Apparatus and method for applying anti-lacerative film to glass

An apparatus for laminating a layer of polymer plastic film having opposed first and second surfaces to a first surface of a precast layer of glass having opposed first and second surfaces, comprising:

• a support saddle having a receiving face that is shaped and dimensioned to support said second surface of said glass;
• holding means for positioning said layer of polymer plastic film in a first orientation in spaced apart relation with respect to said precast layer of glass when said layer of glass is supported by said saddle such that said second surface of the layer of polymer plastic film faces said first surface of the precast layer of glass;
• a ram including a hard flexible contact member having a contacting surface adapted to intimately contact said first surface of said plastic film, and an elastically compressible facing member in intimate contact with a surface opposite to the contacting surface of said hard flexible contact member, said elastically compressible facing member having a selectively expandable chamber therein;
• said ram and said saddle being movable with respect to each other between a first relative position whereat said ram is positioned in spaced apart relation with respect to said first surface of said layer of polymer plastic film and a second relative position whereat said polymer plastic film is being fully pressed against the first surface of said precast layer of glass;
• heating means configured to provide heat to said precast layer of glass and said polymer plastic film being laminated thereto when said glass is placed on said saddle;
• means for effecting relative movement of said ram and said saddle between said first and second relative positions, in a direction that is generally perpendicular to said first orientation so as to close the distance between said ram and said polymer plastic film sufficiently so as to cause said contacting surface of said hard flexible contact member, said polymer plastic film, said glass, and said receiving face of said saddle to be in intimate physical contact seriatim, whereby said polymer plastic film contacts a progressively radially increasing surface area of said first surface of said glass and is thereby laminated to said precast layer of glass;
• and
• selectively actuatable pressurization means in fluid communication with said selectively expandable chamber so as to permit the pressurization of said selectively expandable chamber;
• whereby said contacting surface of said hard flexible contact member is caused to match the contour of said first surface of said precast layer of glass by way of pressurization of said selectively expandable chamber.