Apparatus and method for obtaining uniform gobs in a triple gob feeder
AssigneeCoors Container Company
InventorPeter Vischer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for use in a triple gob feeder of a glass forming apparatus for forming molten glass gobs of uniform size, weight, volume and shape by equalizing the temperatures of the molten glass flowing through orifices in a triple gob orifice ring. Molten glass is retained in a middle reservoir of the triple gob orifice ring for a relatively longer average period of time than in end reservoirs of the ring preferably by providing a middle reservoir having a relatively larger volumetric size than the end reservoirs. In addition, the middle reservoir is cooled by directing a coolant through channels in a bottom surface portion of the orifice ring and onto external surfaces surrounding the middle reservoir.
Claims17
Apparatus for forming molten glass into discrete gobs, comprising an orifice ring having a contoured top surface portion defining three reservoir means for receiving and temporarily storing molten glass and an orifice means associated with each reservoir means for permitting passage of molten glass through the orifice ring, the reservoir means being oriented in the orifice ring to define two end reservoir means and a middle reservoir means, and the middle reservoir means being volumetrically sized relatively larger than the end reservoir means for providing a relatively longer residence time of molten glass in the middle reservoir means than in the end reservoir means.
A method of obtaining uniform gob size in a triple gob feeder comprising an orifice ring having two end reservoirs and a middle reservoir for receiving and temporarily storing molten glass and an orifice associated with each reservoir permitting flow of molten glass through the orifice ring, comprising:
- supplying molten glass to two end reservoirs and to a middle reservoir in an orifice ring;
- maintaining the average residence time of molten glass in the two end reservoirs at a relatively constant level;
- maintaining the average residence time of molten glass in the middle reservoir at a relatively constant level which is longer than the average residence time of molten glass in the two end reservoirs by forming the middle reservoir at a volumetric size relatively larger than that of each of the end reservoirs, and then
- urging a regulated portion of the molten glass in each reservoir through an orifice associated with each reservoir at a regulated rate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.