Libbey-owens-ford Co.

William J Skilliter

John W Borer

Lowell J Conner

Jeffrey Ronald Flaugher

Vince Dew

A press bending apparatus for shaping heat soften glass sheets between an upper press member and a lower press member is provided. The conveyor system for transferring the sheets of glass in the press bending apparatus includes concave shaped rollers such that the glass sheets tend to sag into conformity with the rolls as the sheets are positioned for bending operations between the upper and lower press members. The lower press member is a continuous press bending ring to prevent improper sagging of the glass sheet around the peripheral edges of the sheet. The concave shape of the rolls mounted inside of the press ring provides maximum support for the formed glass sheet to prevent sagging of the glass. Additional production benefits can be obtained by forming the conveyor system and lower press member as modular unit and the upper press member as a modular unit for each model of bent glass to facilitate changing the press members for production model changes.

Glass sheet conveying and bending apparatus

The invention comprises press bending apparatus including a continuous uninterrupted peripheral shaping rail mounted for vertical reciprocating movement for lifting a heated glass sheet from a roll conveyor and pressing it against a complementary shaping surface. Conveyor rolls are provided exteriorly of the shaping rail for advancing a sheet into position over the shaping rail, and additional separate rolls are mounted so as to be disposed within the confines of the shaping rail for supporting the sheet interiorly of the shaping rail. An arrangement is provided beneath the shaping rail for supporting and driving the interior rolls so as to permit vertical movement of the shaping rail between the interior and exterior rolls.

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Genoa, OH, United States of America

William J Skilliter