Patent ID: 7155939
Filing Date: 2007-01-02
Classification: C03B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for bending glass panels, said apparatus comprising an upper mould carrier track, including successive mould carriers whose front or back wall separates successive heating sections and a plurality of successive bending sections from each other, the mould carriers being adapted to be intermittently conveyable towards a final bending section, the final bending section having its ceiling provided with a descendable and hoistable male mould; a lower mould carrier track, including successive mould carriers whose back or front wall separates successive cooling sections from each other, the mould carriers being adapted to be intermittently conveyable in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of mould carriers present on the upper track; a number of bending moulds supported by the mould carriers; first preheating sections present in the upstream end of the upper mould carrier track, wherein the heating of glass panels is effected by means of forced convection, the thermal energy therefor being obtained from glass panels presently cooling in downstream end sections of the lower mould carrier track under the first preheating sections; second preheating sections having radiation heating means in the ceiling of the second preheating sections, at least in some of the second preheating sections; radiation heating means in the ceiling of the bending sections effecting gravitational sagging; an intermediate floor for separating the bending sections and the second preheating sections from cooling sections present therebelow; a lift mechanism for lowering the mould carriers from the upper track onto the lower track along with bent glass panels; wherein the mould carriers are provided with an open-structured or otherwise highly heat-transmitting bottom, wherein the intermediate floor present between the bending sections effecting gravitational bending on the upper mould carrier track and the cooling sections present therebelow is provided with a plurality of successive cooling medium circulating means, through which the flow of a cooling medium is controllable for the controlled cooling of glass panels, and wherein downstream of the cooling sections provided with controlled cooling, the mould carriers are adapted to be conveyed along the lower mould carrier track under a plurality of the second preheating sections by a single nonstop passage, the length of which comprises more than one preheating section.