Glasstech, Inc.

Gilbert L Reed

Paul D Ducat

Thomas J Zalesak

Alfredo Serrano

A glass sheet bending station includes a framework, lower and upper deformable molds for receiving therebetween a glass sheet to be bent, and lower and upper linkages that respectively support the lower and upper molds on the framework. Each linkage includes connector links that are fixedly connected to the associated mold and that have pivotal connections to each other, wherein the pivotal connections define pivot axes that are parallel to a shape defined by the connector links between the lower and upper linkages throughout the bending. Each linkage also has control links connected to the connector links thereof such that the control links are pivotable about axes that extend perpendicular to the shape defined between the lower and upper. Furthermore, at least one of the control links of each linkage is configured to permit glass sheet bending by linkage movement on one side thereof independently of the other side thereof.

Glass sheet bending station

A glass sheet bending method for glass sheet bending utilizes a primary actuating mechanism () for moving lower and upper mold support linkages () from a flat shape to a curved shape of a constant radius provided by connection links () and control links () of the linkages. The lower and upper linkages () having one pair of connector links () with control links () configured to allow a secondary actuating mechanism () to provide linkage movement on one lateral side thereof independently of on their other lateral side.

Glass sheet bending method

A glass sheet bending station () and method for glass sheet bending utilize a primary actuating mechanism () for moving mold support linkages to provide glass sheet bending with a constant radius and utilize control link detachable connections () that allow a secondary actuating mechanism () to provide bending of a glass sheet independently of linkage movement on the other side of the detached connections.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Gilbert L Reed