An Improved Mode of and Apparatus for Producing Slabs or Sheets of Glass with Inlaid Wire.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
An Improved Mode of and Apparatus for Producing Slabs or Sheets of
Glass with Inlaid Wire.
I, PAUL THEODOR SIEVERT, of Lindenau Strasse, Dresden, in the Empire of
Germany, Glass Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to simplify the production of slabs or sheets of
glass with inlaid wire, and to obtain, when desired, embedded metallic patterns
which will offer no obstruction to the cutting up of the slabs or sheets into panels
suitable for doors, skylights, &c.
To this end I provide a vertically adjustable pressure roller, which is set over a
traversing table intended to receive molten glass, which is to be reduced to a sheet
by the traversing of the table under the adjusted pressure roller.
In conjunction with this apparatus, I provide a press which is intended to
receive, on its platen, wirework which is to be embedded by pressure in the
rolled out glass, the same being carried into the press by the traversing table.
The construction of the press admits of modification, that is to say, the platen
may consist of a smooth plate, to the under surface of which the wirework to be
embedded into the glass (while in a plastic state) is attached, or the face of the
platen may be ribbed, and the wirework attached to the ribs or grid surface of
the platen.
The wirework may be held in place by clips, which must release their hold
before the platen is raised from the glass, but I prefer to make the platen con-
stitute the pole piece of an electro-magnet or magnets, as this will facilitate the
picking up of the metallic patterns (to be embedded in the glass) from a table.
on which they are properly arranged, and then, when the rolled glass is brought
into the press, depositing under pressure the metal work into the glass.
The switching off of the current from the electro-magnets, automatically or
otherwise, will leave the platen free to rise clear of the glass, without disturbing
the metallic devices impressed therein.
The sheet or slab of glass thus charged may be smoothed and finished by pass-
ing it again under the pressure roller, or an additional supply of glass may be
rolled out upon the sheet, to complete the enclosing of the metal work in the glass.
The advantage of facing the platen with ribs is, that it will present so small a
contact surface to the heated glass, as not materially to reduce its temperature
during the manufacture of the slab.
A convenient device for working the platen is an excentric or excentrics
operated by a hand lever, and embraced by a yoke or yokes forming part of the
stems from which the platen is pendent in its guide.
The throw of the excentrics should be sufficient to allow the platen to pick

page_text: up the metallic work arranged upon a board below the level of the travelling table
which carries the rolled out glass to and from the press.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Mode of and Apparatus for Producing Slabs or Sheets of
Glass with Inlaid Wire.
I, PAUL THEODOR SIEVERT, of Lindemau Strasse, Dresden, in the Empire of
Germany, Glass Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to simplify the production of slabs or sheets of
glass with inlaid wire, and to obtain embedded metallic patterns which will offer
no obstruction to the cutting up of the slabs or sheets into panels suitable for
doors, skylights, &c.
To this end, I provide a vertically adjustable pressure roller, which is set over a
traversing table intended to receive molten glass, which is to be reduced to a shert
by the traversing of the table under the adjusted pressure roller.
In conjunction with this apparatus, I provide a press which is intended to
receive on its pressing plate, or platen, the wire-work to be embedded by pressure
in the rolled-out glass, which glass is carried into the press by the traversing
table.
The platen carries, at its under surface, the wire-work to be embedded into the
glass while in a plastic state.
The wire-work may be attracted to, and held in place on, the platen, by con-
verting the platen into the pole-piece of an electro-magnet or magnets, as this
will facilitate the picking up of the metallic patterns (to be embedded in the
glass) from a table, on which they are to be properly arranged. When the rolled
glass is brought into the press, the platen will, on being depressed, press the metal-
work into the glass, the switching off of the current from the electro-magnets,
automatically or otherwise, leaving the platen free to rise clear of the glass,
without disturbing the metallic devices impressed therein.
The sheet or slab of glass thus charged may be smoothed and finished by pass-
ing it again under the pressure roller, or an additional supply of glass may be
rolled out upon the sheet, to complete the enclosing of the metal work in the glass
According to the processes in general use for producing marketable wire-glass,
sheets or tablets, the embedding of the wires is effected by rolling pressure, which,
starting at one end of the sheet, ends at the other.
During this gradual pressing in or embedding of the wires in the plastic mass
of glass, which operation consumes an appreciable time, there results, by reason
of the unequal co-efficients of expansion of the two materials under treatment.
and the gradual entrance of the wire into the glass mass, a certain amount of
drag on the wire, which, in the case of thin wire netting, causes distortion of the
meshes. This is especially disadvantageous when using ornamental wire netting
for embedding in door panels, skylights, etc. Furthermore, the processes hitherto
in use for the production of wire glass, in which the wire netting is fed from a
reel, or is laid upon the glass by hand, or by means of holders, are inapplicable to
the embedding of several single devices formed from wire netting, or plaited from
wire, in the plastic sheet of glass.

page_text: As the pressure for embedding the unconnected wires in the rolled out plastic
sheet of glass is, according to my improved process of manufacture, simultaneous
on the whole metallic surface to be embedded, all drag and displacement of the
wires is avoided.
The new process requires, for its most advantageous exploitation,
1. A movable casting or rolling table, with a rigidly mounted roller over it,
beneath which the moving table passes, to roll out the cast mass of glass.
2. A pressing apparatus in such alignment with the moving table, that this
latter, on the completion of the rolling operation, shall rest beneath the pressure
apparatus, with the rolled-out plastic glass sheet upon it, to receive the metallic
devices attached to, or carried by, the platen.
In the accompanying drawings is shewn a construction of apparatus for carrying
out the process of embedding wire, worked into devices, simultaneously into two
sheets of molten or plastic glass, in such manner that a margin of clear glass
may surround each device.
Fig. 1 shews, in side view, the rolling out mechanism in connection with the
pressure apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the above combination, and
Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.
A is a carriage mounted on flanged wheels which run upon rails indicated
at B B. This carriage serves to support a casting table a, which, in this case,
is fitted to receive two sheets of molten glass.
Above the travelling casting table a is mounted a roller b, which turns in
bearings in a forked frame c, carried by a transverse fixed frame C, of cast iron,
bolted to the floor of the workshop.
This roller b is made capable of vertical adjustment, its forked frame being
held up by a screwed stem d, which passes through it, and is itself supported
by lugs standing out from the frame C. The screwed stem d is free to turn in
its supports, and is fitted at its upper end with a hand wheel, the turning of
which will cause the screwed stem d to raise or lower the forked frame c, and
with it the roller b, which may thus be adjusted to suit the thickness of the
sheet of glass intended to be produced.
In the line of traverse of the casting table A, are the fixed presses E. beneath
Here the
which the casting table passes when the rolling operation is going on.
pressing-in of the wire articles takes place by the simultaneous descent of the
platens e of the two presses.
The platen or plate e of each press is provided with the following means for
operating it:-9 g are excentrics mounted on transverse shafts g¹, carried in the
framing of their respective presses.
These shafts g' are operated by a hand lever f of one press, which is linked
to a similar lever keyed to the shaft of the other press.
The excentrics are each embraced by a yoke g³, forming part of the pendent
roils h, which severally carry the platen plates e.
By pulling over the hand lever f, the platens will be rapidly depressed, to
insert into the glass the metallic devices with which they are charged.
The necessary movements of the lever for regulating the different thicknesses
of the sheets of glass, or the different depths to which the wire objects are to be
impressed, may be gauged by a suitably graduated scale.
The pressure may also be directly applied to the platen by means of levers,
and the plate may be counterweighted so as to rise automatically.
This platen e, which may be either in one piece or in sections, is furnished on
its underside with sharp-edged ribs, arranged either parallel, diagonally, or
diamond-wise. It may also be replaced by a frame or rim e¹ (see Fig. 4), in
which the downwardly projecting ribs may be assembled in any desired manner.
This arrangement of ribs, which thus forms a hollow grid, will generally
accommodate itself either to the use of a single article of wire, or a plurality of
varied artiles, to be embedded in the plastic glass tablet.

page_text: This grid-like arrangement of the ribs provides that only small portions of the
platen touch or enter the glass surface, and limit the amount of heat which it
absorbs from the glass. The plasticity of the glass being by this means only
slightly affected, the levelling of the upper face of the sheet by rolling is
materially facilitated.
When the glass arrives beneath the pressure apparatus, at the position to
receive the wire objects, these must be placed on the underside of the ribbed
platens, they having previously been picked up from a table on which they
were arranged.
When the platens have descended and pressed the wire objects into the glass,
the platens will be depolarized, and they will then rise clear of the inserted metal,
under the action of the excentrics g.
When the metallic devices to be embedded in the glass are separate and of
varied shape, as seen in Fig. 5, their attachment to the platen by means of clamps
or clips would be very difficult. The use of electro-magnetism is therefore
adopted.
One method of carrying this out is shown at Fig. 6, where are electro-
magnets mounted upon the platen e. These magnets are arranged in sufficient
number for their poles to attract the wire objects arranged beneath the platen,
and such objects become for the time being the armatures of the magnets. When
the metallic devices have been quickly pressed into the sheet, the movement of
the lever f (which puts the excentrics 9 into action) operates the switch k
through a cam piece which it carries, thereby demagnetising the magnets, and
setting the metallic devices free. On actuating the lever again, to raise the
platen, the cam piece is raised, and the current is again switched on, once more
exciting the magnets to take up a fresh supply of wire articles.
After the rise of the platen, the glass sheet may be levelled by the roller b
with or without the addition of another layer of glass. It is for this purpos
that the roller b is made adjustable by means of the screw-threaded spindled,
so that when the table a retires from the press this roller may be raised to a
height corresponding to the thickness of the double sheet.
Instead of levelling the sheet of glass with the roller, it may be done with
the pressure apparatus, the ribbed press plate being provided at its sides with
grooves on its edges. Into these grooves is pushed a second solid smooth press
plate when the ribbed press plate is lifted, after embedding the wire objects in
the sheet. A second pressure is then given with the smooth plate upon the sheet
of glass, thereby levelling all down flat and smooth.
Fig. 5 shews the embedding of separate wire devices in the sheet of glass, in
such manner as to leave the edges of the various portions of the sheet, when
cut up, as indicated by the dotted lines, free froin ends of wire, and, in addition,
a margin of glass round each device or group of devices; an advantage unattain-
able when employing one large coherent sheet of wire devices covering the whole
surface of the glass.
The wire articles are pressed only so far into the glass as corresponds to their
own thickness.
A. second sheet of glass may then be laid over the wire articles or objects, and
the glass sheet, by the back traverse of the casting table, may be brought under
the roller. to complete the process of manufacture. Before, however, this back
movement of the table takes place, the roller must be raised by the adjusting
apparatus above described, a distance equal to the thickness it is desired the
second sheet shall possess.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The mode of producing slabs or sheets of glass with inlaid wire, as described
with reference to Fig. 5 of the drawings.

page_text: 2. The combination of apparatus above described with reference to Figs. 1, 2,
3, and 6, for producing slabs or sheets of glass with inlaid wire devices, for the
purpose above set forth.
DL: 00th day of Contember 1908
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the 'Applicant.