190 Molded Optics: Design and Manufacture
© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
and molded into a nished lens shape.
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This process is very similar to pre-
cision glass molding, with the exception that the preform is replaced with
constituent powders. The powder is introduced to a set of molds, and then a
sintering and forming process takes place, resulting in a nal lens shape. A
similar process has been developed for chalcogenide glasses. In 2007, a novel
approach for the automated casting of chalcogenide glasses was patented.
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This process is better dened as a casting process rather than a molding
process due to the liquid nature of the glass at the time of introduction to the
molds. The process is very similar to the transfer ...