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US 12,741,899 B2Granted
Conveyance apparatus and method with adjustable fluid flow
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsNils Paul Fornell, Keith Mitchell Hill, Craig Gene Stewart
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass article includes a glass conveyance apparatus that includes a plenum chamber having a fluid inlet, a plurality of slide gates in fluid communication with the plenum chamber that include a plurality of apertures and are movable from a first position to a second position, and a fluid bearing table proximate the plurality of slide gates that includes a plurality of orifices.
Claims22
A glass conveyance apparatus comprising:
- a plenum chamber comprising a fluid inlet;
- a plurality of slide gates, each slide gate of the plurality of slide gates comprising a plurality of apertures, and each slide gate is movable from a first position to a second position;
- a fluid bearing table proximate the plurality of slide gates, the fluid bearing table comprising a plurality of orifices comprising a first set of orifices are configured to be selectively placed in fluid communication with the plenum chamber by a first slide gate of the plurality of slide gates;
- and
- wherein, at least a first orifice of the first set of orifices is blocked from fluid communication with the plenum chamber by the first slide gate of the plurality of slide gates when the first slide gate is in the first position while at least a second orifice of the first set of orifices is at least partially aligned with an aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first slide gate to provide fluid communication between the second orifice and the plenum chamber when the first slide gate is in the first position.
2 more elements
A glass conveyance apparatus comprising:
- a plenum chamber comprising a fluid inlet;
- a plurality of slide gates, each slide gate of the plurality of slide gates comprising a plurality of apertures, and each slide gate is movable from a first position to a second position, wherein all of the plurality of apertures of the slide gate do not have the same size, all of the plurality of apertures of the first slide gate do not have the same shape, and/or a spacing between at least a first pair of adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures of the slide gate is not the same as a spacing between at least a second pair of adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures of the first slide gate;
- a fluid bearing table proximate the plurality of slide gates, the fluid bearing table comprising a plurality of orifices;
- and
- wherein, a first set of orifices of the plurality of orifices are configured to be selectively placed in fluid communication with the plenum chamber by a first slide gate of the plurality of slide gates, at least a first orifice of the first set of orifices is blocked from fluid communication with the plenum chamber by the first slide gate when the first slide gate is in the first position while at least a second orifice of the first set of orifices is at least partially aligned with an aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first slide gate to provide fluid communication between the second orifice and the plenum chamber when the first slide gate is in the first position, and less than about 75% of the first set of orifices are in fluid communication with the plenum chamber when the first slide gate is in the first position.
2 more elements
A glass conveyance apparatus comprising:
- a plenum chamber comprising a fluid inlet;
- a plurality of slide gates, each slide gate of the plurality of slide gates comprising a plurality of apertures, and each slide gate is movable from a first position to a second position, wherein all of the plurality of apertures of the slide gate do not have the same size, all of the plurality of apertures of the first slide gate do not have the same shape, and/or a spacing between at least a first pair of adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures of the slide gate is not the same as a spacing between at least a second pair of adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures of the first slide gate;
- a fluid bearing table proximate the plurality of slide gates, the fluid bearing table comprising a plurality of orifices;
- and
- wherein, a first set of orifices of the plurality of orifices are configured to be selectively placed in fluid communication with the plenum chamber by a first slide gate of the plurality of slide gates, at least a first orifice of the first set of orifices is blocked from fluid communication with the plenum chamber by the first slide gate when the first slide gate is in the first position while at least a second orifice of the first set of orifices is at least partially aligned with an aperture of the plurality of apertures of the first slide gate to provide fluid communication between the second orifice and the plenum chamber when the first slide gate is in the first position, and greater than about 25% of the first set of orifices are in fluid communication with the plenum chamber when the first slide gate is in the second position.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.