Patent ID: 8783066

Claim:
A method of making glass articles, comprising: placing a two-dimensional (2D) glass sheet on a mold having a mold surface with a three-dimensional (3D) shape; placing the 2D glass sheet and mold in a radiative environment and heating the 2D glass sheet to a first glass temperature between an annealing point and softening point of the glass and heating the mold to a first mold temperature; while in the radiative environment and at the first glass temperature, applying a first vacuum between the glass and the mold thereby conforming the 2D glass sheet to the mold surface by a force to form a 3D glass article; maintaining the first vacuum between the glass and the mold and maintaining the glass at a temperature above the elastic transition of the glass for a time sufficient to allow relaxation of a majority of bending stresses generated in the glass by the conforming step; reducing the force by decreasing the first vacuum to thereby reduce a contact pressure between the 3D glass article and the mold surface holding the 3D glass article against the mold surface by the second vacuum while cooling the 3D glass article to a second glass temperature and the mold to a second mold temperature wherein the second glass temperature and the second mold temperature are above the annealing point of the glass and about the same temperature; releasing the second vacuum holding the 3D glass article against the mold surface; and rapidly cooling the 3D glass article to a third glass temperature below a strain point of the glass.