Patent ID: 8534096

Claim:
A quench station for quenching a formed glass sheet, comprising: a conveyor for conveying a formed glass sheet along a direction of conveyance, the conveyor including an open center ring; at least one quench section into which the formed glass sheet is conveyed on the open center ring, the quench station including lower and upper quench head assemblies respectively positioned below and above the conveyed glass sheet on the center open ring; each quench head assembly including a plurality of quench manifolds extending along the direction of conveyance spaced from each other laterally with respect to the direction of conveyance at respective lateral locations, and each quench manifold having a plurality of quench openings spaced along the direction of conveyance and oriented toward the conveyed glass sheet on the open center ring; a quench plenum to which pressurized air is supplied; a plurality of quench conduits for respectively feeding pressurized air from the quench plenum to the quench manifolds of both the lower and upper quench head assemblies to provide upwardly and downwardly directed quench air to the formed glass sheet on the open center ring with each quench manifold directing quench air at an associated lateral location; valves respectively associated with at least some of the quench conduits of both the lower and upper quench head assemblies to selectively permit or prevent air flow therethrough to the associated quench manifolds so the quench station can be operated so quench air is only supplied at lateral locations where a formed glass sheet is located on the open center ring and is not supplied at lateral locations unoccupied by a formed glass sheet to be quenched; both the lower and upper quench head assemblies having a plurality of actuators that each operate a plurality of valves associated with conduits that feed pressurized air to an associated quench manifold; and a programmable valve controller that operates the actuators so quench air is supplied to lateral locations occupied by a glass sheet to be quenched on the open center ring but is not supplied at lateral locations of the quench station not occupied by a glass sheet being quenched.