rotates the head to the horizontal position to deposit the articles in the platform depressions of the second assembly. In the fourth location, the third assembly drops and deposits the articles, for example on a pallet, in a form in which it is simultaneous with and similar to the deposition of the new batch of articles in the second assembly.

As the third assembly rises and rotates back toward the orientation to receive articles of second assembly, the first assembly begins to slide forward again to extract another batch of articles being manufactured at the molding station, and the The second sample slides to the third location to deliver its items to the third assembly. In this way, the repetitive cycle of the first apparatus, which is to transport a batch of rear curve items from a molding station to a first location to a fourth location, has been illustrated. The advantage of this apparatus over a single assembly design in which the posterior curves are extracted from the molding station and moved towards the manufacturing line by a single assembly, is that the distance and the speed that each assembly needs to be obtained in the present invention is reduced during transport of the same number of articles. This advantage is particularly important when considering the vibration imparted by the inertia associated with high velocity translation.

TRANSPORTATION ASSEMBLIES OF FRONT CURVE Referring now to Figures 2b, 5-6, 13a-b and 14, the second embodiment of the invention is the second apparatus 210, which is used to transport articles, such as the mold halves of the front curve contact lens. , from a first location, such as a molding station 212, to a remote location, such as a pallet 250 on a contact lens manufacturing line 252. This embodiment includes tests 220, 230, 240, which are very similar in shape and function to the similar assemblies described above with respect to the apparatus that transports the rear curve mold halves from the mold to the blade. The differences between the first and the second apparatus being those related to the initial step of launching the articles, the need for which has been described above. The front curve mold articles are manufactured in an injection molding station comprising two matching opposing elements, the first of which has a regular arrangement of convex protuberances, which are aligned with a concave depression arrangement on the opposite side of the second element. The optical configuration surface of the front curve mold half is the inner surface of the resulting cup. The desire to manufacture, to minimize the contact with the optical surface of the mold leads to the remaining frontal curves adhered to the convex protuberances after the separation of the mold station elements. The first assembly 220 of the second apparatus 210, which is shown in Figure 5, and more particularly in Figure 2b, therefore, removes the articles from its convex side (in the annular ring extending further from the edge of the body). the cup 452, as shown in Figures 13a and 13b). With particular reference now to Figures 2b, 5, and 14, the vacuum head structure 102 of the first assembly 220 comprises a head 102 that includes an elastic limb arrangement 22, extending uniformly from a vacuum plate 24, which is coupled to the cursor arm 104 by means of mounting means and the distribution band. The limbs 22 are ideally suited for receiving contact lens mold articles from the molding machine 212 after the opposite elements are separated, and for releasably supporting the articles received with the head 102 and the cursor arm 104 is transferred. back from the first location to the second location. The vacuum head embodiment 102, illustrated in Figures 2b, 5, and 14, shows the end 22 having a bellows structure 410. This bellows-provided structure allows the ends 22 to retract if an external pressure is applied ( or internal vacuum). In the extended position later, the head 102 and the cursor arm 104 align the bellows-provided ends 22, which in their most extended state also, between the opposite opposed elements of the molding machine 212, as shown in Figure 5. In this position , each of the limbs 22 is aligned with a respective convex protrusion of the corresponding opposite element (not shown) and, thus, with one of the respective articles formed in those mold cavities. Pins and injectors (not shown) are used to push the articles formed out of the convex protrusions and into engagement with the extended bellows provided legs 22. With particular reference to Figure 14, each of the bellows-provided legs 22 preferably has an axially extending annular section 412 that forms an extended tip 414 in the shape of a suction cup onto which the contact lens mold sections are placed. . In particular, when a front curve is transferred onto one of the ends 22, the annular flange 402 of the front curve makes contact with the extended annular suction cup tip 414 of the bellows-provided end 22, thus forming a sealed volume 416 inside the limb. In this way, the optical surface 401 is not touched by the extremity 22 provided with bellows. As stated above, the bellows-provided legs 22 extend outwardly from a vacuum plate 24, the vacuum plate comprises at least one internal plenum 416 connecting the volume within the suction cup tips 414 of the limbs 22. Bellows provided in a flow communication with the vacuum lines 26. In the embodiment shown in Figures 2b and 14, the individual vacuum lines 26 emerge at a node 26 to form a single vacuum line 32. The low pressure that can be removed by a vacuum venturi (not shown) in the suction cup tips 414 of the bellows-provided extremities 22 is useful for handling articles being transported. In particular, a low pressure can be developed within the bellows 410 to assist the movement of the articles on the bellows from the mold depressions and that low pressure can be maintained in the bellows to help keep the articles in the bellows as that the head 102 is transferred to the second location. When the low pressure is removed, the bellows 22 ends are retracted towards the vacuum plate 24 according to its elasticity. The low pressure source which is connected to the vacuum plate 24 with bellows can be, for example, a vacuum venturi or a vacuum pump, or a pressure source, preferred as a negative pressure, which is lower than the ambient pressure . Also, preferably, at least one internal plenum 416 within the vacuum plate 24, which connects each of the bellows-provided extremities 22 of the head 102, is an individual common plenum connecting the limbs to the vacuum line. In a preferred variation of the embodiment illustrated, a solenoid controlled valve (not shown) can be located in the vacuum line 32 to selectively seal and release the vacuum in the plenum and, thereby, evacuate and selectively release the vacuum at the ends 22 provided with bellows. As stated above, the bellows-provided legs 22 are compressed so that they can dampen and absorb the energy and momentum of the contact lens mold sections since those mold sections are transferred from the mold 12 to the ends 22. In this way, the contact lens mold sections can be transferred from the mold 212 to the bellows 22 at a relatively high speed without damaging or deforming the mold sections of the contact lens, if those mold sections are not completely solidified. or hardened when transferred to the bellows. The problems associated with the mechanical variation in the distance of separation of the opposing elements that interfere with the consistent and appropriate removal of the mold halves from the mold 212, they are resolved with the elastic and compressible extremities 22. Means may also be provided to provide positive pressure within the extremities 22 provided with? bellows, by means of the same vacuum line 32 through which the vacuum is forced, and can be controlled by means of the same solenoid valve (not shown). This positive pressure can be used, if necessary, to break any mechanical seal that may develop between the mold section and tip 414 of the bellows-provided end 22. As can be clearly understood, the first assemblies of the first and second apparatus differ. In the first apparatus, a vacuum head is used, coupled to a vacuum plate with depressions; in the second, limbs provided with bellows extending from a vacuum plate are used. In the first apparatus, since the subsequent bends are received in an orientation that presents the mold halves oriented so that they extend outwardly with respect to the receiving plate, to ensure that the vulnerable convex surface will not be damaged during transport, the preferred variation is the vacuum plate with depressions. In the second apparatus because the front curves are extracted from the molding station in an orientation having its convex surface facing inwardly with respect to the plate, the preferred variation comprises the ends provided with elastic bellows. Both preferred variations of the first assembly comprise a horizontal arm reciprocally moving a vacuum head between a first location and a second location by means of a ball screw and a distribution band, and are ideally suited to hold their articles in the corresponding curve by means of suction. In this second apparatus, however, the first assembly 220 does not place the articles, which it collects from the molding section 212 at the first location toward a second assembly. Rather, place the items in the depressed portholes of a launch pad 274.

Referring now also to Figure 6, the action of the ends of the first assembly 220 is particularly suitable both for receiving the front curves of the molding station 212 and for the deposition of the curves in the launcher assembly 270. At the molding, the ejector pins push the articles out of contact with the tips 414 of the ends 22, whereby a vacuum is forced into the interior volume 416 of the end tips which secures the articles thereto. The vacuum also causes the bellows-provided legs 22 to retract from the molding element, there providing an additional clearance for the head as it reciprocates from the molding station. To ensure a couple operation of the first assembly, it is desired to couple several of the hanging wires, hoses or flexible lines together and one of the structural elements, for example, the stationary support subassembly to guide any of the cables or lines and to ensure that these cables or hoses do not become entangled with each other as the head 102 and the cursor arm 104 move reciprocally. This same file can be incorporated into the modalities of each assembly of the invention, in each apparatus. Once the head 102 has rotated down and is positioned to throw the secured articles towards the fin assembly 270, the vacuum is released into the tip tips 414. The combined effects of gravity and the extension tips 22 provide a wide force so that the articles are moderately pushed from the ends 414 of the extremities. A variation of this mode includes positive pressure means coupled to the vacuum line to provide additional pressure to the articles from the inside of the tips so that they are deposited by the extremities. It is understood that the articles, when transported by the first assembly 20 of the first apparatus 10, are brought to the second location where the convex surface of the articles faces downwards. They are subsequently deposited in each of the subsequent assemblies of the apparatus with the convex surface facing downward, and are finally placed on a pallet with their convex surfaces facing downward. In the second apparatus 210, the first assembly 220 extracts the articles and brings them to the second location with the convex surfaces facing upwards. Therefore, the second apparatus 210 includes an additional assembly 270 that receives the articles of the first assembly and releases them before depositing them in the second assembly. In this way, the articles are placed to be finally deposited in a pallet with the convex surface facing downwards. Launching element 270 comprises a substantially flat platform 274 having a regular arrangement of depressions 275 therein for receiving a plurality of articles. The platform 274 is mounted to a drive structure 279, which provides the independent vertical and rotational movement, so that the platform can be raised to reach the ends of the first assembly and then fall, thus providing a sufficient space for the platform throw. Since it is understood that a variety of means can be employed that achieve the vertical axis movement and rotational movement described herein, the preferred embodiment of this assembly comprises a vertical ball screw mechanism 291 mounted within the base of the motor structure 279, and a rotating air cylinder 292 for rotation. It is understood that the depressions 275 of the fin assembly are preferably coupled to vacuum means so that the articles can be secured within the depressions during inversion. Furthermore, it is highly preferable that the vacuum means be selectively uncoupled so that the articles can be released accurately from the depressions 275 when deposition of the articles in the second assembly is appropriate. Once the 274 platform is investedby inverting the articles arranged therein, the shuttle 270 causes the articles to fall into the depressions 235 of a second assembly 230 which is generally similar to the second assembly 30 of the first apparatus 10. This version of the second assembly comprises a platform 234 having depressions 235, a translation carriage structure 239 and a support frame 236 formed linear rails 236 along which the translation carriage structure 239 reciprocates from the second location towards the third location. As before, also, this version of the invention includes means within the support frame 236 for elevating the platform 234 vertically to reach the fin member and to receive the articles thereof with at least the exposure of the molds. It is understood that a variety of different means for elevating the platform may be suitable, for example, a selectively extensible piston coupled between the bottom of the platform and the carriage structure, or a ball screw or motor driven system. In the preferred embodiment of both variations of the second assembly 30, 230, the translational means in the both horizontal and vertical planes are both ball screw mechanisms, one having a vertical orientation, and the other being horizontal. It is desirable that the horizontal ball screw member be mounted within the support frame 236, and for the vertical ball screw element that is mounted on the translating carriage structure 239. Once the articles have been placed in the depressions 235 of the second assembly 230, the platform is lowered and transferred to the third position by means of the translating carriage structure 239 moving horizontally along the rails 236. In the third location, the elevating means raise again platform 234, this time reaching the third assembly 240, which extracts the articles thereof. The third assembly 240 of the second apparatus 210, which comprises a similar set of elements as the third assembly 40 of the first apparatus 10, further has a support body 246 that is motorly coupled to a rail 246 having means for transporting the assembly from the third location to the fourth location, and to lower (and elevate) the platform toward (from) the second assembly 230 or the 250 pallet during the exchange of the articles. As before, it is preferred that the ball screw elements, both vertically and horizontally oriented, be used to drive the appropriate assembly elements in a drive manner. In addition, also, the third assembly 240 rotates in the horizontal plane while transporting the articles to the fourth location for deposition, for example, to a pallet. The means for imparting the rotation preferably is an air cylinder, which has stops with a rotation of 90 degrees. As in the first apparatus, if the appropriate pallet 250 is not present in the fourth location at the appropriate time for deposition, the third assembly 240 transports the articles back to an intermediate position, between the third and fourth locations or releases the articles. to a reservoir 260. It is understood that, as with respect to the first apparatus, control means may be provided to move the various elements of this apparatus in the desired sequence, and to interrupt or terminate the operation of the apparatus under predetermined conditions. For example, one or more time controllers may be provided and programmed to generate signals to initiate the movement of the assemblies. Time controllers can also be provided and programmed to operate solenoid activated valves that connect the bellows provided legs of the first assembly, vacuum head and vacuum lines to positive and negative pressure sources at the desired time. Position sensors can also be used to start the movement of the assemblies and to operate the aforementioned valves, in response to various other assembly parts such as the vacuum head, the launcher assembly, or the second assembly reaching their corresponding predetermined positions. In addition, sensors may be provided to determine if each of the bellows-provided legs 22, or depressions in the subsequent platforms or assemblies, receive a respective contact lens mold section from the mold. The sensors can also be used to determine if the mold sections of the contact lens are properly transferred from the first assembly to subsequent assemblies. For example, such sensors can be located and perceive the pressures in the suction lines leading to the bellows-provided extremities, depressions and flap vacuum platforms, second and third assemblies.

In order to work out, when the mold sections of the contact lens are mounted appropriately on all the bellows-provided ends 22, and the bellows 410 are connected to a source of low pressure, the pressure inside the inner plenums 416 and lines 26 which leads to the extremities, is reduced to a predetermined level. In contrast, if the contact lens mold sections do not seal the tips of all bellows members 414, when those bellows 410 are connected to the low pressure source, the pressure within the lines 26 and the plenums 416 does not it is reduced to the level of vacuum assurance. In this way, the pressure inside the internal lines and plenums is an indication that if the contact lens mold sections are mounted on all the bellows, and a pressure sensor can be used to generalize a signal or an alarm to indicate when a contact lens mold section is missing from one of the bellows. The most important difference between the first apparatus 10 and the second apparatus 210 is understood to be the inclusion of an additional assembly 270 that launches the articles. The function and relation of all the assemblies comprising the apparatus 210, which together form the second embodiment of the present invention, having been individually described in detail in the foregoing discussion, are now described in relation to each other. Referring to Figure 6, a time-position function table illustrating the relative positions and functions carried out by all assemblies of this mode is shown. The front curve mold transport apparatus, which is the second embodiment of the present invention, having a first assembly, fin, second assembly and third assembly operating as described above, operates in the following manner. Starting with the initial forward movement of the first assembly, the cursor arm is transported to the molding station, which remains closed, forming the mold articles. As the cursor arm slides forward, the vacuum head structure rotates to a vertical position so that the vacuum plate and the extremities extending outwardly therefrom are appropriately oriented to receive the mold articles. The cursor arm temporarily stops as it waits for the mold station to open. Once the opposed elements are separated, the cursor arm is transported forward, placing the bellows-provided ends adjacent to the mold station element where the molded articles remain adhered. It is important to note that, without any artificially applied force, the elastic bellows provided limbs are in their extended state. Once the limbs are in place, a set of ejector pins within the molding station element extends to push the molded articles out of the convex protuberances where the articles are adhered and on the tips of the bellows-provided ends. . The bellows-provided ends have a cup-shaped tip, the outer ring of which is brought into contact with the annular ring of the molded article, therein together forming internal volumes sealed in each of the bellows-provided extremities. If the ejector pins push the molded articles further away from the tips, the elastic ends are compressed under the load, ensuring there is no damage to the mold sections. If the mold sections are not pushed far enough to the extremities, the subsequent forcing of a vai ía in the extremities provides sufficient suction to expel the articles completely on the tips of extremity. By forcing a vacuum in this volume, the first assembly secures the molded elements to the extremities while simultaneously causing the bellows-provided extremities to retract. In this particularly withdrawn state, the length of the limbs can be reduced by as much as half. Once the articles have been secured to the tips of the limbs, the cursor arm begins to reciprocate backward to the second location, towards the waiting launcher assembly. As the cursor arm moves reciprocally backward, the head rotates downward, so that the retracted limbs are directed downward. The forced vacuum in the head keeps the articles secured to the tips of the extremities. Once the first assembly has moved reciprocally the entire return path, with the vacuum plate turned downward and arranged directly above the launcher assembly platform and the limbs aligned for the deposition of the articles in the depressions of the platform, the launcher assembly rises slightly. The release of the vacuum in the extremities (or the application of a positive pressure) causes the articles to fall from the tips of the extremities towards the depressions of the launching plate. Once the items have been deposited, a vacuum is forced into the launcher plate to secure the items within the depressions. At this point, the articles are still oriented with their convex sides facing upwards. The launch plate falls down from its slightly raised position and rotates at 160 degrees, returning to the platform and correspondingly inverting the mold sections. At the moment when the launch plate rotates, the first assembly begins to move forward to the molding station and the vacuum head is reoriented to a vertical alignment. The transfer of items from the casting assembly to the second assembly occurs immediately. The second assembly is raised to reach the inverted launcher assembly so that the depressions in the platforms of said assembly are aligned. At this time, the vacuum is released into the launcher assembly (and preferably is applied to a positive pressure), thereby releasing the vacuum attached to the mold articles. At this time, a vacuum can be forced into the depressions of the second assembly as a precaution to ensure the fixation of the articles within the depressions. Once the articles have been transferred, the platform of the second assembly falls and begins to slide from the second location to the third location. As this happens, the launcher assembly platform rotates back so that its depressions look up to anticipate the arrival of the next batch of items. At this time also, the mold station is separated allowing the first assembly to recover the next batch of articles. At the time when the first assembly has entered the mold station, the second assembly reaches the third location, and is placed below the third hold assembly. The receiving plate of the third assembly is lowered, by means of the assembly articulated arrow assembly, to reach the platform of the second assembly. The second assembly rises slightly to reach the lower plate of the third assembly, to make the transfer as quickly as possible.

The manner in which the articles are transferred from the second assembly to the third assembly can be achieved in two different ways, each of which is functional, but each comprises different modalities of the third assembly. Both variations include ejector pins on the platform of the second assembly that pushes the articles out of the depressions of the platform and pushes them towards a position from which they can be easily received by the third assembly. In the first variation, the third assembly comprises a vacuum plate having depressions, wherein the raised articles are pushed, after which a vacuum system is engaged to secure the articles in place. In the second variation, the third assembly comprises a limb arrangement with bellows, similar in function to the bellows ends of the first assembly, on which the ejector pins push the articles. A vacuum system is subsequently attached to secure the items in place. Once the items have been removed by the third assembly, the reception plate is raised, rotated 90 degrees (thus rotating the articles) in the horizontal plane, and begins to slide back toward the fourth location. Simultaneous with the third assembly that rotates the receiving plate, the second assembly drops and slides to the second location to receive the next batch of articles from the casting assembly. At this time, the molding station has been separated and the first assembly has entered and extracted the new batch of articles from the station. At the time when the third assembly reaches the fourth location and falls to deposit the articles in a receptacle, such as a pallet, the first assembly slides to the second location and rotates the head to the horizontal position to deposit the articles in the depressions of the fin assembly platform. The fin assembly is correspondingly raised to receive the next batch of articles, once the second assembly has reached the second location and prepares to rise to receive the items of the fin, once it has been rotated. As the fourth assembly rises and rotates toward the orientation to receive the articles of the second assembly, the first assembly releases the articles in the fin assembly and the repetitive cycle of the apparatus begins again. The operation of apparatus 210 described above, since each set of contact lens mold sections is moved from the mold to one of the blades, the spatial relationships of the lens mold sections in the group are conserved. In particular, the lens mold sections in each group of lens mold sections form a matrix arrangement that is preserved as the lens mold sections move through the apparatus. Through this repetitive cycle, and continuing down the assembly line, a spatial relationship can be maintained between the lens mold sections after they are placed on the pallets and even during the subsequent handling or use of the sections of the lens. lens mold, and a spatial relationship can be maintained between the contact lenses formed between each pair of in-line mold sections. E < Under these circumstances, the spatial position of the mold sections and even of the contact lenses formed indicate that the mold cavity where either the mold sections or the mold sections are added to be the contact lenses, are made . In this case, if imperfections are detected in the contact lenses, the operator can easily determine the cavity or mold cavities where the lens mold sections, which were used to make the contact lenses, were made.

PACKAGE TRANSPORTER ASSEMBLIES Unlike the front and rear curve transport apparatus, the package transport apparatus does not maintain the spatial relationship of the articles as a constant through transport from a mold station to the pallet, but transfers the arrangement in a predetermined form, which if desired, can drive the individual articles from individual mold stations. The third embodiment, described hereinafter, is an apparatus that is directed to the removal, transportation and deposition of injection molded articles that form the package receptacle where contact lenses can be inspected, stored, shipped and / or sold. Referring now to Figures 2c, 9-12, and 14, the third apparatus comprises assemblies that are generally similar to the common assemblies of the embodiments described previously. The assemblies in general are a first one 320 for removing the molded packing articles from one molding station to a second location, one second 330 for transporting the articles from a second location to a third location, and a third assembly 340 for removing the articles. of the second assembly at the third location and transporting them to a reception structure 350 at a fourth location, for example a pallet on a manufacturing line 52. The specific differences between the previous apparatus and the apparatus herein, as stated above, is that the second and third assemblies 330, 340 of this apparatus 310 take the additional steps of altering the spatial focus of the articles with respect to one another. The spatial relationship of the articles, and their arrangement relation are altered from an original arrangement of x 4, which is desirable from a mold efficiency point of view has a 2 x 6 arrangement that facilitates optical inspection by a Automatic lens inspection system. The first assembly 330 of this apparatus is structurally similar to the first assembly 320 of the front curve transport apparatus, wherein this preferably comprises a vacuum head 302 having bellows-provided ends 22 extending outwardly from a vacuum plate 324 , and receiving the packing articles at the tips 414 of those extremities 22. The operating time of this assembly, especially with respect to the functions of the other assemblies, is particular to this apparatus, and should be discussed later, with with respect to Figure 12. The second assembly 330 comprises a group of parallel elongated batches 334, preferably 4, coupled with one another in a substantially coplanar fashion.; whereby the upper surfaces of the blocks 334 define a platform. Each of the elongate blocks 334 includes stack reception ports 335 on its surface, to receive articles deposited therein by the first assembly 320. The number of reception ports 335 per block 334 is also preferably 4, where the number total of wickets is 16, in a biaxially perpendicular arrangement of 4 x 4. For the purpose of describing the operative function of this element, the arrangement of reception wickets can be divided into two groups, a right group 337 and a left group 333 The right group 337 is defined as the 2 x 4 arrangement that is in the right half of the reception ports 335, the left group 333 is defined as the 2 x 2 arrangement that is in the left half of the portlights. The blocks 334 are kept in parallel alignment by a pair of linear guide rails 370, on said rails, the blocks can be transferred along a single axis. The means of this translation is a group of piston / cylinder hydraulic elements 371,372. More specifically, the blocks 334 can be repositioned laterally, reciprocally moving between an open position and a closed position, with respect to one another by means of piston / cylinder extension and retraction members 371,372, to which they engage in movable the blocks. With particular reference to Figure 10, blocks 334 of this assembly are shown in an open position. In this illustration, the first and third blocks are coupled by a piston-cylinder assembly 371, whereby the retraction of the piston expels them. The third and fourth blocks are similarly mounted to a second piston / cylinder element 372, which can eject the fourth block towards the third. A group of secondary piston-cylinders 373,374 engage the outer blocks and guide plates 375,376, and, when actuated, drive the guide plates together towards the blocks, thereby centering the blocks in accordance with their proper compacted position. The articles are deposited by the first assembly 320 on the platform (blocks 334) of the second assembly when the blocks are in their open position. During operation, in an open position, the first and third blocks are ejected together by retraction of the first piston 371, then the second piston 372 expels the fourth block. Once the guide plates 375,376 are ejected to the blocks, to center them, the fully retracted position of the blocks is in direct contact with each other and there they define a continuous platform. The articles deposited on the receiving portholes 335 of the blocks 34, when the blocks are separated, are spatially reoriented with respect to each other in a retraction direction. The entire piston and block subassembly is mounted to a frame 339, which in turn is mounted to vertically raised means to means for raising and lowering the platform during the deposition or retrieval of the articles. These vertically lifting means may comprise a hydraulic lifting piston, a ball screw element, a pneumatic elevator, mechanical cutting lifting means or any other suitable means for selectively raising and lowering the frame to which the blocks are mounted and pistons. In the preferred embodiment, the vertical lifting means is a vertically oriented ball screw mechanism. It is further understood that the equivalent means can be replaced in the second assembly for the piston / cylinder elements 371,374, which retracts and separates the blocks 334 and the guide plates 375,376. Such equivalent means include mechanical cutting extension means, ball screw elements, sprocket, and rail elements, and other driving means. All described elements of the second assembly 330 of the third apparatus, they are mounted on a rail 336 that allows the entire assembly to move reciprocally between a second and third locations. This rail comprises a second ball screw mechanism for transporting the assembly. Other equivalent means are functionally similar and can be substituted, but the preferred mechanism is the ball screw. Referring also to Figure 11, the third assembly 340 is shown, which collects and deposits the articles in a fourth location, such as a pallet 350, suitable for receiving the articles. In this embodiment, the third assembly comprises a vacuum head 341 mounted to a support body 346, which at the same time is coupled to a rail 346 on which, the vacuum head 351 and the support body 356 move in Reciprocally form horizontally from the third location to the fourth location. It is understood that the driving means by which the vacuum head reciprocates can comprise a variety of equivalent means, for example a toothed rail and a motor driven by a sprocket or a hydraulic piston. The preferred means is a ball screw mechanism. The vacuum head 341 by itself is composed of separate horizontal columns 343 of the bellows 22 provided. In the illustrated variation of this assembly, there are two separate parallel columns 343 of limbs 22, which descend from the two separate parallel vacuum plates 344. These horizontal columns 343 of extremities extend in the same direction as the axis of reciprocal movement of the third. assemble, and as a whole are correspondingly perpendicular to the blocks (and receiving portholes 335 on them) and move the axis of the second assembly. In the preferred variation, the space of the ends 22 of each plate 344 with respect to the adjacent ends 22 of the same plate, is equal to the space of the blocks 334 of the second assembly 330 when in their retracted position. The separated vacuum plates 344 are coupled to the vacuum head 341 so that they can move reciprocally laterally with respect to each other, whereby the columns 343 of the ends 22 can be moved in a near or far way away from the other. The preferred means by which this reciprocal movement is driven is by at least one small linear air piston / cylinder 347, although a ball screw mechanism could be an acceptable substitute. The air cylinder is preferred for reasons of weight reduction. This relative repositioning, which is uniaxial, maintains the columns 343 of the limbs 22 in a substantially parallel alignment. In the preferred variation, the number of extremities 22 provided with bellows per column 343 is equal to twice the number of blocks 334 in the second assembly 330, defining there an arrangement of 2 x 6 of limbs 22. For the purposes of this description, it is understood that limb arrangement 22 may be be divided into a front group 351 and a rear group 353, wherein the front group is defined to make the 2 x 4 arrangement of limbs 22 which is disposed on the vacuum head 341 as close as possible to the molding station 312 , and the rear group 353 is defined to make the 2 x 4 arrangement of limbs further away from the molding station 312. This division of the extremities into two groups is not purely semantic, since the extremities 22 of the front group 351 are coupled in common vacuum forcing means, and the rear group 343 is coupled to separate vacuum forcing means. (It is understood that, in another variation, the two groups can be separately and selectively coupled, by means of a solenoid, to the same vacuum force means). In addition, the support body 346 comprises a vertical ball screw mechanism 355 for raising and lowering the vacuum head 341 to the position for receiving and depositing the articles. The operation of the second and third assemblies 330, 340 with respect to each other is carried out in two steps. The first step of the operation is to move the vacuum head 341 of the third assembly 340 completely upward to a first position at the third location. The second assembly 330 moves simultaneously along an axis perpendicular to a second position, which is below the third assembly. In these corresponding positions, the rear group 351 of the ends 22 of the third assembly 340 is aligned above the right group 337 of the reception ports 335 on the platform (compact blocks 334) of the second assembly 330. Once the assemblies are align, the vacuum head 341 falls downwardly so that the corresponding ends 22 of the rear group 353 of the third assembly come into contact with the articles in the right group 337 of the receiving ports. Then, a vacuum is forced in the ends 22 of the rear group thus securing the articles to the ends 414 of the extremities as the vacuum head 241 is raised by the ball screw mechanism vertically aligned in the support body 346. The second assembly 330 then continues to the right, moving to the third position of the third location. In the third assembly 340 reciprocally reciprocatingly moves the vacuum head 341 raised backwards, by means of the horizontally aligned ball screw 357, to a position directly above the second assembly. It is understood that the relative movement of the two assemblies is perpendicular as the axes along which they are transported are perpendicular. In this position, the left group 333 of the reception ports 335 is aligned with the front group 351 of the front ends 22. In this position, the vacuum head 341 is lowered again to receive the second half of articles that were deposited on the platform of the second assembly. Again, a vacuum is forced, this time in the front group 351 of the limbs 22, and the second group of articles is secured to the joints 414 of the limbs 22. The vacuum head 341 of the third assembly 340 is then raised and moved reciprocally to the fourth location, and the second assembly 330 is transferred back to the second location. The second assembly must first be vented to the article receiving configuration, and then receives a new batch of packaged items from the first assembly 320. The uniaxial ejection as a whole from the blocks 334, and thus from the articles, from the second assembly alters the space of the articles along the first axis. The transfer of the articles from the second assembly to the third assembly alters the relative distribution of the articles, from a 4 x 4 arrangement to an arrangement of 2? 6. The ejection as a whole of the vacuum plates 344 of the third assembly, during the reciprocal movement back to the fourth location, completes the change of spatial distribution of two axes in the separation distance of adjacent articles. The palette 2? 6, 350, which receives the articles in the fourth location is correspondingly characterized by a matching arrangement of receiving portholes that are aligned to the altered distribution of the articles. Referring to Figure 12, it is shown in a time-function diagram of the packaging transport apparatus. The third embodiment of the present invention, having first, second and third assemblies that function as described above, operates in the following manner. Starting with the initial forward movement of the first assembly, the cursor arm that is transported towards the molding station, which remains closed, forming the mold articles. As the cursor arm slides forward, the vacuum head structure rotates to a vertical position so that the vacuum plate and the extremities extending outward therefrom are appropriately oriented for receive the mold items. The cursor arm comes to a temporary stop as it waits for the mold station to open. Once the opposing elements are separated, the cursor arm is transferred forward, placing the bellows-provided elements adjacent to the mold station element to which the molded packing articles remain adhered. It is important to note that, without any artificially applied force, elasticities provided with elastic bellows are in their extended state. Once the extremities are in place, a group of ejector pins within the molding station element extends to push the packing articles out of the mold and over the tips of the bellows equipped elements. The bellows-provided ends have a cup-shaped tip, the outer ring of which is brought into contact with a flat surface of the molded article, therein as a whole formed internal sealed volumes in each of the extremities provided with bellows. If the ejector pins push the molded articles past the tips, the elasticities are compressed under the load, ensuring that neither the extremities nor the molded articles will be damaged. If the mold sections are not pushed far enough towards the extremities, the subsequent forcing of a vacuum in the limbs provides sufficient suction to expel the articles completely on the tip tips. Forcing a vacuum in this volume, the first assembly secures the items to the extremities while simultaneously causing the bellows-equipped ends to retract. In this partially retracted state, the length of the limbs can be reduced by half. Once the articles have been secured to the tips of the limbs, the cursor arm begins to reciprocate backward to the second location, to wait for the second assembly. During this reciprocal movement stroke, the vacuum head of the first assembly rotates horizontally and stops at an intermediate location. If the second assembly is not in an appropriate receiving position, the vacuum in the limbs is released and the articles secured thereto fall to a receiving reservoir. In this case, the cursor arm is transferred back to the waiting position in the front of the molding station, the vacuum head is rotated in a vertical orientation, and the first assembly is prepared to extract another group of articles once the mold station opens. In the case where the second assembly is in the appropriate receiving position in the second position, the first assembly continues from the intermediate position to the second location to deposit the articles on the second assembly. Once the assemblies are properly placed, the second assembly is raised so that the limbs extend downwardly from the horizontal vacuum plate and the articles secured thereto are brought into contact with the receiving ports of the second assembly. At this moment, the vacuum in the extremities is released and a vacuum in the receiving portholes is forced, securing the articles to the blocks there.

As the vacuum head rotates and the cursor arm is transferred forward from the second location, the second assembly falls back to its position of reciprocal motion and begins the operation of altering the spatial separation of the blocks with respect to each other. The passage of the entire ejection of the blocks to the retracted position happens in three stages, via the contraction of three piston / cylinder assemblies; the first step being the ejection together of the two internal blocks, followed immediately by the two external blocks, and followed by the contraction of the guide plates. Once the guide plates have been contracted, the second assembly slides to the right, to an intermediate position, (the second position of the third location) and waits for the third assembly to place its rear group of limbs above the right group of reception doors. With the receiving ports placed below, the vacuum head of the third assembly drops, via the vertical ball screw drive, to collect the first half of articles. Once the articles are secured to the extremities, by means of an ejection vacuum in their rear group, the vacuum head of the third assembly is lifted by the vertical ball screw drive and is transferred back to the internal picking position. (the fourth position in the third location). Simultaneous with the movement of the vacuum head of the third assembly, the second assembly continues to move to the right, standing there by itself so that the left group of receiving portholes, and the remaining group of articles align below the front group of limbs of the third assembly. Once the assemblies are properly aligned, the third assembly falls so that the front group of limbs comes into contact with the left group of articles to collect them. As the third assembly falls and collects the second group of articles, the mold station opens and the first assembly slides into a position to receive a new batch of articles. Once the second group of items has been picked up by the vacuum head of the third assembly, the vacuum head is raised via the drive of the vertical ball screw, and transferred back to the fourth location by means of driving the horizontal ball screw. As it travels, the empty plates of the third assembly are expelled together by an air / cylinder piston to change the relative space of the articles. This is how the third assembly moves together and then the second assembly moves to the left, back to a position to receive a new batch of articles from the first assembly. Once in the position at the second location, the piston / cylinder elements of the second assembly extend, moving the blocks and the guide plates thereto into their separate arrangement. At the time when the second assembly has reached the second location, the first assembly has already received a new batch of articles and moves back to deposit them on the reception gates of the second assembly as described above. It is as the first assembly moves back to deposit the items and that the third assembly moves to the position above the pallet at the fourth location and the vertical ball screw drive engages again to lower the head of the head. Empty and limbs to get in contact with each other. Once in place, for the items to fall, the third assembly releases its vacuum and the items are deposited on the pallet. Once the articles have been deposited, the third assembly is raised and moved forward, during which the vacuum plates and the extremities are moved away from their positions to receive the articles of the second assembly. Through this repetitive cycle the spatial relationship of the articles taken from the molding station can be altered to the distribution, which is compatible with the palette on which the articles are finally taken through the subsequent stations of the assembly line. Since it is evident that the invention described herein is well calculated to satisfy the previously established objects, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and modalities can be made by those skilled in the art, and that the appended claims are intended to cover all these modifications. and modalities as they fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for efficiently and quickly removing and transporting molded contact lens manufacturing articles, each having its optical surfaces, from a molding station to a first location towards a fourth distant location, without touching the optical surfaces of the articles, characterized because he understands; a first linearly reciprocally assembled assembly, having receiving means for supporting and transporting the items liberally, without contacting their optical portions, to a second location from the molding station; a second linearly reciprocating assembly, to receive the articles of the first assembly linearly in reciprocal motion at the second location and transport the articles to a third location, without contacting the optical portions of the articles; and a third linearly reciprocating assembly to receive the articles of the second assembly linearly in reciprocal motion at the third location and transport the articles to a fourth location, without contacting the optical portions of the articles. An apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the first linearly reciprocating assembly comprises: an angularly reciprocating head for receiving and releasably receiving the articles; and means for reciprocally moving the head between the first and second locations. An apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that the head angularly reciprocating movement comprises: means for rotating said head from a vertical orientation towards a horizontal orientation; a vacuum head; an eiatic vacuum plate coupled to the vacuum head; a multiplicity of depressions in the vacuum plate where the articles can be secured 1 freely by a forced vacuum in the same. 4. An apparatus according to claim 3, further characterized in that the elastic coupling of the vacuum plate to the head comprises at least one element with silicone bellows. An apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that the head comprises an angularly rotatable vacuum head having a multiplicity of elastically bulging ends and extending therefrom, said vacuum head and limbs having at least one internal volume where a vacuum can be forced, so that the items can be releasably secured to the tips of the extremes by said vacuum. 6. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 2, further characterized in that the means for moving reciprocally between the head between the first and second locations comprises a ball screw mechanism. An apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that the means for reciprocally moving the head between the first and second locations comprise a piston / cylinder element. 6. An apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that the first linearly reciprocating assembly comprises a rotating air cylinder, said air cylinder has stops for selective reciprocal movement of said head between a vertical and a horizontal orientation. 9. An apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the second linearly reciprocating assembly comprises: a platform; at least one depression in said platform to receive the articles transported thereto by the first assembly linearly in reciprocal motion; and means for reciprocal movement of said platform between the second and third locations. 10. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 9, further characterized in that said means for reciprocally moving said platform comprise at least one ball screw mechanism. 11. An apparatus according to claim 10, further characterized in that at least one ball screw mechanism comprises at least one ball screw mechanism vertically oriented to raise and lower said platform, and at least one horizontally oriented ball screw mechanism for transferring said platform to the along a horizontal axis. 12. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 1, further characterized in that said third linearly reciprocating assembly comprises: a receiving plate, said plate having depressions therein for receiving the articles of the second assembly, said plate further comprises vacuum means coupled to said depressions for selective and secure holding said articles therein; at least one means for reciprocal linear movement of said plate between said third and fourth locations; and at least one rotary means for selectively reorienting said plate according to the differences in the directional orientation of the articles in the third and fourth locations. 13. An apparatus in accordance with the rei indication 12, further characterized in that said reciprocal linear movement means comprise at least one vertically oriented ball screw mechanism for raising and lowering said platform, and at least one screw mechanism. of horizontally oriented ball to transfer said platform along a horizontal axis. 14. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 12, further characterized in that said means for selectively reorienting the plate comprises a rotating air cylinder, said air cylinder having stops for selective reciprocal movement of said head between at least two orientations. 15. An apparatus for rapidly and efficiently removing and transporting molded contact lens manufacturing articles, each having its optical surfaces, from a molding station to a first location to a fourth distant location, without contacting the optical surfaces. , characterized in that it comprises; a first linearly reciprocating assembly, to remove the articles from the molding station, to hold the articles freely and transport the articles to an intermediate location without contacting their optical surfaces; a rotating launcher assembly for reversing said articles about an axis in the horizontal plane and depositing the inverted articles in a second location, without contacting their optical surfaces; a second linearly assembled reciprocal movement, to receive articles of the rotating launcher assembly at a second location and transport the articles to a third location, without contacting their optical surfaces; and a third linearly reciprocating assembly, to receive the articles of the second assembly linearly in reciprocal motion at the third location and transport the articles to a fourth location, without contacting their optical surfaces. 16. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 15, further characterized in that the rotary launcher assembly comprises: a platform having depressions therein for receiving articles deposited therein; and means for rotating said platform about an axis in the hori zonta plane! . 17. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 16, further characterized in that said rotary launcher assembly comprises means for linear reciprocal movement along the vertical axis. 16. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 16, further characterized in that said means for rotating the platform comprises a rotating air cylinder, said air cylinder has stops for selective reciprocal movement of said head between at least two orientations. 19. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 17, further characterized in that the means for moving linearly reciprocally comprise a ball screw mechanism. 20. An apparatus for efficiently and quickly removing and transporting molded contact lens packing articles from a molding station to a first location, said articles being removed in a first spatial distribution and depositing the articles in a fourth distant location in a second distribution space, characterized in that it comprises: a first assembly linearly in reciprocal motion to remove the articles from the molding station and transport the articles to a second location; a second linearly assembled reciprocal movement to receive the articles of the first assembly at the second location and transport the articles to a third location; and a third linearly reciprocating assembly for receiving the articles of the second assembly at the third location for transporting the articles to a fourth location; wherein at least one of the second and third assemblies linearly in reciprocal movement further comprises means for altering the spatial distribution of the articles. 21. An apparatus according to claim 20, further characterized in that said second linearly reciprocating assembly comprises: a platform comprising a plurality of blocks having at least one receiving port thereon for receiving an article; at least one guide rail on which said plurality of blocks are mounted, said blocks being mounted in such a way that they can be transferred along at least one guide rail; and means for the reciprocal movement of said plurality of blocks along at least one guide rail so that at least one receiving port of each block is transferred with respect to one another; and means for linear reciprocal movement of said platform between the second and third locations. 22. An apparatus according to claim 21, further characterized in that said means for reciprocally moving said plurality of blocks along at least one guide rail comprise at least one piston / cylinder element coupled to the blocks, which is able to eject the blocks together and separate the blocks one from the other according to their reciprocal movement action. 23. An apparatus according to claim 21, further characterized in that said means for reciprocally and linearly moving said platform comprise at least one ball screw mechanism. 24. An apparatus according to claim 23, further characterized in that said ball screw mechanism comprises at least one ball screw mechanism vertically oriented to raise and lower said platform, and at least one ball screw mechanism horizontally. oriented to transfer said platform along a horizontal axis. 25. An apparatus according to claim 20, further characterized in that said third linearly reciprocating assembly comprises: a vacuum head comprising at least two vacuum plates; means for the reciprocal movement of said vacuum plates together and separately; a column of at least one end provided with elastic bellows e? extending from each of the vacuum plates, said end being capable of subjectively and selectively and securely holding said articles of the second assembly; and means for reciprocal linear movement of said vacuum head between said third and fourth locations. 26. An apparatus in accordance with the claim 25, further characterized in that the means for the reciprocal movement of said vacuum plates comprise a piston / air cylinder mechanism. 27. An apparatus according to claim 26, further characterized in that said means for linear reciprocal movement of said vacuum head comprise at least one ball screw mechanism. 26. An apparatus according to claim 27, further characterized in that at least one ball screw mechanism comprises at least one ball screw mechanism vertically oriented to raise and lower said platform and at least one screw mechanism. of horizontally oriented ball to transfer said platform along a horizontal axis. 60 APPARATUS TO REMOVE AND TRANSPORT ARTICLES FROM MOLDS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device for removing and transporting articles, such as mold sections of ophthalmic lenses, or package elements from a mold; the invention, in one embodiment, includes first, second and third assemblies; the first of which removes the articles from the molding station in a first location and transports them to a second location; the second assembly receives the articles of the first assembly and transports them to a third location, and the third assembly receives the articles of the second assembly and transports them to a fourth location; a second embodiment includes a launcher assembly disposed between the first and second assemblies, which shuttle receives the articles of the first assembly and inverts them before depositing them on the second assembly; this second embodiment is useful together with the molded articles that are transported to the casting assembly in an inverted position; a third embodiment includes second and third assemblies that also include means for altering the relative space of the articles while the articles are transported. GD / mvs *