Glasstech, Inc.

James P Schnabel, Jr

Dean M Nitschke

David B Nitschke

Donivan M Shetterly

Ashoka G Jinka

Thomas J Zalesak

Scott Charles Morrow

Robert E Malby, Jr

Michael J Vild

Paul D Ducat

Jeffrey A Grzeszczak

Eustice H Mumford

Robert L Boyles, Jr

Stephen D Snyder, Jr

Cristin J Reinhart

A quench arrangement for quenching glass sheets includes a main quench station having upper and lower main quench heads for performing a primary quench operation on a glass sheet, a first lower secondary quench head located downstream of the main quench station, and a second lower secondary quench head located downstream of the first lower secondary quench head. The arrangement further includes an upper secondary quench system positioned above the first and second lower secondary quench heads, and the upper secondary quench system is cooperable with the lower secondary quench heads to perform further cooling of the glass sheet. The arrangement further includes a conveyor located above the second lower secondary quench head for moving the glass sheet away from the second lower secondary quench head.

Glass sheet quench arrangement

An articulated lower mold arrangement for use with an upper mold includes a mold portion configured to bend a heated glass sheet. The mold portion has a first end, a sharp bend area proximate the first end for bending an end portion of the glass sheet, and a second end opposite the first end and spaced away from the sharp bend area. The arrangement may further include a first guide member connected to the mold portion at a first location proximate the first end, and a second guide member connected to the mold portion at a second location proximate the second end and spaced away from the sharp bend area. The mold portion and the guide members are cooperable to allow the first end of the mold portion to move from a lowered position to a raised position in order to move the end portion of the glass sheet upwardly.

Articulated mold arrangement for a glass processing system

A glass processing may include a heating station to heat glass sheets, and a bending station disposed downstream of the heating station to bend the heated glass sheets. The bending station may include first and second independent movement mechanisms configured to independently move first and second molds when the glass processing system is operated in a first mode, and to cooperate to move a third mold when the glass processing system is operated in a second mode. The system further includes a control system to control the movement mechanisms so that they operate independently when the glass processing system is operated in the first mode, and so that they operate simultaneously when the glass processing system is operated in the second mode.

Glass processing system with variable bending station

A mold apparatus for bending a glass sheet includes a main frame structure and a first mold arrangement having a first mold and a guide frame connected to the first mold. A first guide member of the guide frame is guidable by the frame structure such that it is inhibited from moving laterally in any direction, and a second guide member of the guide frame is guidable by the frame structure such that it is movable laterally away from the first guide member due to thermal expansion. The apparatus further includes a second mold arrangement including a second mold and a frame that supports the second mold such that the second mold is movable laterally relative to the frame. A sensor is also included for sensing position of one of the molds to determine whether the one mold is in a suitable position for mating with the other mold.

Glass sheet mold apparatus and method

A support structure for supporting a heated glass sheet in connection with a bending operation includes a frame, a support ring adjustably supported on the frame for supporting a peripheral portion of the glass sheet, and multiple rib assemblies associated with the frame. Each rib assembly includes a laterally extending rib supported on the frame and multiple spaced apart support members connected to the rib and configured such that at least a portion of each support member is adjustable with respect to the rib. Furthermore, each support member is configured to contact a respective inner portion of the glass sheet to support the respective inner portion of the glass sheet until the glass sheet has been sufficiently cooled.

Glass sheet support structure

A glass sheet forming method utilizes first and second upper molds and a lower mold to provide three stage forming. The glass is curved on the upper mold in the first stage but retains straight line elements transverse to the curvature. Transfer of the initially formed glass sheet from the first upper mold to the lower mold then provides the second stage of gravity forming and the glass sheet is then press formed between the second upper mold and the lower mold in the third stage which reduces optical distortion in the central viewing area of the formed glass sheet. In one embodiment the glass sheet is moved horizontally on the lower mold, and in another embodiment the glass sheet is moved horizontally on the first upper mold.

Method for three stage forming a hot glass sheet with transverse curvature

A hot glass sheet processing system includes a roller conveyor () having sintered bonded fused silica rollers () and a roller support structure () located within a heated location () together with an elongated cooling unit () having a housing () defining a cooling chamber () that receives and has bearings () that rotatably support an aligned set of roller ends () having end caps () adhesively bonded to the roller ends. The cooling unit includes a cooling circuit that supplies cooling fluid to the cooling chamber () to provide cooling of the aligned set of roller ends () and the bearings ().

Glass sheet processing system having cooling of conveyor roller ends

A glass sheet forming system () has two parallel forming lines () that can utilize any two of three forming stations () to provide versatility in use for forming different glass sheet jobs of different sizes and shapes while reducing switchover time from one job to the next.

Glass sheet forming system

A method for supporting a heated glass sheet in connection with a glass processing operation may include adjusting a support structure so that multiple spaced apart support members of the support structure cooperate to define a shape that corresponds to a desired end shape of the glass sheet. The method may further include contacting the glass sheet with the support members until the glass sheet has been sufficiently cooled. Furthermore, the support structure may include a frame and a support assembly associated with the frame, the support assembly including the support members and a support connected to the support members such that at least a portion of each support member is adjustable with respect to the support. The support may further be connected to the frame at two locations on the frame such that the support spans an open area between the two locations on the frame.

Method for supporting a glass sheet

A hot glass sheet processing system includes a conveyor roller support structure () located within a heated location () and has an elongated cooling unit () having a housing () defining a cooling chamber () that receives and has bearings () that rotatably support an aligned set of roller ends (). The cooling unit includes a cooling circuit that supplies cooling fluid to the cooling chamber () to provide cooling of the aligned set of roller ends () and the bearings ().

A glass sheet three stage forming station utilizes first and second upper molds and a lower mold to provide three stage forming. The glass is curved on the upper mold in the first stage but retains straight line elements transverse to the curvature. Transfer of the initially formed glass sheet from the first upper mold to the lower mold then provides the second stage of gravity forming and the glass sheet is then press formed between the second upper mold and the lower mold in the third stage which reduces optical distortion in the central viewing area of the formed glass sheet. The glass sheet is moved horizontally on the first upper mold and released onto the lower mold.

Three stage forming station and method for forming a hot glass sheet with transverse curvature

A method for forming glass sheets is performed by a system () that includes a forming station () having lower and upper molds () between which glass sheets G are cyclically received from a furnace () on a vacuum transfer platen (), formed between the lower and upper molds (), and transferred to a delivery mold () for delivery such as to a quench station (). The vacuum transfer platen () and the delivery mold () are moved at different elevations into the forming station () in respective underlapping and overlapping relationships to each other so each glass sheet forming cycle can begin within the forming station before the prior forming cycle is completed in a time overlapping manner that reduces the cycle time.

Glass sheet forming method

A system () and method for forming glass sheets includes a forming station () having lower and upper molds () between which glass sheets G are cyclically received from a furnace () on a vacuum transfer platen (), formed between the lower and upper molds (), and transferred to a delivery mold () for delivery such as to a quench station (). The vacuum transfer platen () and the delivery mold () are moved at different elevations and operated by a controller () for movement into the forming station () in respective underlapping and overlapping relationships to each other so each glass sheet forming cycle can begin within the forming station before the prior forming cycle is completed in a time overlapping manner that reduces the cycle time.

A system () and method for cylindrically forming and quenching glass sheets includes a furnace (), a bending station () at the exit end of the furnace for providing cylindrical bending, a roll bending station () located externally of the furnace downstream from its exit end and having a lower roll conveyor () and an upper roll former () with complementary cylindrical shapes to further cylindrically bend the glass sheet, and a quench station 24 to which the formed glass sheets are conveyed for rapid cooling to provide toughening.

Growing community of inventors

Holland, OH, United States of America

James P Schnabel, Jr