Ppg Industries, Inc.

Mark A Cancilla

Robert G Frank

An apparatus for shaping heat softened glass sheets includes a shaping station to receive a heat softened glass sheet to be shaped, first and second transfer stations positioned along opposing sides of the shaping station, and first and second cooling stations positioned adjacent a corresponding transfer station. An upper vacuum mold having first and second downwardly facing, shaped sheet engaging surfaces moves between the transfer stations and within the shaping station. The sheet engaging surfaces of the vacuum mold each have a shaped configuration generally corresponding to a final desired shaped of a glass sheet to be shaped. Heat softened glass sheets are positioned within the shaping station and moved into engagement with one of the sheet engaging surfaces to shape the sheet. Vacuum is drawn along the sheet engaging surface to hold the shaped sheet thereagainst. The mold then moves the shaped sheet and engaging surface to one of the transfer stations where the vacuum is discontinued to deposit the shaped sheet on a sheet support. The sheet support then transfers the shaped sheet to one of the cooling stations, where the shaped sheet is controllably cooled.

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Rochester Hills, MI, United States of America

Mark A Cancilla