Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited

Pilkington Group Limited

Triplex Safety Glass Limited

Colin Michael Bennett

Kazuo Yamada

Masuhide Kajii

Ian Nicholas Tetlow

Ian Michael Mackley

A gravity bending mold for bending glass sheets is disclosed. The gravity bending mold comprises an intermediate mold having an intermediate movable mold section and a final mold having a final movable mold section. Each movable mold section is movable between an operable position and an inoperable position respectively. The intermediate and final movable mold sections are adapted successively to engage a glass sheet during a gravity bending operation. There is a mechanical connection between the intermediate and final movable mold sections, the mechanical connection being selectively disposable in a first configuration, at which the intermediate and final movable mold sections are in the operable and inoperable positions respectively, and in a second configuration, at which the final and intermediate movable mold sections are in the operable position and inoperable positions respectively. When the mechanical connection is moved from the first configuration to the second configuration, the intermediate movable mold section moves to the inoperable position and the final movable mold section correspondingly moves to the operable position to take the place of the intermediate moveable mold section. There is also provided a method of bending glass sheets using such a mold.

Gravity bending glass sheets

A gravity bending mold for bending glass sheets is disclosed. The mold comprises a final mold having a final peripheral shaping rim and an intermediate mold having an intermediate peripheral shaping rim. The final mold has a final articulated end portion having a final movable shaping rail and is mounted at an end of the mold. The intermediate mold has an intermediate articulated end portion having an intermediate movable shaping rail and is mounted at the end of the mold adjacent to the final articulated end portion. The final articulated end portion and the intermediate articulated end portion are arranged so that at least a portion of the final movable shaping rail is alignable with at least a portion of the intermediate movable shaping rail to form part of the intermediate peripheral shaping rim. There is also provided a method of bending glass sheets using such a mold.

When heating and bending glass sheets in a furnace, it has been found to be desirable to raise the glass sheets towards the furnace heat sources to increase obtainable temperature differentials and reduce heating power. An apparatus for bending the glass sheets includes an elongate furnace divided along its length into a plurality of heating zones, each heating zone having an upper part. A plurality of heat sources are arranged in the upper part of such heating zone and a plurality of carriages are arranged in succession along the length of the furnace below the furnace heat sources. A drive device propels the carriages through the zones of the furnace in intermittent steps, and a mould lift raises the bending mould towards the furnace heat sources. The bent glass sheet may be used in the manufacture of a vehicle glazing.

Apparatus for heating and bending glass sheets involving raising a glass

When heating and bending glass sheets in a furnace, it is desirable to raise the sheets towards the furnace heat sources to increase obtainable temperature differentials and reduce heating power. Disclosed is a method of bending a glass sheet on an apparatus comprising an elongate furnace divided along its length into a plurality of heating zones, each heating zone having an upper part, the method comprising the steps of supporting the glass sheet on a bending mould; moving the glass sheet through the zones of the furnace in a plurality of intermittent steps, each step substantially corresponding in length to the distance separating corresponding points of successive heating zones; exposing the glass sheet during its passage through said heating zones to a succession of furnace heat sources contained in the upper part of each zone of said furnace; heating the glass sheet to a heat-softened condition as a result of said exposure; allowing the heat-softened glass sheet to sag into conformity with said bending mould; and raising the bending i-nould, while still supporting the glass sheet, towards the furnace heat sources in at least one of the heating zones. The bent glass sheet may be used in the manufacture of a vehicle glazing.

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Alvechurch, United Kingdom

Colin Michael Bennett