Apparatus and method for mass producing 3D articles from 2D glass-containing sheets

A method of mass producing 3D articles from 2D glass-containing sheets, comprising:

• (a) loading a 2D glass-containing sheet into a preheating chamber and heating the 2D glass-containing sheet to a first temperature;
• (b) transferring the preheated 2D glass-containing sheet from the preheating chamber into a heating chamber, suspending the preheated 2D glass-containing sheet inside the heating chamber by pneumatic pressure, and heating the preheated 2D glass-containing sheet to a second temperature higher than the first temperature;
• (c) ejecting the heated 2D glass-containing sheet from the heating chamber into a mold system and forming the heated 2D glass-containing sheet into a 3D article in the mold system;
• (d) unloading the 3D article from the mold system into a cooling chamber and controllably cooling off the 3D article to a third temperature lower than the second temperature;
• (e) repeating the preceding steps (a) through (d) for at least another 2D glass-containing sheet;
• and
• (f) prior to the transferring of step (b), locating a select heating area of the heating chamber having a length smaller than a total length of the heating chamber in a spacing between a pair of actuators operatively coupled to the heating chamber and constraining each 2D glass-containing sheet received in the heating chamber to the select heating area during the heating of step (b), wherein the pair of actuators is stationary during the heating of step (b) such that each 2D glass-containing sheet is restricted to the same select heating area during the heating of step (b).

A method of mass producing 3D articles from 2D glass-containing sheets, comprising:

• (a) loading a 2D glass-containing sheet into a preheating chamber and heating the 2D glass-containing sheet to a first temperature;
• (b) transferring the preheated 2D glass-containing sheet from the preheating chamber into a heating chamber, suspending the preheated 2D glass-containing sheet inside the heating chamber by pneumatic pressure, and heating the preheated 2D glass-containing sheet to a second temperature higher than the first temperature;
• (c) ejecting the heated 2D glass-containing sheet from the heating chamber into a mold system and forming the heated 2D glass-containing sheet into a 3D article in the mold system;
• (d) unloading the 3D article from the mold system into a cooling chamber and controllably cooling off the 3D article to a third temperature lower than the second temperature;
• (e) repeating the preceding steps (a) through (d) for at least another 2D glass-containing sheet;
• and
• (f) controlling a pair of actuators disposed in the heating chamber to define a select area within the heating chamber and constraining each 2D glass-containing sheet to the select area during the heating of step (b);
• wherein the controlling of step (f) comprises defining the select area in a spacing between the actuators and selecting a length of the spacing to be about 5% to 35% greater than a length of each 2D glass-containing sheet.