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US 4,662,925 AGranted
Horizontal press bending of heat softened glass sheets
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorsEdward A. Thimons, Robert G. Frank, Michael T. Fecik, George R. Claassen, John J. Ewing, Samuel L. Seymour
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A horizontal press bending arrangement wherein heat softened glass sheets are engaged by a shuttling vacuum pickup. The pickup and sheet are transferred out of the furnace and into a shaping station wherein the glass sheet is deposited and repositioned between a pair of vertically aligned full surface press faces.
Claims34
An apparatus for shaping the heat softened sheet comprising:
- means to heat said sheet to be shaped to its heat-softening temperature;
- means to convey said sheet through at least a portion of said heating means;
- a vacuum pickup with a downwardly facing sheet engaging surface to engage an upper major surface of said glass sheet within said heating means;
- and
- means to move said pickup with said glass sheet engaged thereagainst to a shaping station having horizontally stationary, vertically aligned upper and lower shaping mold.
2 more elements
The method of shaping a heat-softened sheet comprising:
- heating said sheet to its heat softening temperature;
- engaging an upper major surface of said glass sheet with a downwardly facing surface of a vacuum pickup;
- drawing a vacuum through said downwardly facing surface of said vacuum pickup to hold said sheet thereagainst;
- transferring said sheet and said lifting means to a shaping station;
- releasing said sheet from said vacuum pickup to deposit said sheet between horizontally stationary vertically aligned upper and lower shaping molds at said shaping station;
- and
- pressing said sheet between said molds to shape said glass sheet.
4 more elements
A sheet shaping apparatus comprising:
- means to heat a sheet to be shaped;
- means to convey said sheet through at least a portion of said heating means;
- a vacuum pickup with a downwardly facing sheet engaging surface to engage an upper major surface of said sheet;
- and
- a shuttle frame, said vacuum pickup being suspended therefrom to move said pickup from a first position within said heating means to a second position at a shaping station.
- a plurality of rotating cams positioned around the perimeter of said pickup to vertically reciprocate said pickup such that when said rotating cams are in a first position, said engaging surface is in a first position relative to said upper major surface of said sheet on said conveying means, and when said rotating cams are in a second position, said engaging surface is in a second position relative to said upper major surface of said sheet.
3 more elements
Method of transferring a sheet from a heating cavity comprising:
- heating said sheet to its heat softening temperature in said cavity;
- engaging said sheet by drawing a vacuum through a downwardly facing surface of a vacuum pickup positioned adjacent an upper surface of said sheet;
- transferring said sheet and pickup to a shaping station having an upper vacuum mold and a lower mold;
- aligning said sheet between said molds at said shaping station;
- releasing said sheet from said pickup to deposit said sheet between said molds at said shaping station;
- pressing said sheet between said molds to shape said sheet;
- maintaining engagement of said shaped sheet with said upper vacuum mold after said pressing step;
- transferring said shaped sheet to a tempering ring, and;
- moving said tempering ring into a cooling station wherein said shaped sheet is cooled.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.