Apparatus and process for air-cooling and tempering a glass sheet

In a process for air-cooling and tempering a glass sheet comprising employing an apparatus for air-cooling and tempering a glass sheet, the apparatus comprising a conveying means installed to be operable from a forming zone to a cooling area and to convey a glass sheet in a high temperature state, a plurality of upper blowing members provided in parallel along a conveying direction of glass sheet above the conveying means in the cooling area, a plurality of lower blowing members provided in parallel along a conveying direction of glass sheet under the conveying means in the cooling area, a plurality of air-supply boxes provided in each of the upper and lower blowing members so as to control blow/stop of cooling-air from each of the blowing members, and an air-supply source connected to these air-supply boxes, the process being characterized by comprising:

• (a) a step of stopping cooling air from all of the upper and lower blowing members in the cooling area in the initial state,
• (b) a step of blowing the cooling air from all of the upper and lower blowing members when the substantially whole of a conveyed glass sheet is entered in the cooling area, and
• (c) a step of sequentially stop the cooling air blown from the upper and lower blowing members located behind the glass sheet in response to the conveyance position of the glass sheet after the last glass sheet in the cooling area is passed.