The present invention discloses a vehicle glazing having a sharply curved portion and the method for bending such glazing. The sharply curved portion of the glass may extend along the surface of the glass. The sharply curved portion is obtained by locally heating by means of a laser source, heating the portion of the glass to a temperature sufficiently high enough to allow said portion of glass to bend. In preferred embodiments, the sharply curved portion comprises a first bent portion described by a first radius and a second bent portion described by a second radius, wherein the point where the radiuses of the first and second bent portions change their orientation generate an inflection point. The radius of curvature of the first and second bent portions is of less than 150 mm.

A method of making articles from preformed materials includes placing a preformed material on a mold such that a non-quality region of the preformed material contacts the mold and a quality region of the preformed material is free of contact with the mold. A non-contact support is provided to the quality region to control sagging of the quality region. A reformable area of the preformed material is formed into a select shape by contacting the reformable area with a forming tool while restricting contact between the forming tool and the reformable area to the non-quality region. After the forming of the reformable area, an article is extracted from the quality region.

A device for bending sheets of glass, includes conveying rollers that convey the sheets one after another in a longitudinal direction, carrying them under an upper bending die and onto a receiving surface formed by the upper level of the rollers under the die. The device includes an intermediate support including a contact path for supporting the sheet of glass to be pressed lying under the die. The contact path has, parallel to the edge of the sheet to be pressed, a curvature that is less accentuated than the curvature that is to be imparted by the upper die. The intermediate support can rise above the receiving surface and support the sheet to be pressed until the sheet breaks contact with the rollers. The intermediate support can be lowered down below the receiving surface. A sheet-pressing system can press the periphery of the sheet against the upper bending die.

Embodiments of a laminate including a first curved glass substrate comprising a first viscosity (poises) at a temperature of 630? C.; a second curved glass substrate comprising a second viscosity that is greater than the first viscosity at a temperature of 630? C.; and an interlayer disposed between the first curved glass substrate and the second curved glass substrate, are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, the first curved glass substrate exhibits a first sag depth that is within 10% of a second sag depth of the second curved glass substrate. In one or more embodiments, the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate exhibit a shape deviation therebetween of about ?5 mm or less as measured by an optical three-dimensional scanner or exhibit minimal optical distortion. Embodiments of vehicles including such laminates and methods for making such laminates are also disclosed.

Embodiments of a laminate including a first curved glass substrate comprising a first viscosity (poises) at a temperature of 630? C.; a second curved glass substrate comprising a second viscosity that is greater than the first viscosity at a temperature of 630? C.; and an interlayer disposed between the first curved glass substrate and the second curved glass substrate, are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, the first curved glass substrate exhibits a first sag depth that is within 10% of a second sag depth of the second curved glass substrate. In one or more embodiments, the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate exhibit a shape deviation therebetween of about ?5 mm or less as measured by an optical three-dimensional scanner or exhibit minimal optical distortion. Embodiments of vehicles including such laminates and methods for making such laminates are also disclosed.

A system and process for forming a curved glass laminate article is provided. The process and system utilizes co-sagging of a stack of glass sheets of different thicknesses and different glass materials. During co-sagging the thicker glass layer is placed on top of the thinner glass layer. In this process, shape mismatch is avoided by selecting/controlling the glass materials of the sheets of glass such that the viscosity of the lower, thinner sheet during co-sagging is greater than the viscosity of the thicker glass sheet.

Embodiments of a laminate including a first curved glass substrate comprising a first viscosity (poises) at a temperature of 630? C.; a second curved glass substrate comprising a second viscosity that is greater than the first viscosity at a temperature of 630? C.; and an interlayer disposed between the first curved glass substrate and the second curved glass substrate, are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, the first curved glass substrate exhibits a first sag depth that is within 10% of a second sag depth of the second curved glass substrate. In one or more embodiments, the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate exhibit a shape deviation therebetween of about ?5 mm or less as measured by an optical three-dimensional scanner or exhibit minimal optical distortion. Embodiments of vehicles including such laminates and methods for making such laminates are also disclosed.

Embodiments of a laminate including a first curved glass substrate comprising a first viscosity (poises) at a temperature of 630? C.; a second curved glass substrate comprising a second viscosity that is greater than the first viscosity at a temperature of 630? C.; and an interlayer disposed between the first curved glass substrate and the second curved glass substrate, are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, the first curved glass substrate exhibits a first sag depth that is within 10% of a second sag depth of the second curved glass substrate. In one or more embodiments, the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate exhibit a shape deviation therebetween of about ?5 mm or less as measured by an optical three-dimensional scanner or exhibit minimal optical distortion. Embodiments of vehicles including such laminates and methods for making such laminates are also disclosed.

A method for manufacturing a bent substrate, which forms a bent part in at least a part of a substrate, in which the substrate includes a second region and a first region, the method for manufacturing including: supporting the first region of the substrate on a substrate support surface of a support member including a mold surface having a same curved surface shape as that of the bent part and the substrate support surface that supports the first region, in a state of facing the second region of the substrate to the mold surface; heating the second region of the substrate to soften the second region of the substrate by the heating; placing the second region along the mold surface of the support member by an own weight of the second region; and transferring the curved surface shape of the mold surface to the second region by an external force.

A vacuum mold shuttle system in a glass sheet forming system includes a vacuum mold mounted on a support frame. A shuttle frame including a pair of generally parallel elongate beams for receiving and supporting the mold support frame thereon. A vacuum source is mounted on the shuttle frame near the end of the beams opposite to the end supporting the mold, a conduit and coupling port for releasably connecting the mold to the vacuum source. At least one guide element is mounted on the support surface of one of the beams for receiving and fixing the position of the mold support frame relative to the shuttle frame to align and prevent movement of the mold support frame with respect to the shuttle frame in any direction as the mold support frame is supported thereon.