Glass manufacturing – Preform reshaping means with treating means
Patent
1991-04-12
1992-06-23
Woodard, Joye L.
Glass manufacturing
Preform reshaping means with treating means
65273, 65287, 65289, C03B 23025, C03B 27044
Patent
active
051239434
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for heating, bending and cooling of glass.
2. Prior Art
A mold system used in the bending of glass has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,526,359. In this mold system, the bending mold is convex upwards and when the glass sheet is lowered over the mold, the glass sheet is supported by central parts of the mold. The mold includes two side template plates which position the pipes forming the mold at the desired bending curvature. The pipes are separated from each other at a constant distance by vertical members and the pipes can only move in vertical direction. The "pipe" mold is supported in its center by a brace, which can give support only in a vertical direction. To produce a desired shape of glass, the template plates and the middle located brace are replaced with templates and a brace, which are formed to give a desired shape of glass.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,223,124 a method is described in which a horizontal glass plate is placed on a roll device, which in the beginning has horizontal rolls which are separately supported and are spaced apart from each other. While the glass is heated, these rolls are incrementally lowered and while these rolls are lowered, they give shape to the glass. By varying guidance of the rolls, one can produce different kind of shapes.
The aforementioned glass bending methods have many problems. In both methods the mold needs a heavy frame construction which causes a great deal of difficulty, because the frame is located in the oven, which is both heated and cooled.
In the construction shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,256,359, the pipes have to be unbending, they are also heavy, because they are supported in axial direction only at their ends and in the middle they are only carried. The frame of the mold is not adjustable and the pipes used have to be full length even in case of small glass sheet bending. In a heavy mold different parts may warm up at different times and they may even remain at different temperatures, which causes distortions. Because the pipes are not supported in axial direction in the middle, it is particularly easy to get distortions in pipes.
In the construction shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,223,124 it is troublesome to guide lowering of the roll devices, which is a very difficult operation and which must be done inside the oven. Because of construction of the roll device it is also impossible to make the mold smaller in any simple way when it is used with smaller glass sizes. In addition to this there is a special difficulty in using rolls, because this is done in a hot environment (about 600 .degree. C.) and shape of the roll devices is changing all the time.
The heating, bending and cooling system according to present invention provides a significant improvement over the prior art molds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a heating, bending and cooling system for glass, which comprises a horizontally-standing bending mold located in an oven. The mold includes two or more hollow supporting elements which are separated from each other. At least one of the ends of each of the supporting elements extends out of the chamber of the oven through a plate. The upper part of the chamber of the oven includes at least one hollow upper element which acts as a heating and cooling element which can be lowered to a position above the supporting elements. The supporting elements not only support a glass sheet placed thereon but also bend the glass sheet when it is heated. The supporting elements also act as heating elements and cooling elements. In addition, the supporting elements are oscillated to keep the surfaces of the supporting element touching the glass in constant motion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heating, bending and cooling system for glass according to the invention with a portion of the system broken away to show interior detail.
FIG. 2 shows a supporting element according to the invention.
FIG. 3 shows an uppe
REFERENCES:
patent: 2526359 (1950-10-01), Jendrisak
patent: 4540425 (1985-09-01), Bocelli et al.
patent: 4881962 (1989-11-01), Reunamaki et al.
patent: 4957531 (1990-09-01), McMaster et al.
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