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AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsAllan Mark Fredholm, Raymond ChihChung Hsiao, Boris Nikolayevich Tsvetkov
Estimating the term…
A method for producing a glass sleeve having a first flattened portion and shaping tools for forming such glass sleeves. A method can comprise providing a substantially cylindrical glass tube—optionally polished or otherwise treated to reduce or remove interior imperfections—heating the glass tube to a temperature within the softening range of the glass, introducing one or more shaping tools having a generally D-shaped or generally rectangular cross-section into the enclosed space, and moving the one or more shaping tools against the inner curved surface to deform the tube, forming the first flattened portion. The one or more shaping tools can be made of any suitable material, for example: steel coated with boron nitride; porous graphite or carbon air bearings; or a nickel-based alloy (e.g., Inconel).
A method for producing a glass sleeve with a first flattened portion comprising:
A glass sleeve comprising a substantially rectangular or substantially oval cross-section, a length, an internal opening, and a glass thickness, the cross-section having at least a first flattened portion, wherein the flatness of the first flattened portion does not deviate by more than 50 μm across the length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.