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US 6,053,011 AGranted
Process and plant for hardening glass plates
OwnerPeter Lisecinventor
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OwnerPeter Lisecinventor
Estimating the term…
A system for tempering glass plates has preheating zone (1) in which several glass plates (7) stacked vertically in compartmented car (6) are heated together to a temperature below the tempering temperature of for example 650.degree. C. (for example 300.degree. C.). Preheated glass plates (7) are moved individually from preheating zone (1) into heating zone (2). In heating zone (2) glass plates (7) are heated to the tempering temperature, their being inclined to the vertical at an acute angle and being held by air cushions between two heating plates. On the lower edge of the two heating plates of heating zone (2) there is transport device which supports glass plates (7) simultaneously to the bottom. Glass plates (7) heated to the tempering temperature are moved into cooling zone (3) which has cooling plates aligned parallel to the heating plates and between which glass plate (7) is pushed for quenching. The cooling plates can also be placed on the two sides of glass plate (7) to be tempered for purposes of quenching. The quenched glass plates which still have a temperature of for example 300.degree. C., are transported into after-cooling zone (4) in which they are slowly cooled to room temperature after being deposited in compartmented cars (6). Because glass plates (7) are placed in heating zone (2) and cooling zone (3) obliquely, not horizontally, there are no problems with support and transport of glass plates (7). Joint preheating of glass plates (7) and joint cooling of glass plates (7) to room temperature after quenching thereof save considerable energy since the heating and cooling power in preheating zone (1) and aftercooling zone (4) can be low.
Process for tempering of glass plates in which glass plates are heated to a temperature above the tempering temperature and cooled to a temperature below a critical temperature for tempering, wherein a plurality of the glass plates are simultaneously preheated to a temperature near the critical temperature, that the glass plates preheated in this way are individually heated to a temperature above the tempering temperature so that only one of the glass plates is heated at one time, that the glass plates are individually quenched to a temperature below the critical temperature so that only one of the glass plates is quenched at one time, and that a plurality of the glass plates are then simultaneously cooled to room temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.