Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: A friction drive apparatus includes an edge detection system for determining a lateral position of a strip material advancing in a longitudinal direction. The edge detection system includes a first sensor and a second sensor for monitoring the lateral position of the strip material. The friction drive apparatus also includes instructions for automatically aligning the strip material as the strip material is advanced a predetermined aligning distance and instructions for calibrating the second sensor with respect to the first sensor to compensate for any potential discrepancies therebetween. The apparatus and methods of the present invention ensure that the strip material is properly aligned in the friction drive apparatus and limit waste of strip material during those operations.

Abstract: A friction drive apparatus includes an edge detection system for determining a lateral position of a strip material advancing in a longitudinal direction. The edge detection system includes a first sensor and a second sensor for monitoring the lateral position of the strip material. The friction drive apparatus also includes instructions for automatically aligning the strip material as the strip material is advanced a predetermined aligning distance and instructions for calibrating the second sensor with respect to the first sensor to compensate for any potential discrepancies therebetween. The apparatus and methods of the present invention ensure that the strip material is properly aligned in the friction drive apparatus and limit waste of strip material during those operations.

Abstract: A wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material; and methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: A wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material; and methods and apparatus for controlling the tension of the donor sheet during printing with a wide format thermal printer. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: A friction drive apparatus includes an edge detection system for determining a lateral position of a strip material advancing in a longitudinal direction. The edge detection system includes a first sensor and a second sensor for monitoring the lateral position of the strip material. The friction drive apparatus also includes instructions for automatically aligning the strip material as the strip material is advanced a predetermined aligning distance and instructions for calibrating the second sensor with respect to the first sensor to compensate for any potential discrepancies therebetween. The apparatus and methods of the present invention ensure that the strip material is properly aligned in the friction drive apparatus and limit waste of strip material during those operations.

Abstract: A friction drive apparatus includes an edge detection system for determining a lateral position of a strip material advancing in a longitudinal direction. The edge detection system includes a first sensor and a second sensor for monitoring the lateral position of the strip material. The friction drive apparatus also includes instructions for automatically aligning the strip material as the strip material is advanced a predetermined aligning distance and instructions for calibrating the second sensor with respect to the first sensor to compensate for any potential discrepancies therebetween. The apparatus and methods of the present invention ensure that the strip material is properly aligned in the friction drive apparatus and limit waste of strip material during those operations.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following: a wide format thermal printer for printing a multicolor graphic product on a printing sheet; a vacuum workbed for supporting a sheet material for performing work operations, such as cutting, printing or plotting, thereon; a replaceable donor sheet assembly, which includes a memory, for use with a thermal printer; methods and apparatus for improved thermal printing, including methods and apparatus for conserving donor sheet and reducing the amount of time required to print a multicolor graphic product; a thermal printhead including a memory; and methods and apparatus for the alignment of a sheet material for printing or performing other work operations on the sheet material. The wide format thermal printer can include provision for the automatic loading of cassettes of donor sheet from a cassette storage rack.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for making ophthalmic lenses by vacuum lamination wherein a front lens wafer (20) is laminated to a back lens wafer (22) with a layer of adhesive (24) disposed within the interface between the two wafers forming a composite lens (18). An upper flexible, transparent sheet (12) is located on the top side of the composite lens (18), a lower flexible, opaque or transparent sheet (14) is located on the bottom side of the composite lens, and an approximately air-tight enclosure (16) is formed between the sheets for receiving the composite lens. A vacuum pump (36) draws the upper and lower flexible sheets into engagement with the composite lens to press the wafers together. A UV lamp (38) transmits radiation through the upper flexible sheet (12) and into the adhesive layer to cure the adhesive and form the composite lens (18).

Abstract: A method is provided for making ophthalmic lenses by vacuum lamination wherein a front lens wafer (20) is laminated to a back lens wafer (22) with a layer of adhesive (24) disposed within the interface between the two wafers forming a composite lens (18). An upper flexible, transparent sheet (12) is located on the top side of the composite lens (18), a lower flexible, opaque or transparent sheet (14) is located on the bottom side of the composite lens, and an approximately air-tight enclosure (16) is formed between the sheets for receiving the composite lens. A vacuum pump (36) draws the upper and lower flexible sheets into engagement with the composite lens to press the wafers together. A UV lamp (38) transmits radiation through the upper flexible sheet (12) and into the adhesive layer to cure the adhesive and form the composite lens (18).

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for making ophthalmic lenses by vacuum lamination wherein a front lens wafer is laminated to a back lens wafer with a layer of adhesive disposed within the interface between the two wafers forming a composite lens. An upper flexible, transparent sheet is located on the top side of the composite lens, a lower flexible, opaque or transparent sheet is located on the bottom side of the composite lens, and a seam is formed between the upper and lower flexible sheets which defines an evacuation chamber between the sheets for receiving the composite lens. A vacuum pump is connected in fluid communication with the evacuation chamber for evacuating air from the chamber and in turn drawing the upper and lower flexible sheets into engagement with the top and bottom sides of the composite lens, respectively, to press the lens wafers together and spread the adhesive throughout the wafer interface.

Abstract: Ophthalmic lens wafers for forming a composite lens are provided wherein each front lens wafer has a front registration pattern formed on its peripheral edge, and each back lens wafer has a back registration pattern formed on its peripheral edge which is different than the front registration pattern. If the ophthalmic lens wafers include optical axes, such as horizontal axes for multi-focal segments or astigmatism axes, each registration pattern is oriented at a predetermined angle relative to the respective optical axis for facilitating alignment of the optical axes relative to each other when forming a composite lens in accordance with a particular prescription. Each lens registration pattern may be formed by a pair of notches on the peripheral edge of the wafers, or by a pair of lobes on the peripheral edge of the wafers. A receiver is also provided for holding and registering the ophthalmic lens wafers when laminating or otherwise forming a composite lens.

Abstract: A lens or lap blank surfacing machine, for use in making eyeglass lenses, and related surfacing method and rotary cutting tool, is one wherein the rotary cutting tool is moved point by point over the entire extent of a face of the blank to form a new face surface on the blank with the movements of the tool and blank relative to one another being controlled in three coordinate directions by a computer controller to give the formed surface a shape related to a given eyeglass prescription or similar specification. The rotary cutting tool has a number of peripheral zones surrounding its rotation axis with at least one of the zones having a fine cutting characteristic and with at least one other of the zones having a coarse cutting characteristic.

Abstract: An apparatus for blocking an ophthalmic lens blank for working the lens includes an alignment station for supporting and aligning the lens blank relative to a target image and a transport means for moving the lens from the alignment station to a blocking station while maintaining lens orientation. The blocking station includes a support for a lens block, support for the lens, and a mechanism for injecting heated liquid bonding material between lens and block which solidifies on cooling to join the lens and block.