Patent ID: 8091387
Filing Date: 2012-01-10
Classification: C03B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing glass preforms for press molding by continuously separating glass gobs from a glass melt flow continuously flowing out of a nozzle at a rate of flow and forming the separated glass gobs with glass preform forming members that are intermittently or continuously moving, the method comprising: moving a support member whereby said support member approaches a front end of the nozzle, so that a front end of the glass melt flow is received by the support member, and then dropping the support member more rapidly than the rate of flow of the glass melt flow to separate a glass gob from the glass melt flow; transferring the separated glass gob from the support member to a stopped or moving glass preform forming member, which is operative to form a glass preform for press molding; and forming the glass preform by moving at least one glass preform forming member while cooling the glass to form a solid glass preform, wherein in the case where the glass gob is transferred to a stopped glass preform forming member, the period during which the glass preform forming member is stopped for transfer of the glass gob from the support member to the glass preform forming member is made shorter than a gob preparation period, defined as the time required for preparing one glass gob from the glass melt flow using the support member and transferring the glass gob to the glass preform forming member.