Apparatus for forming glass sheets

Apparatus for forming a glass sheet heated to a sufficiently high temperature to be deformable, the apparatus comprising:

• a topside platen having a downwardly facing surface and including means for drawing a vacuum to initially support a heated glass sheet in a horizontally extending orientation at a first position;
• a first curved mold for receiving the heated glass sheet from the downwardly facing platen surface upon termination of the vacuum to initially gravity form the glass sheet on the first curved mold;
• an actuator for moving the first curved mold with the initially formed glass sheet thereon horizontally to a second position;
• and
• a second curved mold for engaging the initially formed glass sheet from above at the second position to further form the glass sheet.

Apparatus for forming a glass sheet heated to a sufficiently high temperature to be deformable, the apparatus comprising:

• a furnace including a roller conveyor on which a glass sheet is conveyed for heating;
• a topside conveyor for receiving the heated glass sheet from the furnace roller conveyor, said topside conveyor including a platen having a downwardly facing surface and including means for drawing a vacuum to initially support the heated glass sheet in a horizontally extending orientation at a first position;
• a first curved mold for receiving the heated glass sheet from the downwardly facing platen surface upon termination of the vacuum to provide initial gravity forming of the glass sheet on the first curved mold;
• an actuator for moving the first curved mold with the initially formed glass sheet thereon horizontally to a second position;
• a second curved mold positioned above the initially formed glass sheet at the second position and having a different shape than the initially formed shape of the glass sheet;
• an actuator for moving the second curved mold downwardly into engagement with the initially formed glass sheet to provide further forming of the glass sheet, the actuator of the second curved mold thereafter moving the second curved mold upwardly with the glass sheet supported thereby for movement out of engagement with the first curved mold;
• and
• a transfer conveyor for receiving the glass sheet from the second curved mold for movement away from the second curved mold.

Apparatus for forming a glass sheet heated to a sufficiently high temperature to be deformable, the apparatus comprising:

• a furnace including a roller conveyor on which a glass sheet is conveyed for heating;
• a topside conveyor for receiving the heated glass sheet from the furnace roller conveyor, said topside conveyor including a platen having a downwardly facing surface and including means for drawing a vacuum to initially support the heated glass sheet in a horizontally extending orientation at a first position;
• a first curved mold for receiving the heated glass sheet from the downwardly facing platen surface upon termination of the vacuum to provide initial gravity forming of the glass sheet on the first curved mold;
• an actuator for moving the first curved mold with the initially formed glass sheet thereon horizontally to a second position;
• a second curved mold position above the initially formed glass sheet at the second position and having a different shape than the initially formed shape of the glass sheet;
• an actuator for moving the second curved mold downwardly into engagement with the initially formed glass sheet to provide further forming of the glass sheet, the actuator of the second curved mold thereafter moving the second curved mold upwardly with the glass sheet supported thereby for movement out of engagement with the first curved mold;
• an open center transfer ring for receiving the glass sheet from the second curved mold;
• an actuator for moving the transfer ring with the glass sheet thereon horizontally from below the second curved mold;
• and
• a quench station to which the transfer ring actuator moves the transfer ring for rapid cooling that tempers the formed glass sheet.