Patent ID: 7178367
Filing Date: 2007-02-20
Classification: C03B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for bend-shaping a glass sheet, comprising: a heating furnace for heating the glass sheet, transferred therethrough along a path of travel thereof, to a substantially softening temperature of the glass sheet, said heating furnace having an inlet positioned upstream of said path of travel and an outlet positioned downstream of said path of travel; a plurality of in-furnace beds disposed within said heating furnace, each of said in-furnace beds having an upper surface of upwardly convex shape with a curvature increasing progressively toward said outlet of said heating furnace, said upper surfaces being designed to jet hot air against the glass sheet to support the glass sheet in a floated state thereover such that the glass sheet bends transversely by own weight thereof complementarily to the shape of said upper surfaces; at least one out-furnace bed disposed externally of said heating furnace proximately to said outlet of said heating furnace, said out-furnace bed having an upper surface of upwardly convex shape, said in-furnace beds and said out-furnace bed being arranged linearly along said path of travel; and an elevating mechanism, disposed below a downstream end of that one of said in-furnace beds which is positioned proximately to said outlet of said heating furnace and below an upstream end of said out-furnace bed, for elevating said downstream end of said one in-furnace bed and said upstream end of said out-furnace bed to cause said one in-furnace bed and said out-furnace bed to form a hill sloped in a direction along said path of travel, so that upon passage over said hill, the glass sheet bends longitudinally by own weight thereof complementarily to the shape of said hill, said upper surface of said out-furnace bed being designed to jet cold air against the glass sheet transferred past said outlet of said heating furnace to cool down the glass sheet while supporting the same in a floated state thereover.