Glass manufacturing – Glassworking or preform by or with reheating means – Planar sheet preform
Patent
1991-04-12
1992-08-25
Woodard, Joye L.
Glass manufacturing
Glassworking or preform by or with reheating means
Planar sheet preform
65287, C03B 23025
Patent
active
051415500
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a positioning device for heating elements in a glass bending oven.
2. Prior Art
One of known ways to move heating elements is one by one by manual guidance. Also widely in use is a system in which a frame is used to heat the upper side of the glass and the frame is formed according to final shape of glass. In the frame heating elements can be constructed according to shape of the mold and in the final stage of bending these elements are at the same distance from the glass.
Problems in aforementioned positioning methods included unpredictable results and the inability of these methods to be adjusted for changes in bending shapes and changes of glass sizes. Also, the upper frames constructed individually for each bending shape are clumsy in use and require a lot of storage room and they are unsuitable for use in work where bending shapes are quickly changed.
A positioning device according to the present invention provides a significant improvement over the previously mentioned methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a glass bending device comprising:
an oven
a mold within the oven, the mold having a plurality of parallel horizontally extending pipes supported by at least two first template plates;
a plurality of parallel horizontal extending heating elements suspended over the mold; and
a positioning device including a second template having an edge shape, a means for raising and lowering the second template, and means for raising and lowering the heating elements which is responsive to the raising and lowering of the second template, the raising and lowering means including at least one cable attached separately to each respective element for moving each respective heating element in a vertical direction, the raising and lowering means for the heating elements including separate means connected to each of the at least one cables for interacting with the second template to cause the plurality of heating elements to be lifted or lowered by the cables to have an overall cross-sectional shape that is the same as or is the opposite of the edge shape of the second template.
A major benefit of device according to the present invention is that the shape of each of the upper heating elements is independent of bending shape of glass. The elements can be made to follow the shape of the mold whether it is convex or concave in basic form, because each of the elements are guided precisely and separately from outside of the bending oven. It should be observed that for each new shape of bending mold, only one thin template plate is needed which can be made at the same time as the template plates which determine the shape of the mold. Also during bending using the device according to the present invention, the shape of the group of elements follows the shape of the glass better, than in prior art devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass bending mold oven according to the present invention, which for simplicity shows only a single heating element in position.
FIG. 2 shows in simplified form a bending mold having all the heating elements and balancing weights positioned.
FIG. 3 shows in simplified form another embodiment of the present invention having a concave template.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1 there is shown in oven 1 in which there is located a bending mold which consists of fixtures 6 which fix in position fixed template plates 5. On plates there are laid horizontally extending pipes 4 on which glass (not shown) to be bent will be laid. One heating element is hung over the mold with heat resistant ropes or cables 8 and 9. Although only a single heating element 7 is shown, in use the mold would include a number of heating elements, each attached to a separate set of ropes 8 and 9. The ropes 8 and 9 go straight through upper part or cover 2 of the oven. The upper part 2 can be lifted using lift eyes 3 when needed to allow the mold or glass
REFERENCES:
patent: 4528016 (1985-07-01), Canfield et al.
patent: 4881962 (1989-11-01), Reunamaki et al.
Glassrobots Oy
Woodard Joye L.
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