Process for operating a glass-bending press

Abstract

Process for operation of a press-bending station for bending glass sheets during the course of automated production of motor vehicle windows, during which manufacture the glass sheets to be bent are fed into a cyclically operating press-bending station, and after the bending operation are fed out of the press-bending station with the aid of a means of conveyance in the form of a shuttle ring into a cooling and/or toughening station. The press-bending station incorporates in its press an upper male press mold with vacuum-locating device for the bent glass sheet, a lower female press mold and the shuttle ring. The press incorporates a press upper beam which is movable up and down, to which a male press mold is attached. The bent glass sheet retained under the male press mold with the aid of the vacuum-locating device is fed to the shuttle ring by a downward movement. The downward motion is controlled or regulated according to a velocity curve which incorporates for commencement of downward motion an acceleration section, a maximum velocity curve section and a subsequent deceleration section for soft deposition of the bent glass sheet on the shuttle ring. The velocity curve is such that the first derivative of the velocity curve is free from singularities with respect to time. The reduced pressure of the vacuum-locating device is matched to the mass of the bent sheet. Deceleration of the downward motion of the press upper beam is matched to the reduced pressure of the vacuum-locating device.