Patent ID: 7578145
Filing Date: 2009-08-25
Classification: C03B

Abstract:
1. A device for manufacturing glass preforms, comprising multiple gob casting molds, devices for displacing said gob casting molds and an atmosphere regulating mechanism, wherein said multiple gob casting molds are moved sequentially through a casting area where glass melt is cast in a gob casting mold, a molding area where the cast glass melt is cooled while being held on a gob casting mold to mold a glass preform, and a removal area in which the molded glass preform is removed from the gob casting mold; are circulated back to the casting area; and during said movement, each of the steps of casting said glass melt, molding said glass melt into glass preforms, and removing the glass preforms is sequentially repeated by each gob casting mold to mass produce glass preforms; wherein said atmosphere regulating mechanism independently regulates an atmosphere to which the glass is exposed on the gob casting molds in said casting area, molding area, or removal area relative to an atmosphere of at least one other area, and wherein said device further comprises: housing covers with openings at the top, moving together with each of said casting molds when housing said gob casting molds; an upper cover, covering the openings of said housing covers to increase the air-tightness within said housing covers in said subarea and/or area the atmosphere of which is independently regulated; and a gas feeding device feeding an atmosphere gas into the interior of said housing covers.