ENGEL optimelt

Injection-compression moulding for optics of the highest quality.

Innovative product potential.
ENGEL optimelt is an innovative Engel technology for the injection-compression moulding of optical components. Even thick-section lenses designed for the most exacting optical applications can be reliably and economically manufactured with Optimelt technology.

Inspired by nature.
High-quality optical components can nowadays be rendered non-reflective in several ways, not least through the use of microstructured surfaces. As is so often the case, it was nature which inspired this development: the non- reflecting, facetted structure of the cornea of a moth's eye serves as an excellent camouflage.

Using ENGEL optimelt, such microscopic surface structures (< 1 μm) can also be moulded with excellent reproducibility.Scratch-resistant surfaces can be obtained throughcombinations with PC films.

The process

In most cases, complete volumetric filling of the cavity is chosen for the injection-compression moulding of small and thick-section optical components. In order to avoid jetting, which has a very negative effect on optical quality, a very low filling speed is necessary, but this in turn can result in excessive cooling of the melt while it is still being injected. This can be remedied by the so-called variothermal mould cooling system, a temporally dynamic heating-cooling system which rapidly heats the mould cavity during injection of the melt and then cools it intensively. The result is a uniformmelt temperature and minimized internal stresses. Cooling times can likewise be kept shor