Bending thin glass

A process for bending glass with a device for manufacturing curved glass, said glass comprising a glass sheet or a stack of glass sheets, the device comprising a bending station, said bending station comprising a solid concave bending upper mold and a lower countermold that is to be pressed against a periphery of the solid concave bending upper mold, the solid concave bending upper mold being placed above the lower countermold, a conveyor configured to convey the glass to a final holder placed under the solid concave bending upper mold, the final holder being circumscribed, seen from above, by the lower countermold, the final holder forming a surface for receiving the glass sheet, the glass sheet being in a bending position when on said surface, the lower countermold being a frame and being able to move vertically in order to pass below or above the surface for receiving the glass sheet, the solid concave bending upper mold and the lower countermold being able to move with a relative vertical movement that allows them to be brought together, in order to clamp therebetween a periphery of the glass sheet, and to move apart from each other, the solid concave bending upper mold being equipped with orifices in its contact face that makes contact with the glass sheet and a suction system configured to apply suction in order to curve the glass sheet against said contact face via suction applied through said orifices, the method comprising:

• conveying the glass sheet, via the conveyor, to the final holder, on which the glass sheet attains its bending position between the solid concave bending upper mold and the lower countermold, the glass sheet being at its plastic-deformation temperature,
• lifting the glass sheet via the lower countermold until the glass sheet makes contact with the solid concave bending upper mold,
• clamping the periphery of the glass sheet between the solid concave bending upper mold and the lower countermold, the glass sheet being bent against the solid concave bending upper mold via suction applied through a face thereof, at least partially after the clamping, wherein a distance between the final holder and the lowest point of a molding surface of the solid concave bending upper mold is always less than 10 mm+a thickness of the glass sheet.

A device for manufacturing curved glass, said glass comprising a glass sheet or a stack of glass sheets, the device comprising a bending station, said bending station comprising a solid concave bending upper mold and a lower countermold that is to be pressed against a periphery of the solid concave bending upper mold, the solid concave bending upper mold being placed above the lower countermold, a conveyor configured to convey the glass sheet in a plane to a final holder placed under the solid concave bending upper mold, the final holder being circumscribed, seen from above, by the lower countermold, the final holder forming a surface for receiving the glass sheet, the glass sheet being in bending position when on said surface, the lower countermold being a frame and being able to move vertically in order to pass below or above the surface for receiving the glass sheet, the solid concave bending upper mold and the lower countermold being able to move with a relative vertical movement that allows them to be brought together, in order to clamp therebetween a periphery of the glass sheet, and to move apart from each other, the solid concave bending upper mold being equipped with orifices in its contact face that makes contact with the glass sheet and a suction system configured to apply suction in order to curve the glass sheet against said contact face via suction applied through said orifices, wherein a distance between the final holder and the lowest point of a molding surface of the solid concave bending upper mold is always less than 10 mm+a thickness of the glass sheet.