Mold stack for forming 3D glass-based articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11097973-B2
Application number	US-201715475897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Apr 5, 2016
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A mold stack for forming 3D glass-based articles includes a plenum and a cooling structure integrated with the plenum. The mold stack includes a mold with a flange that can be used to mount the mold on the plenum. The mold stack includes features to reduce mold warp without significantly increasing thermal mass.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mold stack for forming 3D glass-based articles, comprising:
a mold having a flange at a periphery thereof; and
a vacuum plenum having a plenum base joined to a plenum enclosure wall, the mold mounted on the vacuum plenum such that the mold, the plenum base, and the plenum enclosure wall define a plenum chamber therein, and the plenum chamber comprising:
a cooling chamber arranged between a diffuser plate, a cooling structure wall on which the diffuser plate is mounted, and the plenum base, wherein the cooling structure wall is joined to the plenum base such that a portion of the plenum base forms a cooling structure base, wherein the cooling chamber, the diffuser plate, the cooling structure wall, and the cooling structure base form a cooling structure within the vacuum plenum; and
a process chamber arranged between the mold, the cooling structure wall, the plenum base, and the plenum enclosure wall; and
an inlet hole and an exit hole formed in the cooling structure base, the inlet hole and exit hole being in communication with the cooling chamber; and

wherein the flange of the mold is removably attached to a top surface of the plenum enclosure wall and the vacuum plenum is made in one piece.

2. The mold stack of claim 1 , further comprising an insulation block disposed underneath the vacuum plenum.

3. The mold stack of claim 1 , further comprising a tube assembly having a first fluid passage in communication with the cooling chamber and a second fluid passage in communication with the process chamber.

4. The mold stack of claim 1 , wherein a portion of a bottom surface of the mold is in opposing relation with a top surface of the diffuser plate when the flange is attached to the top surface of the plenum enclosure wall.

5. The mold stack of claim 4 , wherein a gap between the portion of the bottom surface of the mold that is in opposing relation with the top surface of the diffuser plate is in a range from greater than 0 microns to less than or equal to 25 microns.

6. The mold stack of claim 5 , wherein the top surface of the diffuser plate is level with the top surface of the plenum enclosure wall.

7. The mold stack of claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the mold is contoured to apply a preload to the mold.

8. The mold stack of claim 1 , wherein mounting holes are formed in each of the plenum enclosure wall and the flange, and wherein a pattern of the mounting holes in the plenum enclosure wall matches a pattern of the mounting holes in the flange such that the mounting holes in the plenum enclosure wall can be aligned with the mounting holes in the flange.

9. The mold stack of claim 8 , wherein the pattern of the mounting holes is selected to provide a sealed interface between the flange and the plenum enclosure wall when fasteners are received in the mounting holes and made up.

10. The mold stack of claim 8 , wherein the mounting holes are adapted to receive fasteners to removably attach the flange to the plenum enclosure wall.

11. The mold stack of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of the mounting holes are adapted to receive fasteners from a top surface of the flange.

12. The mold stack of claim 10 , wherein the mounting holes are adapted to receive fasteners from a bottom surface of the vacuum plenum, and wherein a top surface of the plenum enclosure wall is flat.

13. The mold stack of claim 8 , wherein the mold is made of a nickel alloy and the flange is attached to the top surface of the plenum enclosure wall by means of at least one strip of bolts having a strip made of an alloy having a higher strength than the nickel alloy.

14. The mold stack of claim 1 , further comprising a tube attached to the cooling structure base, the tube comprising:
at least two first orifices formed in a surface of the tube exposed to the cooling chamber, the at least two first orifices being in communication with the cooling chamber, and
at least one second orifice formed in a surface of the tube in contact with the cooling structure base, the at least one second orifice being in communication with the exit hole.

15. The mold stack of claim 14 , wherein the inlet hole is located at a center of the cooling structure base, and wherein the at least two first orifices are located near opposite edges of the cooling structure base.

16. The mold stack of claim 15 , wherein the at least two first orifices are symmetrical about the inlet hole.

17. The mold stack of claim 1 , wherein the mold has at least one vacuum hole, and wherein the at least one vacuum hole communicates with the process chamber.

18. The mold stack of claim 1 , wherein the plenum enclosure wall has a uniform wall thickness, the plenum base has a uniform base thickness, a ratio of the plenum enclosure wall thickness to the plenum base thickness is in a range from 0.8 to 1.2, and a ratio of the plenum base thickness to a wall height of the plenum enclosure wall is in a range from 0.6 to 1.0.

19. The mold stack of claim 18 , wherein a ratio of the plenum base thickness to a thickness of a center of the mold is in a range from 0.8 to 1.2, and wherein a ratio of the plenum enclosure wall thickness to the mold center thickness is in a range from 0.8 to 1.2.

20. The mold stack of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser plate is made of a high thermal conductivity material with a minimum plate thickness of 3 mm.

21. The mold stack of claim 20 , wherein the high thermal conductivity material is a nickel alloy.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Immerman Jacob
• Kittleson Andrew Peter
• Rai Rohit
• Ukrainczyk Ljerka

Classifications

• C03B23/0357

  by suction without blowing, e.g. with vacuum or by venturi effect · CPC title

• C03B2215/03

  defined by material properties or parameters, e.g. relative CTE of mould parts · CPC title

• C03B23/0235 Primary

  involving applying local or additional heating, cooling or insulating means · CPC title

• C03B2215/06

  Metals or alloys · CPC title

• C03B23/0093

  Tools and machines specially adapted for re-forming shaped glass articles in general, e.g. chucks (C03B23/0086, C03B23/02, C03B23/04, C03B23/18 take precedence) · CPC title