Patent ID: 8573005

Claim:
An apparatus for mass producing 3D articles from 2D glass-containing sheets, comprising: a heating section comprising a heating station, the heating station comprising a heating chamber adapted to receive a 2D glass-containing sheet, a pneumatic bearing system proximate to the heating chamber for suspending the 2D glass-containing sheet inside the heating chamber, and a heater system proximate to the heating chamber for supplying heat to the heating chamber; a pair of actuators operatively coupled to the heating chamber, the actuators having a spacing between them in which a select heating area of the heating chamber having a length smaller than a total length of the heating chamber is located, wherein each 2D glass-containing sheet received in the heating chamber is constrained within the select heating area while being heated in the heating chamber, wherein the actuators are configured to be controlled such that a length of the spacing is greater than a length of each 2D glass-containing sheet to be constrained in the spacing; a forming section downstream of the heating section, the forming section comprising a forming station, the forming station comprising a mold system adapted to shape a heated 2D glass-containing sheet into a 3D article; and a cooling section downstream of the forming section, the cooling section comprising a cooling chamber adapted to controllably cool off one or more 3D articles.