GLASS MOLDING SYSTEM AND RELATED APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20120297828A1
• Filed: 05/24/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Brennan, John Harold, Deming, Scott Winfield, Ukrainczyk, Ljerka, Wasson, Kevin Lee, Bailey, Darrel P, Dailey, Michael Joseph Jr., Ehemann, Karl David, Gaylo, Keith Raymond, Kuhn, David Joseph, Sheehan, Brian Christopher, Yurkovsky, Yuriy
• Granted Patent: US 8,783,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 65/29.18
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 23/0235 involving applying local or additional heating, cooling or insulating means
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 23/0258 Gravity bending involving applying local or additional heating, cooling or insulating means
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 23/0357 by suction without blowing, e.g. with vacuum or by venturi effect
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/00 Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements specially adapted for movement F28F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/06 by affecting the pattern of flow of the heat-exchange media F28F13/003 takes precedence; static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/12 Elements constructed in the shape of a hollow panel, e.g. with channels F28D1/02, F28D1/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/026 with static flow control means, e.g. with means for uniformly distributing heat exchange media into conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures

Abstract

A glass molding system and a method of making glass articles using the glass molding system are disclosed. The glass molding system includes an indexing table, a plurality of enclosures arranged along the indexing table, and a plurality of stations defined on the indexing table such that each of the stations is selectively indexable with any one of the enclosures. At least one radiant heater is arranged in at least one of the enclosures. A radiation reflector surface and a radiation emitter body are arranged in the at least one of the enclosures. The radiation emitter body is between the at least one radiant heater and the radiation reflector surface and has a first surface in opposing relation to the at least one radiant heater and a second surface in opposing relation to the radiation reflector surface.

Claims

1. A glass molding system, comprising:

an indexing table;

a plurality of enclosures arranged along the indexing table;

a plurality of stations defined on the indexing table such that each of the stations is selectively indexable with any one of the enclosures;

at least one radiant heater arranged in at least one of the enclosures;

a radiation reflector surface arranged in the at least one of the enclosures in opposing relation to the at least one radiant heater in the enclosure; and

a radiation emitter body arranged in the at least one of the enclosures between the at least one radiant heater and the radiation reflector surface, the radiation emitter body having a first surface in opposing relation to the at least one radiant heater and a second surface in opposing relation to the radiation reflector surface.

2. The glass molding system of claim 1, further comprising a cooling apparatus disposed at least partially in the at least one of the enclosures and operable to remove heat from the radiation emitter body.

3. The glass molding system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of molds and mold supports, each mold support configured to support one of the molds at one of the stations.

4. The glass molding system of claim 3, wherein the radiation reflector surface has an opening for receiving any one of the molds such that the radiation reflector surface circumscribes the mold.

5. The glass molding system of claim 4, wherein an area of the opening in the radiation reflector surface is less than an area of the second surface of the radiation emitter body.

6. The glass molding system of claim 4, further comprising a cooling plate for cooling any one of the molds, the cooling plate being configured to be mounted below the mold in a spaced-apart relation when the mold is supported at one of the stations by one of the mold supports.

7. The glass molding system of claim 6, wherein the cooling plate comprises a plate member having a first flow channel in which the cooling plate receives fluid, a second flow channel from which the cooling plate discharges fluid, and a barrier between the first flow channel and second flow channel that allows fluid to cross over from the first flow channel to the second flow channel at several points along an entire length of the second flow channel.

8. The glass molding system of claim 4, further comprising a heating apparatus arranged along the indexing table for preheating any one of the molds while the mold is at a station that is not indexed with any one of the enclosures, the configuration of the heating apparatus and arrangement of the heating apparatus relative to the indexing table being such that any one of the stations can be indexed with the heating apparatus.

9. The glass molding system of claim 8, wherein the heating apparatus includes at least one radiant heater.

10. The glass molding system of claim 8, wherein the heating apparatus is configured to boost the temperature of any one of the molds by a predetermined amount in a single dwell of the indexing table.

11. The glass molding system of claim 3, further comprising means for measuring a shape of a three-dimensional (3D) glass article produced by any one of the molds.

12. The glass molding system of claim 11, wherein the measuring means comprises a measuring surface, support elements on the measuring surface for supporting the 3D glass article in a plane substantially parallel to the measuring surface, and at least one displacement gauge configured to measure a displacement of a point on the 3D glass article when the 3D glass article is supported by the support elements.

13. The glass molding system of claim 12, wherein the measuring means further comprises means for aligning the 3D glass article on the measuring surface.

14. The glass molding system of claim 12, wherein the measuring means further comprises means for clamping the 3D glass article to the support elements.

15. The glass molding system of claim 3, further comprising means for loading two-dimensional (2D) glass sheets onto the molds and means for unloading three-dimensional (3D) glass articles from the molds.

16. The glass molding system of claim 15, further comprising means for preheating the 2D glass sheets outside of the enclosures.

17. The glass molding system of claim 1, wherein each of the enclosures is a thermal enclosure provided by a housing having an insulated refractory wall.

18. The glass molding system of claim 1, wherein the at least one radiant heater is an infrared radiant heater.

19. The glass molding system of claim 1, wherein the radiation emitter body has an emissivity greater than 0.8 and the radiation reflector surface has an emissivity less than 0.4.

20. The glass molding system of claim 1, wherein the second surface of the radiation emitter body and the radiation reflector surface are spaced apart by a gap in a range from 10 mm to 50 mm.

21. The glass molding system of claim 1, wherein the radiation reflector surface is formed on the indexing table and the indexing table is movable through the enclosures to position the radiation reflector surface in the at least one of the enclosure.

22. The glass molding system of claim 1, wherein the indexing table is a rotary indexing table.

23. A method of making glass articles, comprising:

placing a two-dimensional (2D) glass sheet on a mold having a mold surface with a three-dimensional (3D) shape;

placing the 2D glass sheet and mold in a radiative environment and heating the 2D glass sheet to a first temperature between an annealing point and softening point of the glass;

while in the radiative environment, conforming the 2D glass sheet to the mold surface by a force to form a 3D glass article;

holding the 3D glass article against the mold surface by a force while bringing the 3D glass article and mold to a second temperature;

releasing the force holding the 3D glass article against the mold surface; and

rapidly cooling the 3D glass article to a third temperature below a strain point of the glass.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the force used in conforming the 2D glass sheet to the mold surface is greater than the force used in holding the 3D glass article against the mold surface.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein vacuum is applied between the mold surface and the 2D glass sheet or 3D glass article to generate each of the conforming and holding forces.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising adjusting at least one process parameter to control the shape of the 3D glass article.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein adjusting at least one process parameter comprises adjusting a temperature of the mold while releasing the force holding the 3D glass article against the mold.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein adjusting the temperature of the mold comprises cooling of the mold.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein adjusting the temperature of the mold further comprises determining a set of shape metrics that defines the characteristics of the shape of the 3D glass article.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein adjusting the temperature of the mold further comprises determining an amount of heat to remove from the mold based on an accuracy of at least one shape metric of a 3D glass article produced previously by the mold.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the cooling comprises circulating a cooling fluid through a cooling plate, and wherein determining the amount of heat to remove comprises determining a flow rate at which the cooling fluid is supplied to the cooling plate.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein heating the 2D glass sheet in the radiative environment comprises using a radiation emitter body to emit radiation that is absorbed by the 2D glass sheet.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the radiation emitter body absorbs radiation from at least one radiant heater during heating of the 2D glass sheet in the radiative environment.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein bringing the 3D glass article and mold to the second temperature comprises using a radiation emitter body to absorb heat from the 3D glass article.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising removing heat from the radiation emitter body while the radiation emitter body is absorbing heat from the 3D glass article.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising selectively delivering heat to the radiation emitter body to maintain the radiation emitter body at the second temperature while the radiation emitter body is absorbing heat from the 3D glass article.

37. The method of claim 25, further comprising separately preheating the 2D glass sheet and mold prior to placing the 2D glass sheet on the mold.

38. A heat exchanger apparatus, comprising:

a main body comprising a first flow channel and a second flow channel separated by a convoluted encircling wall, the convoluted encircling wall being configured such that fluid can pass from the first flow channel into the second flow channel over the convoluted encircling wall,

the main body further comprising at least two flow channel ports, a first flow channel port through which fluid can be supplied into the first flow channel and a second flow channel port through which fluid can be discharged from the second flow channel,

the main body further comprising a flow distribution channel separate from the first and second flow channels, the flow distribution channel being in communication with the first flow channel and configured to distribute fluid to a plurality of points along the first flow channel.

39. An apparatus for measuring a shape of an article, comprising:

a measuring surface;

a plurality of supports arranged on the measuring surface for stably supporting the article;

at least one alignment guide adjacent to the measuring surface and serving as a reference datum for placing the article on the supports; and

at least one displacement gauge for measuring a displacement of a point on the article when the article is arranged on the supports.