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US 4,233,049 AGranted
Method and apparatus for shaping glass sheets by drop forming
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorSamuel L. Seymour
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Heat-softened glass sheets are held by a flat vacuum platen and dropped onto a shaping mold to impart the desired curvature to the glass sheet.
Claims25
A method of shaping glass sheets, comprising the steps of:
- heating a glass sheet to approximately its softening point and bringing the glass sheet to rest on support means;
- translating a vacuum platen having a flat, perforated surface toward the support means to bring the flat, perforated surface into close proximity to, and parallel with, a surface of the glass sheet;
- drawing vacuum through the flat, perforated surface so as to retain the glass sheet on the platen;
- translating the platen away from the support means to lift the glass sheet from the support means and to bring the glass sheet into a generally horizontal orientation on the underside of the platen;
- bringing into vertical alignment with and beneath the glass sheet held on the platen a shaping mold having a contour defining the desired contour for the glass sheet;
- and
- releasing the glass sheet from the platen so as to fall onto the shaping mold and conform to the contour defined by the shaping mold.
4 more elements
An apparatus for shaping glass sheets comprising;
- furnace means for heating glass sheets to a softened condition;
- support means adjacent to the furnace means for supporting glass sheets;
- conveyor means for transferring glass sheets from the furnace means to the support means;
- a platen having a flat perforated plate and having an enclosed interior space in communication with a source of vacuum;
- means for transferring the platen into and out of close proximity to the support means so as to lift the glass sheet from the support means by means of vacuum;
- a shaping mold having outwardly facing shaping surfaces defining the desired curvature and corresponding to the shape of the glass sheets;
- and
- shuttle means for alternately bringing the platen and the shaping mold into and out of superimposed vertically spaced relationship to each other, wherein the shaping mold in the superimposed position is supported at an elevation below the platen so as to receive and shape a glass sheet dropped from the platen.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.