Patent ID: 11970417
Assignee: CORNING INCORPORATED
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC C | IPC C

Claim 0:
1. A method for producing an article from glass tubing, the method comprising:
introducing a glass tube to a converter having a plurality of processing stations comprising at least one heating station, at least one forming station, and a separating station;
heating a proximal end of the glass tube at the at least one heating station, wherein alkali is released from the glass tube during said heating;
forming at least one feature of the article at the proximal end of the glass tube in the at least one forming station;
separating the article from the proximal end of the glass tube at the separating station;
producing a gas pulse adjacent to the proximal end of the glass tube, wherein the gas pulse produces a flow of gas adjacent to the proximal end of the glass tube that is operable to remove at least a portion of the atmosphere in an interior of the glass tube and reduce contamination of an inner surface of the glass tube by the alkali released from the glass tube; and
adjusting a flow rate or volume of the gas pulse in response to changes in a length of the glass tube.