Combined glass sheet bending and quench station

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls;
• each mold having an arcuate glass engagement surface;
• the molds being vertically movable intermediate the conveyor rolls between raised and lowered positions;
• an actuator being operable to move the molds to allow conveyance of the glass sheet on the rolls in a direction of conveyance when the molds are in the lowered position and for sag bending the glass sheet about a bending axis extending substantially parallel to the direction of conveyance in the raised position of the molds and returning the molds to the lowered position;
• and an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls;
• each mold having an arcuate glass engagement surface;
• the molds being vertically movable intermediate the conveyor rolls between raised and lowered positions;
• an actuator being operable to move the molds to allow conveyance of the glass sheet on the rolls in a direction of conveyance when the molds are in the lowered position and for sag bending the glass sheet in the raised position of the molds and returning the molds to the lowered position;
• said surfaces of the molds defining a curve longitudinally along the direction of conveyance for complex bending of the heated flat glass sheet;
• and an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls;
• each mold having a planar glass engagement surface;
• the molds being vertically movable intermediate the conveyor rolls between raised and lowered positions;
• an actuator being operable to move the molds to allow conveyance of the glass sheet on the rolls in a direction of conveyance when the molds are in the lowered position and for sag bending the glass sheet about a bending axis in the raised position of the molds and returning the molds to the lowered position;
• said surfaces of the molds defining a curve longitudinally along the direction of conveyance for bending the heated flat glass sheet with the bending axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of conveyance;
• and an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls;
• the molds defining movable molds and upper molds in opposed relation;
• each mold having an arcuate glass engagement surface;
• the movable molds being vertically movable intermediate the conveyor rolls between raised and lowered positions;
• the upper molds being fixedly mounted above the roller conveyor and aligned with the movable molds;
• an actuator being operable to move the movable molds to allow conveyance of the glass sheet on the rolls in a direction of conveyance when the movable molds are in the lowered position and for press bending the glass sheet against the upper molds about a bending axis extending substantially parallel to the direction of conveyance in the raised position of the movable molds and returning the molds to the lowered position;
• and an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls;
• the molds defining movable molds and upper molds in opposed relation;
• each mold having an arcuate glass engagement surface;
• the movable molds being vertically movable intermediate the conveyor rolls between raised and lowered positions;
• the upper molds being fixedly mounted above the roller conveyor and aligned with the movable molds;
• an actuator being operable to move the movable molds to allow conveyance of the glass sheet on the rolls in a direction of conveyance when the movable molds are in the lowered position and for press bending the glass sheet against the upper molds in the raised position and returning the molds to the lowered position;
• said surfaces of the molds defining a curve longitudinally along the direction of conveyance for complex bending of the heated flat glass sheet;
• and an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls;
• the molds defining movable molds and upper molds in opposed relation;
• each mold having a planar glass engagement surface;
• the movable molds being vertically movable intermediate the conveyor rolls between raised and lowered positions;
• the upper molds being fixedly mounted above the roller conveyor and aligned with the movable molds;
• an actuator being operable to move the movable molds to allow conveyance of the glass sheet on the rolls in a direction of conveyance when the movable molds are in the lowered position and for press bending the glass sheet against the upper molds about a bending axis and returning the molds to the lowered position;
• said surfaces of the molds defining a curve longitudinally along the direction of conveyance for bending the heated flat glass sheet with the bending axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of conveyance in the raised position of the movable molds;
• and an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive and convey a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls fixedly mounted above the roller conveyor;
• each mold having an arcuate glass engagement surface;
• an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas;
• and a control for sequentially regulating air flow to the blastheads whereby the lower blastheads blow the heated glass sheet against the glass engagement surfaces of the molds to bend the glass sheet about a bending axis extending substantially perpendicular to the rolls of the roller conveyor, and both upper and lower blastheads supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive and convey a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls fixedly mounted above the roller conveyor;
• each mold having an arcuate glass engagement surface;
• the glass engaging surfaces defining a curve longitudinally along the direction of conveyance along the roller conveyor;
• an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas;
• and a control for sequentially regulating air flow to the blastheads whereby the lower blastheads blow the heated glass sheet against the glass engagement surfaces of the molds to bend the glass sheet in a complex fashion, and both upper and lower blastheads supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.

A combined bending and quench station for bending and quenching heated flat glass sheets heated in a glass heating furnace, the station comprising:

• a roller conveyor proximate the glass heating furnace;
• said roller conveyor including elongated rolls spaced from each other in a parallel relationship and rotatably supported to receive and convey a heated flat glass sheet to be bent;
• a plurality of molds being located generally between the rolls fixedly mounted above the roller conveyor;
• each mold having a planar glass engagement surface;
• the glass engaging surfaces defining a curve longitudinally along the direction of conveyance along the roller conveyor;
• an upper blasthead mounted above the roller conveyor and a lower blasthead mounted below the roller conveyor, said upper and lower blastheads cooperatively supplying quenching gas;
• and a control for sequentially regulating air flow to the blastheads whereby the lower blastheads blow the heated glass sheet against the glass engagement surfaces of the molds to bend the glass sheet about a bending axis extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of conveyance, and both upper and lower blastheads supplying quenching gas that impinges with the bent glass sheet while engaged with the molds to provide hardening, fix the shape and initiate tempering of the bent glass sheet.