Conformally heated male mold
OwnerThomas A. Dunifon, Jennifer R. Wolfeinventors
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Abstract
An improved male mold for press bending sheets of glass includes, as heating elements, heating wires which are disposed in the male mold in a manner which conforms to the outer surface of the male mold. These heating wires provide a more uniform temperature profile over the pressing surface of the male mold, thus more uniformly heating sheets of glass. Additionally, a method is provided of making a male mold for press bending sheets of glass with such conformal heating elements.
Claims23
An apparatus for press bending glass sheets comprising:
- a male mold and a female mold positioned to press a glass sheet between them, said male mold having a pressing surface facing said female mold, said pressing surface having a contoured shape to press bend the glass sheet into a specific shape;
- said male mold including a plurality of heating elements disposed through said male mold;
- and
- each of said heating elements being disposed to substantially follow said contoured shape of said pressing surface to maintain a substantially constant distance from said pressing surface of said male mold.
An apparatus for press bending glass sheets comprising:
- a male mold having a pressing surface, said pressing surface having a contoured shape to press bend the glass sheet into a specific shape;
- said male mold including a plurality of heating elements disposed through said male mold;
- and
- each of said heating elements being disposed to substantially follow said contoured shape of said pressing surface to maintain a substantially constant distance from said pressing surface of said male mold.
A method for making a male mold for press bending glass comprising the steps of:
- providing a frame for casting the male mold;
- suspending removable elastomeric tubes in the frame to form passages in the male mold;
- positioning the removable elastomeric tubes in the frame to conform to the surface of the cast male mold;
- casting the male mold;
- removing the removable elastomeric tubes from the male mold after the male mold has substantially set to leave passages in the male mold;
- and
- threading heating elements through the passages in the male mold.
A method for press bending glass sheets comprising the steps of:
- positioning a male mold and a female mold to press a glass sheet between them, said male mold having a pressing surface facing said female mold, said pressing surface having a contoured shape to press bend the glass sheet into a specific shape, said male mold including a plurality of heating elements disposed through said male mold, and each of said heating elements being disposed to substantially follow said contoured shape of said pressing surface to maintain a substantially constant distance from said pressing surface of said male mold;
- and
- pressing a glass sheet between the female mold and the male mold.
A method of press blending glass sheets comprising the steps of:
- providing a male mold having a pressing surface, said pressing surface having a contoured shape to press bend the glass sheet into a specific shape;
- said male mold including a plurality of heating elements disposed through said male mold, each of said heating elements being disposed to substantially follow said contoured shape of said pressing surface to maintain a substantially constant distance from said pressing surface of said male mold;
- and
- pressing a glass sheet between said male mold and a female mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.