Patent ID: 9003835
Filing Date: 2015-04-14
Classification: C03B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for precision roll forming and texturing glass or glass-ceramic sheets comprising: a glass feed device for supplying a supplied stream of molten glass or glass-ceramic; a pair of forming rolls maintained at a surface temperature of about 500° C. or higher, the forming rolls being spaced closely adjacent each other defining a glass forming gap between the forming rolls with the glass forming gap located vertically below the glass feed device for receiving the supplied stream of molten glass and thinning the supplied stream of molten glass between the forming rolls to form a formed glass ribbon having a formed thickness; a pair of sizing rolls maintained at a surface temperature of about 400° C. or lower, the sizing rolls each comprising an insulating cylinder having an outer glass sizing surface, at least one of the sizing surfaces having a textured surface, a first pair of spacer rings mounted adjacent each end of the insulating cylinder of the first of the sizing rolls, and a second pair of spacer rings mounted adjacent to each end of the insulating cylinder of the second of the sizing rolls, the first and second sizing rings comprising outer cylindrical bearing surfaces extending radially beyond the outer glass sizing surface of the respective insulating cylinder; and a translational drive device for pressing the outer cylindrical bearing surfaces of the first and second sizing rolls together with the first pair of spacer rings engaging the second pair of spacer rings and thereby defining the glass sizing gap between the pair of sizing rolls; wherein the glass sizing gap is located vertically below the forming rolls for receiving the formed glass ribbon and thinning and imparting texture to the formed glass ribbon to produce a sized glass ribbon having a desired thickness, a desired thickness uniformity, and a desired texture on at least one surface of the glass ribbon.