Method and apparatus for producing bent glass sheet
AssigneeNippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
InventorHideo Yoshizawa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention provides a method and an apparatus for producing a bent glass sheet. A heated glass sheet (4, 24, 24*) conveyed from a heating furnace (1, 21) is bent by pressing with at least one belt (5, 9, 25) made of a heat-resistant material against a bending member (6, 10, 26, 28). The bent glass sheet is further conveyed and cooled for quenching or annealing in a cooling apparatus (3, 23). The bent glass is cooled after separating the belt. According to this invention, the bent glass sheets having surfaces on which defects, such as marks of rolls, are suppressed can be produced efficiently.
Claims31
A method for producing a bent glass sheet comprising the steps of:
- heating a glass sheet in a heating furnace to a temperature at which the glass sheet becomes changeable in shape,
- conveying the glass sheet out from the heating furnace,
- bending the glass sheet by pressing the glass sheet with at least one belt made of a heat-resistant material against a bending member, and
- cooling the glass sheet for quenching or annealing after separating the glass sheet from the belt,
- wherein the glass sheet is bent so as to have a predetermined curvature with respect to a direction in which the glass sheet is conveyed, and the glass sheet is cooled while conveying the glass sheet along an arc described by extending the curved surface of the glass sheet in the direction of travel.
An apparatus for producing a bent glass sheet comprising:
- a heating furnace for heating a glass sheet to a temperature at which the glass sheet becomes changeable in shape,
- a bending apparatus adjacent to the heating furnace, the bending apparatus including a bending member having a curved surface for bending the glass sheet, and at least one belt made of a heat resistant material, wherein the belt is pressed against the curved surface of the bending member with the glass sheet when bending the glass sheet, and
- a cooling apparatus for quenching or annealing the glass sheet adjacent to the bending apparatus,
- wherein the cooling apparatus includes a curved conveying path for the glass sheet having a predetermined curvature with respect to a direction in which the glass sheet is conveyed.
A method for producing a bent glass sheet comprising the steps of:
- heating a glass sheet in a heating furnace to a temperature at which the glass sheet becomes changeable in shape,
- conveying the glass sheet out from the heating furnace,
- bending the glass sheet by pressing the glass sheet with at least one belt made of a heat-resistant material against a bending member, and
- cooling the glass sheet for quenching or annealing after separating the glass sheet from the belt,
- wherein the glass sheet is gradually bent by pressing the glass sheet with the belt against the bending member as the glass sheet is conveyed with the belt along the bending member.
An apparatus for producing a bent glass sheet comprising:
- a heating furnace for heating a glass sheet to a temperature at which the glass sheet becomes changeable in shape,
- a bending apparatus adjacent to the heating furnace, the bending apparatus including a bending member having a curved surface for bending the glass sheet, and at least one belt made of a heat resistant material, wherein the belt is pressed against the curved surface of the bending member with the glass sheet when bending the glass sheet, and
- a cooling apparatus for quenching or annealing the glass sheet adjacent to the bending apparatus,
- wherein the bending apparatus includes a curved conveying path for the glass sheet along the curved surface of the bending member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.