Abstract:
The present invention provides for a method and apparatus for bending multiple sheet of thin glass at the same time on a single set of molds. Multiple sheets of thin glass are stacked onto a full surface female mold. A partial surface male mold is placed onto the thin glass stack. The male mold serves to hold the edges in place and prevents the formation of wrinkles as the glass is heated and sags to conform to the shape of the female mold. Optionally, the top mold can be enclosed and pressurized to provide a pneumatic pressure assist to form the glass. In addition, the bottom mold can be enclosed to allow for vacuum assist to form the glass.
Abstract:
A method for creating a glass ceramic component having at least one angle is provided, where the angle is formed as a transition between two legs. The angle is made with a bending radius in the range between 30 mm and 200 mm during conversion of the glass plate in a green glass state to the glass ceramic plate under the effects of a deformation tool.
Abstract:
A method of manufacturing tempered glass is provided that involves bending a glass plate into a desired shape by holding the glass plate that has been heated to a predetermined temperature between a lower mold ring and an upper mold. The method includes a press-molding step of press-molding the glass plate while having a buffer member interposed between the lower mold ring and the upper mold, wherein the glass plate comes into contact with the buffer member; and a cooling step of cooling the glass plate that has been press-molded in the press-molding step, wherein the glass plate is cooled on the lower mold ring without coming into contact with the buffer member.
Abstract:
Apparatus for shaping at least one glass sheet wherein a lower press ring and an upper press ring are configured to clamp a perimeter section of the glass sheet between the lower press ring and the upper press ring. The apparatus also includes an inner press at least partially disposed within the upper press ring and configured to shape at least a section of the glass sheet inside the perimeter section of the glass sheet, including forming by use of applied vacuum. The inner press may include openings that apply vacuum in selected areas of the inner press to vacuum form the ply within the selected areas. To control the ply on the upper press assembly, vacuum that is applied through passageways in the upper press ring to the gap between the upper press ring and the inner press is controlled through a seal in the gap. The upper press ring includes pivotal joints that increase adjustability of the forming surface of the upper press ring to the face surface of the inner press.The inner press is fixed to a top plate so that the inner press and the top plate move together. The inner press is moveable within limits with respect to the upper press ring. As a suspension assembly and the top plate are lowered, guides on the top plate engage reciprocal counterparts on the carrying frame to laterally align the upper press ring to the lower press ring. Stops on the upper press ring engage stops on the carrying frame to limit the descending vertical movement of the upper press ring. Thereafter, the inner press descends under gravity force as the inner press moves vertically downward through the upper press ring. After the upper press ring contacts the stop on the carrying frame to arrest vertical descent of the upper press ring, the suspension assembly decouples from the top plate and the inner press continues to move downwardly under gravity forces to shape the center part of the ply. The vertical descent of the inner press is arrested when the top plate contacts the upper press ring. In this way, the outer press ring and the lower press ring clamp the ply before the inner press shapes the center of the ply in response to gravity forces on the inner press.To unclamp the ply, the suspension assembly is vertically raised to cause the suspension assembly to re-couple with the top plate. The suspension assembly first moves the inner press upwardly as rods that are threaded into the upper press ring pass through holes in the top plate. When stops on the rod ends engage the top plate, further upward vertical movement of the suspension assembly lifts the upper press ring together with the inner press.
Abstract:
A process using a three-piece mold for making a three-dimensionally shaped glass article having a flat area and a curved/bend area is disclosed. The process includes placing a glass sheet on a mold having a shaping surface with a desired surface profile for the shaped glass article including a flat area and a bend area, moving a flat area plunger toward the glass sheet to compress the glass sheet, heating a portion of the glass sheet corresponding to an area above the bend area of the mold to a temperature above a forming temperature, and moving a bend area plunger toward the heated glass sheet to compress the heated glass sheet. A temperature of the glass sheet in the area above the bend area of the mold is higher than a temperature of the glass sheet in the area above the flat area of the mold when compressing the heated glass sheet with the bend area plunger.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to an apparatus for bending a glass sheet and a method for bending a glass sheet including an apparatus and a method for conveying a glass sheet, and it aims at producing with good efficiency a glass sheet of high quality, having complicated configuration.The method for bending a glass sheet comprises a step of placing a heated glass sheet on an inner mold with a tilting mechanism arranged at an inner side of a forming ring with a tilting mechanism, the forming ring being provided with a fixed frame and a movable frame, to thereby preform the glass sheet, a step of transferring the glass sheet preformed on the inner mold with a tilting mechanism onto the forming ring with a tilting mechanism and a step of pressing the glass sheet with a predetermined forming plane of the forming ring and tilting the movable frame, wherein the step of preforming the glass sheet includes a step of preforming the glass sheet placed on the inner mold by tilting a movable frame of inner mold pivoted at an end of a fixed frame of inner mold provided in the inner mold.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to an apparatus for bending a glass sheet and a method for bending a glass sheet including an apparatus and a method for conveying a glass sheet, and it aims at producing with good efficiency a glass sheet of high quality, having complicated configuration.The method for bending a glass sheet comprises a step of placing a heated glass sheet on an inner mold with a tilting mechanism arranged at an inner side of a forming ring with a tilting mechanism, the forming ring being provided with a fixed frame and a movable frame, to thereby preform the glass sheet, a step of transferring the glass sheet preformed on the inner mold with a tilting mechanism onto the forming ring with a tilting mechanism and a step of pressing the glass sheet with a predetermined forming plane of the forming ring and tilting the movable frame, wherein the step of preforming the glass sheet includes a step of preforming the glass sheet placed on the inner mold by tilting a movable frame of inner mold pivoted at an end of a fixed frame of inner mold provided in the inner mold.
Abstract:
A method for bending a glass sheet is provided wherein the glass sheet is put on a bending surface of a frame unit to be preliminarily bent by gravity before the glass sheet is pressed by an upper mold and frame unit. The method is utilized for controlling the amount of preliminary bending so as to control deformation of the glass sheet caused by the preliminary bending and pressing occurs on the preliminary bent glass sheet by the upper mold and the frame unit.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a bendable or vaulting support structure in a bending section or bending and tempering section for glass sheets or panels. The support structure comprises a plurality of support arms (10), which are attached by pivotal joints (7) to each other for a vaulting bridge. Each support arm (10) includes a bracket member (6) protruding from between two pivotal joints (7). Between the bracket members (6) is provided a guide lever mechanism, which directs bending or vaulting of the support structure with a constant-radius curvature. The guide lever mechanism is established by levers (11, 12, 13) set in a Z-pattern and provided with five pivotal joints (1-5), three (1, 4, 5) of which engage with the bracket members (6), and two articulated axles (2, 3) present therebetween, which connect the lever arms (11, 12, 13) to each other, are capable of moving relative to the bracket members (6).
Abstract:
An bent glass sheet producing apparatus (20) has a heating furnace (21) in a heating zone (Z1), a preliminary forming mechanism (25) in a preliminary forming zone (Z2) downstream of the heating zone (Z1), a two-directional bending mechanism (30) and a conveyor roller mechanism (40) in a forming zone (Z3) downstream of the preliminary forming zone (Z2), and a cooling mechanism (50) in a cooling zone (Z4) downstream of the forming zone (Z3). For a purpose of conveying a two-directionally bent glass sheet formed by the two-directional bending mechanism, the conveyor roller mechanism (40) includes a plurality of conveyor rollers (41) having an arcuate shape of a radius (R2) in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the glass sheet, the conveyor rollers (41) being arranged on an arcuate line having a radius in the conveyance direction.