Apparatus for manufacturing a glass molding and method for manufacturing a glass molding

A method for manufacturing glass molding using a glass molding manufacturing apparatus,

• wherein the glass molding manufacturing apparatus comprises:
• a conveyance section housing a turntable;
• a main operation section for press molding a glass material disposed inside a mold unit;
• and a sub-operation section for performing an operation which is different from that in the main operation section and includes replacement between the mold unit after completion of the press molding and a new mold unit, or replacement between a glass molding molded from the mold unit after completion of the press molding and a glass material, and heating of the glass material disposed inside the new mold unit,
• wherein the main operation section and the sub-operation section are provided in adjacent relation to the conveyance section at respective positions apart from each other in a circumferential direction about a rotary shaft of the turntable, and
• wherein the glass molding manufacturing apparatus further comprises:
• a main displacement mechanism for displacing the mold unit between the main operation section and the conveyance section;
• and a sub-displacement mechanism for displacing the mold unit between the sub-operation section and the conveyance section,
• the method comprising:
• a replacement step of performing by the sub-operation section the replacement between the mold unit after completion of the press molding and a new mold unit, or the replacement between a glass molding molded from the mold unit after completion of the press molding and a glass material;
• a preheating step of preheating by the sub-operation section the glass material disposed inside the mold unit;
• a sub-main displacement step of displacing by the sub-displacement mechanism the mold unit from the sub-operation section to the conveyance section;
• turningly displacing by the turntable the mold unit through the conveyance section;
• and displacing by the main displacement mechanism the mold unit from the conveyance section to the main operation section;
• a molding step of press molding the glass material by the main-operation section;
• and
• a main-sub displacement step of:
• displacing by the main displacement mechanism the mold unit from the main operation section to the conveyance section;
• turningly displacing by the turntable the mold unit through the conveyance section;
• and
• displacing by the sub-displacement mechanism the mold unit from the conveyance section to the sub-operation section,
• wherein, while the molding step is performed to one mold unit, at least a part of one of the replacement step and the preheating step is concurrently performed to another mold unit.