Positive pressure-supported glass bending method and device suitable therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11247931-B2
Application number	US-201615741256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2016
Priority date	Jan 28, 2016
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for bending at least one glass pane, havinga lower bending mould with a working surface that is suitable for influencing the shape of at least one glass pane,an upper shaping tool arranged opposite the working surface that is suitable for generating a positive pressure on the surface of the at least one glass pane facing away from the working surface,where the upper shaping tool has a hollow space with at least one opening oriented toward the lower bending mould and a membrane closing the opening and is equipped with means for introducing a gas into the hollow space in order to deform the membrane in the direction of the lower bending mould and to thus generate the positive pressure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for bending a glass pane with a size of at least 0.8 m2, comprising:
a lower bending mould with a working surface that is suitable for influencing the shape of the glass pane,
an upper shaping tool arranged opposite the working surface that is suitable for generating a positive pressure on a main surface of the glass pane facing away from the working surface,
wherein the upper shaping tool comprises a hollow space with an opening oriented toward the lower bending mould and a membrane closing the opening, the upper shaping tool being equipped with a gas inlet configured to introduce a gas into the hollow space in order to deform the membrane in the direction of the lower bending mould so as to contact the main surface of the glass pane and to thus generate positive pressure,
wherein the membrane consists of a stainless steel felt, stainless steel fleece, or woven stainless steel fabric, and
wherein the membrane has a first main surface facing the gas inlet and a second main surface opposite the first main surface, the membrane being gas permeable such that gas introduced by the gas inlet directly impinges on the first main surface of the membrane and is sufficient to deform said membrane so that the second main surface contacts the main surface of the glass pane and exerts said positive pressure on the main surface of the glass pane.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a thickness of 0.5 mm to 10 mm.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper shaping tool has a cover that forms the hollow space with an edge section that surrounds the opening.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper shaping tool has a wall delimiting the hollow space and oriented toward the lower bending mould, and wherein the opening is introduced into the wall.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper shaping tool has an air deflector plate surrounding the opening and means associated therewith for generating a sucking action such that the shaping tool is suitable for sweeping an edge of the glass pane with a stream of air in order to suck it onto the upper shaping tool.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the glass pane is a vehicle window pane and the device is configured and arranged to bend the vehicle window pane.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a thickness of 1 mm to 5 mm.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a thickness of 2 mm to 3 mm.

9. The device according to claim 1 , where the lower bending mould is a gravity bending mould.

10. A method for bending a glass pane with a size of at least 0.8 m2, comprising:
providing a glass pane;
heating the glass pane to its softening temperature; providing a lower bending mould with a working surface;
providing an upper shaping tool having a membrane and a hollow space with an opening, the membrane closing the opening;
arranging the upper shaping tool opposite the working surface such that the opening is oriented toward the lower bending mould;
arranging the glass pane between the lower bending mould and the upper shaping tool;
introducing, via a gas inlet, a gas into the hollow space to deform the membrane in a direction of the lower bending mould such that the membrane contacts a main surface of the glass pane facing away from the working surface, thereby generating a positive pressure on the main surface of the glass pane, and
cooling the glass pane,
wherein the membrane consists of a stainless steel felt, stainless steel fleece, or woven stainless steel fabric, and
wherein the membrane has a first main surface facing the gas inlet and a second main surface opposite the first main surface, the membrane being gas permeable such that gas introduced by the gas inlet directly impinges on the first main surface of the membrane and is sufficient to deform said membrane so that the second main surface contacts the main surface of the glass pane and exerts said positive pressure on the main surface of the glass pane.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the positive pressure is from 10 mbar to 50 mbar.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein two glass panes positioned one atop the other are simultaneously bent pairwise.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the positive pressure is from 20 mbar to 30 mbar.

14. A method for bending a glass pane with a size of at least 0.8 m2, comprising:
providing a glass pane;
heating the glass pane to its softening temperature;
pre-bending the glass pane on a gravity bending mould;
providing a lower bending mould with a full-surface working surface equipped with working surface openings;
providing an upper shaping tool having a membrane and a cover forming a hollow space with an opening, the membrane closing the opening, the upper shaping tool further having an edge section surrounding the opening, an air deflector plate surrounding the opening and means associated therewith for generating a sucking action;
lifting the glass pane with the upper shaping tool from the gravity bending mould;
generating a stream of air by the air deflector to sweep a side edge of the glass pane;
placing the lower bending mould underneath the glass pane;
introducing, via a gas inlet, a gas into the hollow space to deform the membrane in a direction of the lower bending mould such that the membrane contacts a first surface of the glass pane facing away from the working surface, thereby generating a positive pressure on the surface of the glass pane;
exerting the sucking action through the working surface openings to a second surface of the glass pane facing the working surface;
placing the glass pane down onto the gravity mould using the upper shaping tool, and
cooling the glass pane,
wherein the membrane consists of a stainless steel felt, stainless steel fleece, or woven stainless steel fabric, and
wherein the membrane has a first main surface facing the gas inlet and a second main surface opposite the first main surface, the membrane being gas permeable such that gas introduced by the gas inlet directly impinges on the first main surface of the membrane and is sufficient to deform said membrane so that the second main surface contacts the first surface of the glass pane and exerts said positive pressure on the first surface of the glass pane.

15. A method of generating a positive pressure on a main surface of a glass pane comprising:
providing a shaping tool with a hollow space; providing a membrane;
closing an opening of the hollow space using the membrane;
introducing, via a gas inlet, a gas in a direction of the glass pane to deform the membrane such that the membrane contacts the main surface of the glass pane thereby generating the positive pressure on the main surface,
wherein the membrane consists of a stainless steel felt, stainless steel fleece, or woven stainless steel fabric, and
wherein the membrane has a first main surface facing the gas inlet and a second main surface opposite the first main surface, the membrane being gas permeable such that gas introduced by the gas inlet directly impinges on the first main surface of the membrane and is sufficient to deform said membrane so that the second main surface contacts the main surface of the glass pane and exerts said positive pressure on the main surface of the glass pane.

Assignees

• Saint Gobain

Inventors

• Schall Guenther
• Balduin Michael
• Radermacher Herbert
• Le Ny Jean-Marie

Classifications

• C03B35/145

  by top-side transfer or supporting devices, e.g. lifting or conveying using suction · CPC title

• C03B23/0357 Primary

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

• C03B23/035

  using a gas cushion or by changing gas pressure, e.g. by applying vacuum {or blowing for supporting the glass while bending} · CPC title

• C03B23/0256

  Gravity bending accelerated by applying mechanical forces, e.g. inertia, weights or local forces · 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