Cooling system for glass molding equipment
AssigneeCorning Glass Works
InventorsZung-Sing Chang, Jackson P. Trentelman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus is set forth for cooling glass molding equipment such that the thermal considerations of the equipment design and the mechanical considerations thereof are uncoupled. The uncoupling of the thermal and mechanical considerations facilitates the utilization of the forming member at varying production speeds, since different cooling inserts, having the desired thermal characteristics for the particular production speed utilized, may be provided within the forming member. In order to effect good heat transfer between the forming member and the cooling insert, a gap is provided which is substantially filled with a low melting metal alloy.
Claims7
A glass molding assembly for molding glass articles having an improved cooling system for accomodating various heat removal rates necessitated by differing production speeds which comprises:
- a molding body member having a solid portion with a glass-contacting surface on one side and an inner surface on the opposite side forming a hollow interior cavity;
- a cooling insert member removably positioned within said hollow interior cavity of said body member, said cooling insert having an outer surface portion and a hollow portion;
- means for supplying cooling fluid to and distributing such fluid within said hollow portion of said cooling insert while prohibiting such cooling fluid from contacting said molding body member;
- a low melting metal material, which is molten at glass forming temperatures, provided in said hollow interior cavity between, and in intimate contact with, the inner surface of said body member and the outer surface portion of said cooling insert member to provide good thermal conductivity therebetween;
- and
- means for substituting different cooling inserts within said molding body member to facilitate different rates of cooling required by varying production speeds;
- and said cooling insert member having a predetermined thermal conductivity and thickness predicated upon the proposed production speed of said molding body member, and said means for supplying cooling fluid also including means for directly cooling said cooling insert member by direct contact with said cooling fluid while preventing direct contact of said cooling fluid with said molding body member, and for cooling said body member by extracting heat therefrom through the molten metal material to the cooled insert member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.