Mold and apparatus for forming glass product, and method of processing glass product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401191-B2
Application number	US-202016810880-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2020
Priority date	Jan 9, 2020
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A mold includes a lower mold core and an upper mold core. The lower mold core has a first outside surface and a first molding surface including a first molding portion and a first supporting portion surrounding the molding portion. The upper mold core has a second molding surface opposite to the first molding surface and encloses a molding cavity with the first molding surface. The lower mold core includes a first gas inlet on the first outside surface, a first gas outlet on the first supporting portion, and a first gas channel in the lower mold core, the first gas channel connecting the first gas inlet and the first gas outlet. Gas flow out from the first gas outlet to separate the glass product from the lower mold core before the glass product is completely cooled down, which can avoid many adverse effects during the glass product process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mold for forming a glass product, comprising:
a lower mold core comprising:
a first molding surface; and
a first outside surface; and
an upper mold core comprising a second molding surface;
wherein the first molding surface comprises a first molding portion for forming the glass product and a first supporting portion surrounding the first molding portion; the first molding surface is formed on one side of the lower mold core adjacent to the upper mold core; the second molding surface is formed on one side of the upper mold core adjacent to the lower mold core; the second molding surface is opposite to the first molding surface; a molding cavity is enclosed by the first molding surface and the second molding surface; the lower mold core comprises a first gas inlet formed on the first outside surface, a first gas outlet formed on the first supporting portion, and a first gas channel formed in the lower mold core; and the first gas channel is communicated with the first gas inlet and the first gas outlet; wherein the first molding surface comprises at least two first molding portions separated from each other; the first gas outlet is located between two adjacent first molding portions; the first molding surface comprises a plurality of first molding portions arranged in an array arrangement, and the first gas outlet is formed on a center region of the first molding surface.

2. The mold of claim 1 , wherein the first outside surface comprises a first bottom wall opposite to the first forming surface, and a first outside wall extending from an edge of the first bottom wall toward the first forming surface; and the first outside wall is connected to the first forming surface; the first gas inlet is formed on the first outside wall; the first gas channel comprises a first channel extending from the first gas inlet to the lower mold core in a radial direction of the lower mold core, and a second channel extending from the first gas outlet to the lower mold core in a thickness direction of the lower mold core; and the second channel is communicated with the first channel.

3. The mold of claim 2 , wherein the lower mold core comprises at least two first gas outlets disposed at intervals on the first supporting portion; the first gas channel comprises at least two second channels; and each first gas outlet corresponds to one second channel.

4. The mold of claim 1 , wherein an outline of the first molding surface is circular; and the lower mold core comprises a plurality of first gas outlets; and the plurality of first gas outlets surrounds a center of the first molding surface, a distance between each two adjacent first gas outlets is the same.

5. The mold of claim 1 , wherein the upper mold core further comprises a second outside surface disposed outside the molding cavity; the second molding surface comprises a second molding portion corresponding to the first molding portion and a second supporting portion surrounding the second molding portion; the upper mold core comprises a second gas inlet formed on the second outside surface, a second gas outlet formed on the second supporting portion, and a second gas channel formed in the upper mold core; and the second gas channel is communicated with the second gas inlet and the second gas outlet.

6. A glass product forming apparatus comprising:
the mold of claim 1 , and
a gas supply to supply gas into the first gas channel through the first gas inlet.

7. The glass product forming apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first outside surface comprises a first bottom wall opposite to the first forming surface, and a first outside wall extending from an edge of the first bottom wall toward the first forming surface; and the first outside wall is connected to the first forming surface; the first gas inlet is formed on the first outside wall; the first gas channel comprises a first channel extending from the first gas inlet to the lower mold core in a radial direction of the lower mold core, and a second channel extending from the first gas outlet to the lower mold core in a thickness direction of the lower mold core;
and the second channel is communicated with the first channel.

8. The glass product forming apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the lower mold core comprises at least two first gas outlets disposed at intervals on the first supporting portion; the first gas channel comprises at least two second channels; and each first gas outlet corresponds to one second channel.

9. The glass product forming apparatus of claim 6 , wherein an outline of the first molding surface is circular; and the lower mold core comprises a plurality of first gas outlets; and the plurality of first gas outlets surrounds a center of the first molding surface, a distance between each two adjacent first gas outlets is the same.

10. The glass product forming apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the upper mold core further comprises a second outside surface disposed outside the molding cavity; the second molding surface comprises a second molding portion corresponding to the first molding portion and a second supporting portion surrounding the second molding portion; the upper mold core comprises a second gas inlet formed on the second outside surface, a second gas outlet formed on the second supporting portion, and a second gas channel formed in the upper mold core; and the second gas channel is communicated with the second gas inlet and the second gas outlet.

11. A method of processing a glass product, comprising:
providing a glass product forming apparatus of claim 8 and a glass substrate;
placing the glass substrate into the molding cavity to form a glass product corresponding to the first molding portion on the glass substrate;
transmitting gas into the first gas channel by the gas supply through the first gas inlet when a temperature of the glass product drops in a glass transition temperature, the gas flowing out from the first gas outlet to separate the glass substrate from the lower mold core; and
cooling the glass product.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the glass products correspond to the first molding portions; after the step of cooling the glass product, the method further comprises a step of cutting the glass substrate to obtain the glass products after the glass products being cooled down.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first outside surface comprises a first bottom wall opposite to the first forming surface, and a first outside wall extending from an edge of the first bottom wall toward the first forming surface; and the first outside wall is connected to the first forming surface; the first gas inlet is formed on the first outside wall; the first gas channel comprises a first channel extending from the first gas inlet to the lower mold core in a radial direction of the lower mold core, and a second channel extending from the first gas outlet to the lower mold core in a thickness direction of the lower mold core; and the second channel is communicated with the first channel.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the lower mold core comprises at least two first gas outlets disposed at intervals on the first supporting portion; the first gas channel comprises at least two second channels; and each first gas outlet corresponds to one second channel.

Assignees

• Aac Optics Solutions Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Tang Tsz Lok Keith
• Aabo Thomas
• Kjær Jacob Kibsgaard
• Nielsen Peter Krohne
• Jensen Simon Bo
• Sobol Michal
• Holme Niels Christian Roemer
• Zhu Bingke

Classifications

• C03B40/04

  using gas · CPC title

• C03B2215/46

  Lenses, e.g. bi-convex · CPC title

• C03B11/084 Primary

  material composition or material properties of press dies therefor · CPC title

• C03B11/08 Primary

  for making solid articles, e.g. lenses · CPC title

• C03B23/0307

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