Machine for processing of lenses, preferably in plastic material

1 . A machine for processing lenses, the machine comprising:

a support structure;

an apparatus for loading and storing raw lenses which comprises a lens exit portion and which is installed on said support structure;

a lens cutting system which is installed on said support structure and which comprises: a first lens housing seat to receive one lens at a time; a first spindle-holder head for holding a cutting tool, the first spindle-holder head being positionable at said first lens housing seat by a first articulated arm connected to said support structure to perform cutting operations on said lens;

a lens drilling-milling-engraving system installed on said support structure and comprising: a second lens housing seat to receive one lens at a time; and a second spindle-holder head for holding at least one tool for drilling, milling, or engraving, the second spindle-holder head being positionable at said second lens housing seat by a second articulated arm connected to said support structure to perform drilling, milling, or engraving operations on said lens;

a processed lens unloading zone which is installed on said support structure;

a lens transfer apparatus which is configured to pick up one lens at a time from said loading and storage apparatus to bring the picked up lens sequentially into the first lens housing seat of said lens cutting system, into the second lens housing seat of said lens drilling-milling-engraving system, and into the processed lens unloading zone; and

a management and control unit;

wherein the lens exit portion, the first lens housing seat, the second lens housing seat, and said processed lens unloading zone constitute four operating stations of said machine;

wherein said lens transfer apparatus comprises a turret having four suction-cup seats for transporting lenses, each of said four suction-cup seats being configured to receive a single lens at a given time, and

wherein said lens transfer apparatus further comprises a first motor to rotate said turret about a turret axis so as to cyclically bring each suction-cup seat in sequence to said four operating stations of the machine, the four operating stations being arranged on a circumference centered on said turret axis in angular positions spaced 90° apart from each other.

2 . The machine according to claim 1 , wherein the management and control unit is programmed to control said lens transfer apparatus, said lens cutting system, and said lens drilling-milling-engraving system so that when fully operational the machine cyclically repeats the following operating steps:

a) positioning the four suction-cup seats of said turret respectively at the four operating stations, operating the first motor to enable picking up a raw lens from the lens exit portion, positioning the raw lens in the first lens housing seat, positioning a semi-finished lens already subjected to cutting in the second lens housing seat, and leaving a processed lens in the processed lens unloading zone;

b) activating said lens cutting system and said lens drilling-milling-engraving system to perform the cutting operations and the drilling, milling, or engraving operations respectively on the raw lens deposited in the first lens housing seat and on the semi-finished lens deposited on the second lens housing seat; and

c) rotating the turret by 90° to shift each of the four suction-cup seats from a previously engaged operating station to an adjacent operating station to enable picking up a new raw lens from the lens exit portion, positioning the new raw lens in the first lens housing seat, positioning a semi-finished lens already subjected to cutting in the second lens housing seat, and leaving a processed lens in the processed lens unloading zone.

3 . The machine according to claim 1 ,

wherein said lens transfer apparatus is mounted on guides that extend parallel to said turret axis, and

wherein said lens transfer apparatus further comprises a second motor to translate said lens transfer apparatus parallel to said turret axis to axially move each suction-cup seat towards or away from the corresponding operating station.

4 . The machine according to claim 1 , wherein said lens transfer apparatus comprises a pneumatic suction cup supply circuit, which is alternatively connectable to a vacuum source and a pressure source.

5 . The machine according to claim 1 , wherein said turret comprises four arms, each extending in length radially from said turret axis and each of the four arms carrying a respective one of said four suction-cup seats.

6 . The machine according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first lens housing seat is configured to rotate the lens received therein about a first lens rotation axis,

wherein the second lens housing seat is configured to rotate the lens received therein about a second lens rotation axis, and

wherein each of said four suction-cup seats is mounted rotationally free on a respective arm of the turret so that the four suction-cup seats can support the lenses in the first lens housing seat and in the second lens housing seat without hindering rotation of the first and second housing seats.

7 . The machine according to claim 6 ,

wherein the first articulated arm of the lens cutting system comprises an articulated structure having three first rotation axes that extend parallel to each other and where the articulated structure is rotationally connected to said support structure about a first axis of said first three rotation axes, and

wherein the first spindle-holder head is disposed on distal end of said articulated structure and is pivotable about a third axis of said first three rotation axes, and where the first spindle-holder head defines a first spindle rotation axis lying on a plane orthogonal to said third axis, said first three rotation axes being vertical axes and said first spindle rotation axis being a horizontal axis.

8 . The machine according to claim 7 , wherein each of said three first rotation axes is defined by a motorized shaft, controlled by said management and control unit.

9 . The machine according to claim 7 ,

wherein said first spindle-holder head is a single-spindle configured to support a single cutting tool at a time, and

wherein said machine further comprises a cutting tool storage magazine supported by said support structure in a position reachable by said first spindle-holder head through movement of said first articulated arm such that a tool change can be performed.

10 . The machine according to claim 9 , wherein said support structure delimits:

a first operating area in which the lens cutting system and the lens drilling-milling-engraving system are arranged;

a second operating area in which the apparatus for loading and storing raw lenses and the processed lens unloading zone are arranged;

wherein said first operating area is confined in a closed chamber, with said second operating area being above said closed chamber;

wherein said second operating area and said closed chamber are separated by a partition wall which acts as a support plane for the apparatus for loading and storing raw lenses and the processed lens unloading zone;

wherein said cutting tool storage magazine is arranged in said second operating area proximate a hatch which is on said partition wall, and

wherein said cutting tool storage magazine is temporarily positionable in said first operating area passing through said hatch by a mechanism so as to allow said first spindle-holder head to reach said cutting tool storage magazine remaining inside said first operating area such that the tool change can be performed.

11 . The machine according to claim 7 , wherein the management and control unit is programmed to adjust orientation of the first spindle rotation axis with respect to the first lens housing seat, varying angular position of the first spindle-holder head around the third axis of said first three rotation axes.

12 . The machine according to claim 11 , wherein the management and control unit is programmed to perform the lens cutting operations by:

generating a relative contact motion between the lens and the cutting tool supported by the first spindle-holder head; rotating the lens about the first spindle rotation axis by the first housing seat; and adjusting the position of the cutting tool as well as the orientation of the first spindle rotation axis with respect to the first lens housing seat as a function of a predefined lens cutting program.

13 . The machine according to claim 6 ,

wherein the second articulated arm of the lens drilling-milling-engraving system comprises an articulated structure which has three second rotation axes that extend parallel to each other and which is connected to the support structure by a mechanism to translate said articulated structure orthogonally to a plane in which at least a second spindle axis lies; and

wherein the second spindle-holder head is disposed on a distal end of said articulated structure and is pivotable about a third axis of said three second rotation axes, and where the second spindle-holder head defines at least a second spindle rotation axis lying on a plane orthogonal to said third axis of said three second rotation axes.

14 . The machine according to claim 13 ,

wherein said mechanism comprises an articulated parallelogram connection system which is configured to translate said articulated structure of the second articulated arm orthogonally to the plane in which said at least a second spindle axis lies by rotation around a first articulated parallelogram axis, and

wherein said three second rotation axes being vertical axes and said second spindle rotation axis being a horizontal axis.

15 . The machine according to claim 14 ,

wherein each of said three second rotation axes is defined by a motorized shaft, controlled by said management and control unit, and

wherein said first articulated parallelogram axis is defined by a motorized shaft, controlled by said management and control unit.

16 . The machine according to claim 13 , wherein said second spindle-holder head is multi-spindle and comprises:

a spindle-holder head body rotationally associated with said articulated structure of the second articulated arm by a motorized shaft which defines said third axis of said three second rotation axes;

a plurality of spindles, which are supported by said spindle-holder head body and are distributed around said third axis to be positioned one at a time at the second lens housing seat as a function of the respective tool each of the plurality of spindles carries;

wherein each of said plurality of spindles defines a respective second spindle rotation axis lying on a plane orthogonal to said third axis of said three second rotation axes.

17 . The machine according to claim 16 , wherein the management and control unit is programmed for:

positioning at the second lens housing seat a selected spindle of the plurality of spindles which carries the previously selected tool for the drilling, milling, or engraving operation to be performed; and/or

adjusting orientation of the second spindle rotation axis of the selected spindle with respect to the second lens housing seat; and varying angular position of the spindle-holder head body around the third axis of said second three rotation axes.

18 . The machine according to claim 17 , wherein the management and control unit is programmed to perform the drilling, milling, or engraving operations by:

generating a relative contact motion between the lens and the tool supported by the selected spindle of the second spindle-holder head, by even only partial rotations of the lens about the second lens rotation axis by the second housing seat; and adjusting the position of the tool of the selected spindle as well as the orientation of the second spindle rotation axis with respect to the second lens housing seat as a function of a predefined lens drilling or milling or engraving program.

19 . The machine according to claim 1 , wherein said support structure delimits:

a first operating area in which the lens cutting system and the lens drilling-milling-engraving system are arranged;

a second operating area in which the apparatus for loading and storing raw lenses and the processed lens unloading zone are arranged; and

wherein said first operating area is confined in a closed chamber, with said second operating area being above said closed chamber.

20 . The machine according to claim 19 , wherein said second operating area and said closed chamber are separated by a partition wall which acts as a support plane for the apparatus for loading and storing raw lenses and the processed lens unloading zone.

21 . The machine according to claim 20 , wherein said lens transfer apparatus is arranged between said second operating area and said closed chamber, a slit being formed in said partition wall for free passage of the turret.

22 . The machine according to claim 21 ,

wherein said slit extends in length transversely to said turret axis which passes on a middle line of said slit,

wherein said turret comprises four paddles, each of which extends radially from the turret axis between a first suction-cup seat and an adjacent suction-cup seat, and

wherein the four paddles are configured such that, when the four suction-cup seats are each at one of the operating stations, two of said four paddles jointly occupy said slit, thereby closing the slit.

23 . The machine according to claim 1 , wherein said machine further comprises at least one robotic arm that is configured to:

load the raw lenses into said apparatus for loading and storing raw lenses by picking up the raw lenses from a raw lens storage disposed outside the machine; and

picking up processed lenses from said processed lens unloading zone so as to move the processed lenses to a processed lens collection storage disposed outside the machine.

24 . The machine according to claim 1 , wherein said machine further comprises a system for creating characters and/or drawings on the lenses by lasers or printing systems.

25 . The machine according to claim 24 , wherein said system for creating characters and/or drawings is located in a zone of said machine unreachable by said turret and wherein said at least one robotic arm is configured to:

pick up lenses from said processed lens unloading zone to move the lenses into said system for creating characters and/or drawings; and

pick up processed lenses from said system for creating characters and/or drawings to move the processed lenses to a processed lens collection storage disposed outside the machine.

26 . The machine according to claim 1 , wherein said apparatus for loading and storing raw lenses moves said raw lenses towards said lens exit portion.