Method and apparatus for bending glass sheets

An apparatus for shaping multiple sheets of heat softenable material, comprising:

• a shaping station including an upper vacuum mold having first and second downwardly facing sheet shaping surfaces, each generally conforming to a desired shape of a sheet to be shaped, and first and second sets of stops positioned below said upper vacuum mold;
• means to deliver first and second heat softened sheets to said shaping station and into contact with said stops, wherein said stops are positioned within said shaping station such that said first sheet is aligned below said first sheet shaping surface when said first sheet contacts said first set of stops and said second sheet is aligned below said second sheet shaping surface when said second sheet contacts said second set of stops;
• means to engage both said first sheet with said first sheet shaping surface and said second sheet with said second sheet shaping surface;
• means to draw a vacuum along said first and second sheet shaping surfaces to secure both said first and second said sheets against said first and second sheet shaping surfaces, respectively, to shape said sheets;
• a transfer station including a set of conveyor rolls each having a transversely curved elevational contour to support and advance said sheets through said transfer station, said conveyor rolls forming a conveying surface generally corresponding to said desired shape of said sheets to be shaped;
• means to move said upper vacuum mold and said sheets between said shaping station and said transfer station while said first sheet is secured to said first sheet shaping surface and said second sheet is secured to said second sheet shaping surface;
• and
• means to release said vacuum and deposit both said sheets from said upper vacuum mold onto said conveying surface such that said sheets are serially aligned on said conveying surface along a common centerline of said sheets.

A method of shaping heat softenable sheet material comprising;

• heating a plurality of sheets to be shaped to their heat softening temperature;
• conveying said plurality of sheets into a shaping station having an upper vacuum mold with a plurality of downwardly facing sheet shaping surfaces, each of said sheet shaping surfaces generally corresponding to a desired shape of a sheet to be shaped;
• contacting each sheet of said plurality of sheets within said shaping station with stops to align each sheet of said plurality of sheets below a corresponding one of said upper mold sheet shaping surfaces;
• engaging each of said plurality of sheets with said corresponding one of said upper mold sheet shaping surfaces;
• drawing a vacuum through said upper mold sheet shaping surfaces to conform each sheet of said plurality of sheets to said corresponding one of said upper mold sheet shaping surfaces and shape said plurality of sheets;
• moving said mold and said plurality of sheets to a transfer station having a contoured conveying surface;
• releasing said vacuum to deposit said plurality of sheets directly onto said contoured conveying surface of said transfer station along a centerline common to said plurality of sheets;
• and
• serially advancing said plurality of sheets over said contoured conveying surface along said centerline.

A method of shaping heat softenable sheet material comprising;

• heating a first and second sheet to be shaped to their heat softening temperature;
• conveying said first and second sheets to a shaping station having an upper vacuum mold with a first downwardly facing sheet shaping surface generally corresponding to a desired shape of said first sheet, and a second downwardly facing sheet shaping surface generally corresponding to a desired shape of said second sheet;
• contacting said first sheet within said shaping station with a first set of stops such that said first sheet is aligned below said first sheet shaping surface when said first sheet contacts said first set of said stops;
• contacting said second sheet within said shaping station with a second set of stops such that said second sheet is aligned below said second sheet shaping surface when said second sheet contacts said second set of said stops;
• engaging said first sheet with said first sheet shaping surface and said second sheet with said second sheet shaping surface;
• drawing a vacuum through said first and second sheet shaping surfaces to conform said first sheet to said first sheet shaping surface and second sheet to said second sheet shaping surface to shape said sheets;
• moving said mold and said sheets to a transfer station having a contoured conveying surface;
• releasing said vacuum to deposit said sheets directly onto said contoured conveying surface along a centerline common to said first and second sheets;
• and
• serially advancing said first and second sheets over said contoured conveying surface along said centerline.