Method of bending glass sheets
AssigneeTamglass Engineering Oy
InventorsErkki Yli-Vakkuri, Arto Kaonpaa, Tapio Salonen, Jukka Nikkanen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and a furnace for bending glass sheets. Glass sheets are heated to a bending temperature by supporting them on a mould (11) and carrying them from one heating station to another. In a bending station (4), the glass sheet is heated for effecting a desired bending partially or entirely through the action of gravity. During a bending operation, the temperature distribution of a glass sheet is subjected to the action of convection blasting. By focusing the blast on the mid-section of a glass sheet it is possible to create a progressively curving pocket.
Claims8
A method for bending glass sheets, comprising the steps of:
- placing an unheated, unbent glass sheet on a mould;
- moving the glass sheet on the mould through preheating means;
- preheating the glass sheet on the mould with the preheating means so that a temperature of the glass sheet is raised to a bending temperature;
- moving the preheated glass sheet on the mould into a bending station;
- heating the glass sheet on the mould with convection and radiation heating means in the bending station;
- bending, at least partially through gravity, the preheated glass sheet on the mould in the bending station as it is heated by the convection and radiation heating means;
- controlling a temperature distribution of the glass sheet on the mould in the bending station with a forced flow of air applied to an area around the glass sheet, the forced flow of air forming at least a part of the convection heating means;
- maintaining the forced flow of air at a substantially constant rate;
- and
- adjusting a distribution, on the glass sheet on the mould, of heat from the radiation heating means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.