Electric glass sheet heating furnace and method of using

A furnace for heating sheets of glass while supported on a layer of gas comprising:

• an enclosure, a glass support bed within said enclosure having gas passages therethrough, an enclosed plenum chamber in communication with said gas passages, means for pressurizing said plenum chamber including gas entrainment means having an inlet throat in communication with ambient gas in said enclosure and an outlet opening in communication with said plenum chamber, an electrically conductive tube heater for carrying compressed gas communicating at one end with said gas entrainment means and at the other end to a source of compressed gas outside of said enclosure, whereby ambient gases in the enclosure are drawn into the plenum and forced through said passages in the support bed with sufficient pressure to establish gas support for a sheet of glass on the bed, an intermediate portion of said tube overlying the glass support bed in generally parallel, closely spaced relation thereto, and electric circuit means connected to said tube heater for passing current along and heating said intermediate portion of said tube heater, whereby the compressed gas and the glass sheets are heated by means of electric energy applied to said tube heater.