Patent ID: 6378339
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: C03B

Abstract:
Apparatus for forming glass sheets, comprising:a furnace including a heating chamber; a conveyor for conveying glass sheets along a direction of conveyance through the heating chamber of the furnace for heating to a forming temperature; a forming station located downstream from the furnace along the direction of conveyance and including a lower deformable roll forming conveyor having lower deformable rolls rotatable about associated axes at spaced intervals along the direction of conveyance, the forming station also including an upper deformable roll forming press located above the lower deformable roll forming conveyor in an opposed relationship to receive a heated glass sheet from the furnace, and the upper deformable roll forming press having upper deformable rolls rotatable about associated axes at spaced intervals along the direction of conveyance between the axes of the lower deformable rolls; and an actuating mechanism that moves the lower deformable roll forming conveyor and the upper deformable roll forming press between flat shapes for receiving the heated glass sheet from the furnace and curved shapes for forming the heated glass sheet.