Methods to control thermal variation during tube consumption in glass tube converting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12559407-B2
Application number	US-202418658939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2024
Priority date	Aug 17, 2020
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

Methods for producing articles from a glass tube include securing a working end of the glass tube in a glass tube holder of a converter having a plurality of processing stations including a heating station and a forming station. An initial length of the glass tube includes a plurality of serial segments, each of the plurality of serial segments corresponding to one article and having an article number. The methods include heating the working end of the glass tube in the heating station, adjusting an amount of heating of the glass tube in the heating station based on the article number at the working end of the glass tube, and forming a feature of the article in the forming station. Adjusting the amount of heating based on the article number reduces variation in tube temperature, article dimensions, or both, from one article number to the next article number.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for producing a plurality of articles from a glass tube, the system comprising:
a converter including a plurality of processing stations comprising at least one heating station, at least one forming station, and a separating station, wherein the converter is operable to move the glass tube through the plurality of processing stations; and a system controller communicatively coupled to the converter, the system controller comprising a processor and a storage medium containing computer readable and executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the system controller to automatically:
determine an article number at a working end of the glass tube, wherein the article number comprises an integer corresponding to a serial segment of an initial length of the glass tube, each serial segment corresponding to one article; and
increase or decrease an amount of heating of the glass tube in the at least one heating station based on the article number at the working end of the glass tube.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heating station comprises a swivel burner operable to pivot into and out of engagement with the working end of the glass tube and the system controller is communicatively coupled to the swivel burner.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system controller to automatically increase or decrease a burner dwell time of the working end of the glass tube based on the article number at the working end of the glass tube by pivoting the swivel burner into or out of engagement with the working end of the glass tube.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heating station comprises at least one burner and at least one flow controller operable to increase or decrease a mass flow rate of one or more combustion gases to the at least one burner.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system controller to automatically increase or decrease a mass flow rate of one or more combustion gases to the at least one burner based on the article number at the working end of the glass tube.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the converter comprises an exhaust system comprising at least one inlet vent and an air handler fluidly coupled to the at least one inlet vent.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system controller to automatically adjust a negative pressure produced by the exhaust system proximate to the glass tube based on the article number of the working end of the glass tube.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the increase or decrease of the amount of heating of the glass tube in the at least one heating station based on the article number at the working end of the glass tube is to reduce variation in a tube temperature, an article dimension, or both, from one article number to the next article number.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of processing stations comprises a plurality of heating stations, and
wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system controller to automatically increase or decrease an amount of heating of the glass tube in each of the plurality of heating stations based on the article number corresponding to the working end of the glass tube.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of processing stations further comprises at least one of a piercing station, a cooling station, a measuring station, a tube length drop station, and a tube loading station.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Barnard Christelle Ruby
• Matusick Joseph Michael
• Mcnelis Kevin Patrick
• O'Malley Connor Thomas

Classifications

• C03B23/09

  Reshaping the ends, e.g. as grooves, threads or mouths · CPC title

• C03B23/045

  Tools or apparatus specially adapted for re-forming tubes or rods in general, e.g. glass lathes, chucks (C03B23/043 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02P40/57

  Improving the yield, e-g- reduction of reject rates · CPC title

• C03B23/043 Primary

  Heating devices specially adapted for re-forming tubes or rods in general, e.g. burners · CPC title