Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Optical article shaping or treating – Composite or multiple layer
Patent
1995-03-10
1997-12-30
Vargot, Mathieu D.
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Optical article shaping or treating
Composite or multiple layer
425 90, 425110, 425808, 264 401, B29D 1100
Patent
active
057026491
ABSTRACT:
Production of precision reflective mirror surfaces on low cost, lightweight molded plastic substrates (10). The process involves making a master pattern (12) having a precision machined contoured surface (13) corresponding to the precision mirror surface desired on the plastic substrate. A release layer (14) and a reflective layer (17) are applied to the master pattern and then transferred to the molded plastic substrate (10), with a curable replication layer (18) therebetween preferably comprising a filler-reinforced polymer composition which is compatible with the polymeric substrate and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) which closely matches the CTE of the substrate. The replication layer (20) is cured to replicate the precision of the surface (13) of the master pattern (12), which can be reused to produce a multiplicity of high precision molded plastic mirrors (21). In order to achieve improved accuracy and lower cost, the molded substrate tooling is adjusted (corrected) to account for differences in dimensions and/or surface contour. This more accurate substrate allows for a thinner replication layer which is less sensitive to error during curing and when the part is subjected to environmental conditions such as temperature variation. In the preferred case superior accuracy is achieved by the combined replication and correction process.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3839129 (1974-10-01), Neumann
patent: 4188358 (1980-02-01), Withoos et al.
patent: 4255364 (1981-03-01), Talbert
patent: 4339400 (1982-07-01), Sorko-Ram
patent: 4750827 (1988-06-01), Assus et al.
patent: 5043106 (1991-08-01), Drummond
Denson-Low Wanda K.
Hughes Aircraft Company
Lindeen III Gordon R.
Sales Michael W.
Vargot Mathieu D.
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