An apparatus for the automated production of glass assemblies comprises: a turning machine with at least two spindles which are rotatable about a common axis of rotation and which each have a workpiece holder, wherein the workpiece holders are arranged opposite one another; one or more gas burners or lasers fixed on a first tool carriage which is movable in parallel and/or perpendicularly to the axis of rotation; one or more drives for driving a rotational movement of the spindles and a movement of the first tool carriage; a pressure module including a pump device at least one working cylinder for applying a pressure to an inner tube and/or to a space between the inner tube and an outer tube; and a control unit configured to control the burners or lasers, one or more drives, the first tool carriage and the pressure module.

A mold release lubricant application equipment 4 comprises application portions 30A,30B for applying a mold release lubricant to glass bottle forming molds 10, 18, and an application control portion 31 for operating the application portions 30A,30B. Molds 10,18 are arranged independently along a predetermined arrangement direction A1. A plurality of sections 5 comprising molds 10, 18 are formed along the arrangement direction A1. The application portions 30A, 30B comprise lubricant application parts 38A, 38B for applying the mold release lubricant, a transport mechanisms 33A, 33B for moving the lubricant application parts 38A,38B among the plurality of the sections along the arrangement direction A1, and sensors 42A, 42B. The application control portion 31 detects abnormalities with the sensors 42A, 42B on a plurality of sections 5

A mold release lubricant application equipment 4 comprises application portions 30A,30B for applying a mold release lubricant to glass bottle forming molds 10, 18, and an application control portion 31 for operating the application portions 30A,30B. Molds 10,18 are arranged independently along a predetermined arrangement direction A1. A plurality of sections 5 comprising molds 10, 18 are formed along the arrangement direction A1. The application portions 30A, 30B comprise lubricant application parts 38A, 38B for applying the mold release lubricant, a transport mechanisms 33A, 33B for moving the lubricant application parts 38A,38B among the plurality of the sections along the arrangement direction A1, and sensors 42A, 42B. The application control portion 31 detects abnormalities with the sensors 42A, 42B on a plurality of sections 5

The invention relates to a method for measuring the wall thickness of hollow glass articles (2) in a hollow glass production system, wherein the IR radiation emitted by each hollow glass article (2) exiting the hot end of a glass forming machine is detected at least in areas mapped by a function (10), the same hollow glass article (2), after having passed through an annealing lehr, being measured in the circumferential direction with respect to a wall thickness distribution, and the detected wall thickness distribution being mapped by a function (18). Using correlation methods, it is checked whether the progression of the function (10) is contained in the function (18), wherein if so, measured values of the wall thickness can be associated with the measured values of the IR radiation at the hot end, so that the wall thickness distribution of the hollow glass article is already known at the hot end and implementable for monitoring purposes.

Methods and systems for controlling vertical glass distribution are provided. A traversing pyrometer periodically measures a parison actual temperature after the parisons exit a blank mold. The thermal camera takes a thermal image of each glass container after the glass container exits the blow mold. A vertical glass signature extraction module extracts a vertical glass distribution signature. A parison temperature estimator determines a parison estimated temperature for each vertical glass distribution signature obtained based on the vertical glass distribution signature, a most recently measured parison actual temperature and a parison stretch time. A parison temperature summer compares the parison estimated temperature to a parison set point temperature to determine a parison temperature error. A parison temperature control controls a blank mold contact time based on the parison temperature error.

Methods and systems for controlling vertical glass distribution are provided. A traversing pyrometer periodically measures a parison actual temperature after the parisons exit a blank mold. The thermal camera takes a thermal image of each glass container after the glass container exits the blow mold. A vertical glass signature extraction module extracts a vertical glass distribution signature. A parison temperature estimator determines a parison estimated temperature for each vertical glass distribution signature obtained based on the vertical glass distribution signature, a most recently measured parison actual temperature and a parison stretch time. A parison temperature summer compares the parison estimated temperature to a parison set point temperature to determine a parison temperature error. A parison temperature control controls a blank mold contact time based on the parison temperature error.

An improved system and method for forming falling hot glass gobs which will be molded into glass containers in an Individual Section (IS) machine is disclosed which controls the weight, length, and shape of such glass gobs as they are produced. The system includes a gob feeder apparatus and a gob shearing mechanism a controller using models being used to correlate the effect of a number of feeder control settings on gob weight, length, and, shape. The controller is configured to adjust various feeder control settings based on a prioritized order of the feeder control settings such that gobs having different physical characteristics for different ones of the individual sections can be produced during a single machine cycle. By implementing the models, a closed loop system has been developed to set up controls to achieve the desired gob forming for each individual section and cavity.

An improved system and method for forming falling hot glass gobs which will be molded into glass containers in an Individual Section (IS) machine is disclosed which controls the weight, length, and shape of such glass gobs as they are produced. The system includes a gob feeder apparatus and a gob shearing mechanism a controller using models being used to correlate the effect of a number of feeder control settings on gob weight, length, and, shape. The controller is configured to adjust various feeder control settings based on a prioritized order of the feeder control settings such that gobs having different physical characteristics for different ones of the individual sections can be produced during a single machine cycle. By implementing the models, a closed loop system has been developed to set up controls to achieve the desired gob forming for each individual section and cavity.

This invention eliminates the need for a manual work of applying a mold release lubricant to blow molds and bottom molds by workers and reduces a burden on workers involved in the mold release lubricant application work while also increasing the safety of workers during mold release lubricant application, reducing downtime associated with the mold release lubricant application work, reducing changes in the mold release lubricant application locations and variations in amount of application for the blow molds, and, furthermore, contributing to a glass bottle quality stabilization. The application equipment (40) for applying the mold release lubricant is structured to apply the mold release lubricant to at least either a part of blow mold forming surfaces (31f) provided on the blow molds (31), or the entire surface of bottom mold forming surfaces (32f) provided on the bottom molds (32) located in the lower part of a finish molds (31), or both.

This invention eliminates the need for a manual work of applying a mold release lubricant to blow molds and bottom molds by workers and reduces a burden on workers involved in the mold release lubricant application work while also increasing the safety of workers during mold release lubricant application, reducing downtime associated with the mold release lubricant application work, reducing changes in the mold release lubricant application locations and variations in amount of application for the blow molds, and, furthermore, contributing to a glass bottle quality stabilization. The application equipment (40) for applying the mold release lubricant is structured to apply the mold release lubricant to at least either a part of blow mold forming surfaces (31f) provided on the blow molds (31), or the entire surface of bottom mold forming surfaces (32f) provided on the bottom molds (32) located in the lower part of a finish molds (31), or both.