A tool for local cooling by contact of a glass sheet at a temperature higher than 450 C., known as a contact tool, includes a contact face suitable for coming into contact with the glass sheet, the tool including an internal pipe for the circulation of a coolant, in particular air. The tool is used in a device for bending and/or cooling a glass sheet, in particular individual, the tool coming into contact with the glass sheet while it is held by a bending tool or by a cooling frame after bending. A compression zone is created that is capable of being drilled to form an edge having compressive stresses.

Provided are a glass tempering furnace and method. The glass tempering furnace includes a preheating furnace section, a heating furnace section, and a soaking furnace section. The preheating furnace section is divided into multiple sections along the glass traveling direction. Each section has a smoke suction port and a smoke ejection port. The preheating furnace section is configured to suck smoke from the heating furnace section through the smoke suction port. The smoke ejection port is configured to deliver the sucked smoke to the preheating furnace section. The heating furnace section has multiple infrared burners. Each infrared burner is a porous medium burner. Multiple air ducts are disposed in the soaking furnace section and configured to generate horizontally parallel airflow on the upper and lower surfaces of glass.

A method of shaping a glass sheet includes heating the glass sheet to a temperature for shaping, positioning the glass sheet on a shaping support, and shaping the glass sheet on the shaping support, wherein during the shaping of the glass sheet at least one portion of the glass sheet is deliberately cooled. The shaping of the glass sheet involves press bending a heat softened glass sheet between a lower shaping support and an upper shaping member, wherein during the shaping of the glass sheet on the shaping support only a portion of the major surface of the glass sheet facing the lower shaping support is cooled by directing one or more jets of air onto said portion.