METHOD FOR PRINTING A MULTIFOCAL LENS

1 . A method for printing a multifocal lens comprising a base lens and at least one segment lens comprising the following steps:

virtually slicing a three-dimensional shape of the multifocal lens into two-dimensional slices, resulting in a number N base of slices j 1 , . . . , j Nbase of the base lens and a number N segment of slices i 1 , . . . , i Nsegment of the at least one segment lens;

providing a number N finish of layers printed as surface-finishing layers;

printing the base lens in a base-lens printing step and consecutively printing the segment lens in a segment-lens printing step on top of the base lens through a targeted placement of droplets of printing ink at least partially side by side;

wherein in the base-lens printing step first N base -N finish structure layers and then N finish surface-finishing layers are printed and in the segment-lens printing step first N segment -N finish structure layers and then N finish surface-finishing layers are printed; and

wherein the 2N finish surface-finishing layers are printed using a printing process defined by droplet size and/or printing speed and/or droplet density that differ from respective properties used in printing the structure layers.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the N segment -N finish structure layers printed during the segment-lens printing step correspond to the slices i Nfinish+1 , . . . , i Nsegment-Nfinish of the at least one segment lens and the N finish surface-finishing layers printed during the segment-lens printing step correspond to the slices i 1 , . . . , i Nfinish of the at least one segment lens.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first surface-finishing layer printed during the segment-lens printing step corresponds to the slice i Nfinish , the second to the slice i Nfinish-1 etc. and the last surface-finishing layer printed during the segment-lens printing step to the slice i 1 of the at least one segment lens.

4 . (canceled)

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the 2N finish surface-finishing layers is printed in multi-pass mode.

6 . (canceled)

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one layer is pin cured through exposition to ultraviolet light, wherein during pin curing, the deposited droplet or droplets are only partially cured.

8 . (canceled)

9 . (canceled)

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein 4≤N finish ≤12.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multifocal lens is cured through exposure to ultraviolet light after the segment-lens printing step.

12 . A multifocal lens printed with a method according to claim 1 , comprising a base lens and at least one segment lens on the base lens with a sharp transition between the base lens and the at least one segment lens, wherein the segment lens is printed on a surface-finishing layer.

13 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the ultraviolet light is UVA light.

14 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein N finish =8.