Glasstech, Inc.

Other

Glasstech International L.p.

Ronald A McMaster

Harold A McMaster

Norman C Nitschke

Donivan M Shetterly

Kenneth R Kormanyos

Dexter H McMaster

Michael J Vild

Paul D Ducat

Robert G McMaster

Carl Kramer

John S Nitschke

Thomas E Feehan

A glass sheet forming system () includes a roll bending station () having a lower roll conveyor () and an upper roll former () between which a heated glass sheet is progressively formed with a curved shape by lower and upper rolls () and () supported on lower and upper elongated beams () and () that extend along the direction of conveyance.

System and method for continuous forming of glass sheets

A method for forming glass sheets is performed by a system ( ) that includes a furnace ( ) having a heating chamber ( ) in which a topside transfer device ( ) has a downwardly facing surface ( ) to which vacuum and pressurized air are supplied to receive and support a heated glass sheet from a conveyor ( ) without any direct contact. A forming station ( ) located externally of the furnace has a vertically movable upper mold ( ) whose temperature is not greater than 500&deg; C. The upper mold ( ) cooperates with a horizontally movable lower ring ( ) that transfers the heated glass sheet from the topside transfer device ( ) to the forming station under the control of a first actuator ( ). A second actuator ( ) moves the upper mold ( ) downwardly to cooperate with the lower ring ( ) in forming the glass sheet. The external forming station ( ) includes heat loss reducing apparatus ( ) for reducing heat loss of the hot glass sheet during the forming. A vacuum impulse is provided to the upper mold ( ) to assist in the forming. A cooling station ( ) cools the formed glass sheet.

Method for glass sheet forming

A method for forming glass sheets is performed by a system ( ) that includes a furnace ( ) having a heating chamber ( ) in which a vacuum platen ( ) has a downwardly facing surface ( ) to which a vacuum is supplied to support a heated glass sheet received from a conveyor ( ). A forming station ( ) located externally of the furnace has a vertically movable upper mold ( ) whose temperature is not greater than 500&deg; C. The upper mold ( ) cooperates with a horizontally movable lower ring ( ). A first actuator ( ) moves the vacuum platen ( ) vertically to transfer a heated glass sheet from the conveyor ( ) to the lower ring ( ) which is then moved by a second actuator ( ) to the forming station ( ). A third actuator ( ) then moves the upper mold ( ) downwardly to cooperate with the lower ring ( ) in forming the glass sheet. The forming station ( ) includes apparatus ( ) for reducing heat loss of the glass sheet during the forming. A vacuum impulse is provided to the upper mold ( ) to assist in the forming. A cooling station ( ) cools tHe formed glass sheet.

Method for forming glass sheets

A glass sheet quench unit (,) and method for quenching formed glass sheets by quench gas jets (,) that define a uniformly repeating gas jet impingement pattern (,) that is an equilateral triangular pattern providing uniformly repeating quench cells (,) distributed over the formed glass sheet to be quenched as equilateral hexagonal quench cells. The resultant product is a formed and quenched glass sheet (G) that has oppositely facing surfaces between which glass stresses are uniformly distributed. A method for making the quench unit (,) is performed by initially forming nozzle openings (,) in an elongated nozzle strip (,&prime;), thereafter forming the nozzle strip with a curved cross section, thereafter forming the nozzle strip with a curved shape along its elongated length to provide a curved nozzle cap, subsequently securing the curved nozzle cap to planar sides (,) of an associated nozzle feed row (,), and securing the sides (,) of the nozzle feed row to a plenum housing (,).

Uniform distribution quenching of formed glass sheets

A process and apparatus (26) for quenching a heated glass sheet by directing modulated cryogenic flows (36) that is initially completely liquid (42) toward the oppositely facing surfaces (38) of the glass sheet to quench the glass sheet. The modulated cryogenic flows (36) can be started and fully stopped to provide flow pulses and can also be continuous and have periodic increased flow pulses.

Process for modulated cryogenic quenching of glass sheets

A process for quenching a heated glass sheet is performed by apparatus (26) that includes a pair of quench units (28) between which the glass sheet is located with each quench unit having nozzles (34) for directing cryogenic flows (36) including a liquid (42) toward the oppositely facing surfaces (38) of the glass sheet so that the liquid completely vaporizes before penetrating the gas boundary layer (40) on each surface of the glass sheet. The cryogenic flows (36) can be initially completely liquid (42) or can be a two phase as the liquid (42) and a gas (44) with the latter preferably being done by spraying the two phase cryogenic flows as liquid droplets and the gas.

Process for cryogenically quenching glass sheets

A process for quenching heated glass sheets is performed by locating a glass sheet between a pair of spaced quench units (28) and directing from first and second arrays of nozzles (34, 64) cryogenic flows (36) interspersed with pressurized air flows (66) so as to cooperate with each other in providing the quenching. In one practice the interspersed cryogenic flows (36) and the pressurized air flows (66) are provided at the same time as each other. In another practice, the interspersed cryogenic flows (36) and pressurized air flows (66) are provided at different times.

Process for quenching glass sheets with a cryogenic liquid and

Apparatus (10) for positioning a heated glass sheet G includes a longitudinally extending air flotation conveyor (12) for receiving and floating the heated glass sheet, a glass sheet vacuum mold (14) movably mounted above the air floatation conveyor for receiving the heated glass sheet, a glass sheet positioner (16) mounted relative to the mold for peripherally engaging and laterally and longitudinally positioning the glass sheet with respect to the mold and an array of lift jets (18) interspersed amongst the air flotation conveyor and located beneath the mold for lifting the glass sheet onto the vacuum mold through the application of lifting air on the bottom surface of the glass sheet. A glass sheet processing ring (26) transversely movable relative to the air flotation conveyor (12) subsequently receives the glass sheet from the mold (14). A method for positioning the heated glass sheet includes the steps of conveying the glass sheet on a cushion of air, peripherally engaging the floating glass sheet, locating the engaged floating glass sheet beneath a vacuum mold, applying jets of lifting air to lift the floating glass sheet upwardly to the vacuum mold, and applying vacuum to engage the positioned glass sheet on the vacuum mold.

Apparatus and method for positioning glass sheets

A quench station (14) including apparatus for quenching a heated glass sheet G conveyed by rolls (22) of a roller conveyor (20) is disclosed as including upper and lower sets of blastheads (32) having outlets (34) that are positioned closer to the conveyed glass sheet than the conveyor roll radius R and which are oriented and sized to provide highly efficient quenching such as during heat strengthening or tempering. These blasthead outlets (34) are preferably round and the blastheads (32) are vertically aligned with each other to provide aligned locations (36) of impingement with the oppositely facing surfaces of the glass sheet. In one embodiment, a set of upper roll mimics (38) located above the conveyor rolls (22) in a vertically aligned relationship provide symmetry that results in uniform quenching of both the upper and lower glass sheet surfaces. In another embodiment, the upper set of blastheads (32') each have a greater dimension along the direction of conveyance than the lower set of blastheads (32') to balance the average gas pressures at the upper and lower glass sheet surfaces.

Apparatus for performing high efficient symmetrical quenching of roller

A mold assembly support (10) is disclosed for providing a self-aligning thermally stable mold support in a glass sheet forming system (12) wherein a reference point within the glass sheet heating furnace (14) is connected to a geometric frame of reference outside the furnace (14). The mold assembly support (10) includes a frame (40) including mold registering members (52,54) which define a stable thermal reference point within the furnace which is maintained in an unchanging relationship with respect to the geometric frame of reference outside the furnace (14) along a glass sheet heating furnace substructure (16).

Method and apparatus for thermally stable mold assembly and support

A quench station (14) including apparatus for quenching a heated glass sheet G conveyed by rolls (22) of a roller conveyor (20) is disclosed as including upper and lower sets of vertically aligned blastheads (32) having outlets (34) that are positioned closer to the conveyed glass sheet than the conveyor roll radius R and which are oriented and sized to provide highly efficient symmetrical quenching by aligned locations (36) of impingement with the oppositely facing surfaces of the glass sheet for heat strengthening or tempering. The blasthead outlets (34) are preferably round. A set of upper roll mimics (38) located above the conveyor rolls (22) in a vertically aligned relationship cooperate with the blastheads (32) in providing symmetry that results in uniform quenching of both glass sheet surfaces.

Apparatus for high efficient symmetrical quenching of roller conveyed

Apparatus (38) and a method for forming a flat glass sheet is disclosed as utilizing a heating conveyor (42) that transfers a heated flat glass sheet to a downwardly facing surface (46) of a topside transfer device (44), a lower mold (48) having an upwardly facing full surface (50) at least a portion of which has an upwardly convex shape that receives the heated flat glass sheet from the topside transfer device, and an upper ring mold (52) that forms and seals the periphery of the heated glass sheet against the vacuum mold surface (50) at which a vacuum is supplied within the sealed periphery of the glass sheet to form the entire extent of the glass sheet to the vacuum mold surface. A vacuum is then provided within a vacuum chamber (122) of the upper ring mold (52) to receive the formed glass sheet from the lower vacuum mold for support by the upper ring mold. A cooling mold (132) which may either be an annealing ring (132a) or a quench ring ( 132b) is also preferably provided to receive the formed glass sheet from the upper ring mold (52) for cooling in order to provide either annealing or tempering of the formed glass sheet.

Glass sheet forming method and apparatus utilizing lower full surface

A method for bending glass sheets is disclosed in which a heated glass sheet (12) is introduced between spaced upper and lower bending platens (16,18). Heat source (19), integral with platen (18), is operable for applying heat in close proximity to the glass sheet (12) between the platens (16,18) to maintain an optimal bending temperature and the glass sheet (12) is bent such that a specific geometric orientation of the bend on the glass sheet (12) is controllable and repeatedly reproducible during a production operation.

Method for bending glass sheets

A glass bending and tempering apparatus (10) is disclosed as including a first platen (14) for receiving a heated glass sheet (12) to be bent. The first platen (14) is deformable and includes an actuator (16) for deforming platen (14) from a planar shape to a bent shape. A second platen (22) is mounted above lower platen (14) for bending and quenching glass sheet (12) therebetween the platens. A template (24) is located on the other side of the second platen (22) away from glass sheet (12). Second platen (22) is pressed against template (24) as first platen (14) is deformed from the planar shape to the bent shape to bend the heated glass sheet thereagainst second platen (22), the second platen (22) conforming to template (24). Quenching gas is supplied by both platens (14,22) through quench openings (18) that move with the platens (14,22) to temper the bent glass sheet between the platens.

Glass sheet bending and tempering apparatus

A glass bending and tempering apparatus (20) is disclosed as including a pair of opposed bending platens (24) for receiving a heated glass sheet (22) to be bent therebetween. At least one of the bending platens (24) is deformable and includes an actuator (32) for deforming the platens from a planar shape to a bent shape to bend the heated glass sheet. Said one platen (24) includes quench openings (42) that move with said platen during the deformation of the platen and subsequently supply quenching gas to temper the bent glass sheet (22).

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Perrysburg, OH, United States of America

Ronald A McMaster