Process and apparatus for forming shaped glass articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656899-B2
Application number	US-201514883999-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	May 7, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A process using a three-piece mold for making a three-dimensionally shaped glass article having a flat area and a curved/bend area is disclosed. The process includes placing a glass sheet on a mold having a shaping surface with a desired surface profile for the shaped glass article including a flat area and a bend area, moving a flat area plunger toward the glass sheet to compress the glass sheet, heating a portion of the glass sheet corresponding to an area above the bend area of the mold to a temperature above a forming temperature, and moving a bend area plunger toward the heated glass sheet to compress the heated glass sheet. A temperature of the glass sheet in the area above the bend area of the mold is higher than a temperature of the glass sheet in the area above the flat area of the mold when compressing the heated glass sheet with the bend area plunger.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for making a three dimensionally shaped glass article, comprising:
a mold having a shaping surface with a desired surface profile for the shaped glass article including a flat area and a bend area;
a flat area plunger positioned over the flat area of the mold and having a shaping surface corresponding to the flat area of the mold;
a bend area plunger positioned over the bend area of the mold and having a shaping surface corresponding to the bend area of the mold; and
a heater positioned to heat a region of a glass sheet placed over the bend area of the mold,
wherein the flat area plunger and the bend area plunger move relative to one another, and
wherein the mold, the flat area plunger, and the bend area plunger are porous.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a gas source connected to the porous mold, flat area plunger, and the bend area plunger so that gas can flow through the porous mold, flat area plunger, and bend area plunger to form a compressive gas layer above and below the glass sheet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heater is incorporated in the bend area plunger.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heater is a radiant heater positioned adjacent the bend area plunger.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bend area of the mold comprises a first bend area and a second bend area, wherein the bend area plunger is a first bend area plunger arranged above the first bend area of the mold, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a second bend area plunger arranged above the second bend area of the mold.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flat area of the mold comprises a first flat area and a second flat area, wherein the flat area plunger is a first flat area plunger arranged above the first flat area of the mold, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a second flat area plunger arranged above the second flat area of the mold.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Luo Weiwei
• Panides Elias
• Rai Rohit
• Slater Irene Marjorie
• Ukrainczyk Ljerka
• Vaddiraju Srinavasa Rao
• Zoubi Sam Samer

Classifications

• C03B23/0302

  between opposing full-face shaping moulds · CPC title

• C03B23/0307 Primary

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

• H05K5/03

  Covers · CPC title

• C03B23/0305

  Press-bending accelerated by applying mechanical forces, e.g. inertia, weights or local forces · CPC title

• Y10T428/24653

  Differential nonplanarity at margin · CPC title