Patent ID: 7412849

Claim:
A device for performing a process for producing blank-pressed glass bodies for optical equipment according to preshaping technology, said process comprising feeding a molten glass gob to a levitation parison mold ( 1 ), preshaping the glass gob to form a parison without touching any surface of the parison mold ( 1 ), transferring the parison to a separate press mold ( 2 ), and pressing the parison to a final form in the press mold ( 2 ) with a press tool ( 3 ) adapted for pressing the parison in the press mold, said transferring taking place so that said parison freely drops from the parison mold ( 1 ) into the press mold ( 2 ) by positioning the parison mold ( 1 ) over the press mold ( 2 ) in a transfer position and then pivoting the parison mold ( 1 ) downward and away from the parison; said device comprising two rotary indexing tables ( 6 , 7 ), one of which has a plurality of parison molds ( 1 ) in a circular arrangement thereon, each of which are provided with openings in a lower region thereof through which air is fed to form an air cushion for levitating the glass gob and the parison formed therefrom, and another of which has a plurality of press molds ( 2 ) in a circular arrangement thereon and a plurality of press tools ( 3 ) arranged to cooperate with said press molds to form said blank-pressed glass bodies; in which said parison molds ( 1 ) are held in said one of said two indexing tables ( 6 , 7 ) by indexable mounts ( 4 ), each of which is switchable between a horizontal position in which one of said parison molds ( 1 ) is held in said horizontal position over one of the press molds ( 2 ) and another position in which the parison held in said one of said parison molds freely drops into an associated one of the press molds ( 2 ) of said another of said two indexing tables ( 6 , 7 ).