Energy efficient, electric rotary furnace for glass molding (repressing) precision optical blanks
OwnerGerald Garavuso, Anthony J. Marino +1inventors
InventorsGerald Garavuso, Anthony J. Marino, Dar Lyn Porchan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A furnace for molding glass blanks includes a housing having a series of electrical heating stations and a rotary door adapted to receive glass blanks for processing. The furnace also includes a rotary turntable for receiving the glass blanks and a steering coil positioned to direct the glass blanks in a spiral pattern as they are heated at the electrical stations, a paddling platform for manual shaping, and a pressing station for pressing the glass blanks into a predetermined configuration.
Claims17
A furnace for producing repressed glass blanks, comprising:
- a housing for holding a plurality of glass blanks for molding purposes;
- a series of electric heaters within said housing for heating said plurality of glass blanks, said series of electric heaters being adapted to heat said plurality of glass blanks to progressively higher temperatures as said plurality of glass blanks pass each of said series of electric heaters;
- and
- a rotatable turntable for supporting and rotating the glass blanks past said electrical heaters, and wherein said housing includes an entrance for insertion of glass blanks into said housing, and wherein said housing includes a rotary door positioned within said entrance of said housing.
A furnace for producing repressed glass blanks, comprising:
- a housing for holding a plurality of glass blanks for molding purposes;
- a series of electric heaters within said housing for heating said plurality of glass blanks, said series of electric heaters being adapted to heat said plurality of glass blanks to progressively higher temperatures as said plurality of glass blanks pass each of said series of electric heaters;
- a rotatable turntable for supporting and rotating the glass blanks past said electrical heaters;
- and
- a steering coil for steering the glass blanks in a predetermined direction as they are rotated on said turntable.
A furnace adapted to soften glass blanks, comprising:
- a housing;
- a rotary door included in said housing and adapted to allow glass blanks to be placed within said housing;
- a series of electrical heating stations positioned within said housing;
- a rotary turntable adapted to receive the glass blanks placed within said housing;
- a steering coil positioned to direct the glass blanks in a spiral pattern as they are heated at said electrical stations;
- and
- a pressing station for receiving the glass blanks from said turntable and pressing them into a predetermined configuration.
A system for molding glass blanks into a desired configuration, comprising:
- a furnace for heating glass blanks to a softening point, said furnace including an ingress area and an egress area, a first turntable for rotatable supporting glass blanks, a plurality of electric heaters positioned at predetermined positions adjacent said turntable for heating the glass blanks to progressively higher temperatures, and a pressing station positioned opposite said egress area for pressing the glass blanks into a predetermined shape;
- a glass blank transport for transporting the glass blanks after they have been pressed;
- a transport heater for controlling the cooling rate of the glass blanks while they are being conveyed by said transport;
- a second turntable for receiving the glass blanks from said glass blank transport;
- a heater for controlling the cooling rate of the glass blanks while they are on said second turntable;
- and
- a revolving door positioned in said ingress area of said furnace for allowing ingress of the glass blanks into said furnace.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.