A hot glass sheet processing system includes a roller conveyor (22) having sintered bonded fused silica rollers (24) and a roller support structure (34) located within a heated location (32) together with an elongated cooling unit (36) having a housing (38) defining a cooling chamber (40) that receives and has bearings (42) that rotatably support an aligned set of roller ends (30) having end caps (86) adhesively bonded to the roller ends. The cooling unit includes a cooling circuit that supplies cooling fluid to the cooling chamber (40) to provide cooling of the aligned set of roller ends (30) and the bearings (42).

A method of continuous processing of flexible glass ribbon having a thickness of no more than 0.35 mm using a glass processing apparatus. The method includes providing the glass processing apparatus having at least three processing zones, including a first processing zone, a second processing zone and a third processing zone. The flexible glass ribbon is continuously fed from the first processing zone, through the second processing zone to the third processing zone. The feed rate of the flexible glass ribbon is controlled through each of the first processing zone, the second processing zone and the third processing zone using a global control device. Lateral position of the flexible glass ribbon is controlled through the second processing zone using a multi-axis steering apparatus comprising a first roller set and a second roller set, located downstream of the first roller set.

A glass heating furnace is disclosed, comprising a furnace body, an interior of which is formed with a chamber; plural upper heating elements which are disposed in the chamber; plural lower heating elements, which are disposed in the chamber and are located oppositely below the upper heating elements; plural rollers, which are disposed in the chamber and are locate between the upper heating elements and the lower heating element to carry glass to be heated up; and a roller power module, which is disposed outside the furnace body and is connected with the rollers. The rollers are controlled by the roller power module to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise, driving glass to displace along a transversal direction. In addition, the upper heating elements and the lower heating elements are arranged in the chamber alternatingly and asymmetrically at an upper and lower position.

A glass heating furnace is disclosed, comprising a furnace body, an interior of which is formed with a chamber; plural upper heating elements which are disposed in the chamber; plural lower heating elements, which are disposed in the chamber and are located oppositely below the upper heating elements; plural rollers, which are disposed in the chamber and are locate between the upper heating elements and the lower heating element to carry glass to be heated up; and a roller power module, which is disposed outside the furnace body and is connected with the rollers. The rollers are controlled by the roller power module to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise, driving glass to displace along a transversal direction. In addition, the upper heating elements and the lower heating elements are arranged in the chamber alternatingly and asymmetrically at an upper and lower position.

A glass heating furnace is disclosed. The glass heating furnace allows glass to be heated up more uniformly, which reduces effectively the formation of the thermal stress marks on the glass. The glass heating furnace uses primarily a roller power module to control the rollers to displace reciprocatively, allowing the glass to be heated up uniformly and reducing significantly the formation of the thermal stress marks in the heating process of the glass, through the reciprocative displacement of the rollers. A glass is made by the glass heating furnace. The glass displaces in a chamber of the glass heating furnace along an S-shaped moving path or an 8-shaped moving path.

A method for the continuous production of a cellular ceramic plate having asymmetric cells comprising thermally treating ceramic particles and a blowing agent in a foaming furnace while conveying said ceramic particles and said blowing agent at a first speed thereby forming a cellular ceramic plate, and annealing said cellular ceramic plate in an annealing lehr by cooling it down while conveying it at a second speed, larger than said first speed, thereby stretching and cooling said cellular ceramic plate.

A hot glass sheet processing system includes a conveyor roller support structure (34) located within a heated location (32) and has an elongated cooling unit (36) having a housing (38) defining a cooling chamber (40) that receives and has bearings (42) that rotatably support an aligned set of roller ends (30). The cooling unit includes a cooling circuit that supplies cooling fluid to the cooling chamber (40) to provide cooling of the aligned set of roller ends (30) and the bearings (42).

A hot glass sheet processing system includes a roller conveyor (22) having sintered bonded fused silica rollers (24) and a roller support structure (34) located within a heated location (32) together with an elongated cooling unit (36) having a housing (38) defining a cooling chamber (40) that receives and has bearings (42) that rotatably support an aligned set of roller ends (30) having end caps (86) adhesively bonded to the roller ends. The cooling unit includes a cooling circuit that supplies cooling fluid to the cooling chamber (40) to provide cooling of the aligned set of roller ends (30) and the bearings (42).

A system (10) for forming glass sheets includes a glass location sensing assembly (80) having a fluid switch (82) that is actuated by a roller conveyed glass sheet (G) to control operation of transfer apparatus (69) that transfers the glass sheet from the roller conveyor (22) to a forming mold (48) at a design position for forming. A frame of the sensing assembly (80) supports a carriage (124) on which the fluid switch (82) is mounted for lateral movement with respect to the direction of conveyance of the glass sheet (G) so as to sense its leading extremity. A lateral positioner (130) adjusts the lateral position of the carriage (124) and the fluid switch (82) mounted on the carriage.

A device for bending sheets of glass running between a bed of upper rolls and a bed of lower rolls forming a shaping bed that pinches the sheets as they run, the shaping bed being disposed in a path having a curved profile in the running direction of the sheets of glass, the shaping bed including at least one roll of what is known as the rod/sheath type including a fixed metal rod preformed in a curved profile lengthwise and a flexible sheath that is able to rotate about the rod, the sheath being rotated about the rod. The roll of the rod/sheath type may include a metal rod preformed in a curved profile lengthwise and a flexible sheath that is able to rotate about the rod, the sheath including a first envelope made of a polymer material and a second envelope made of a flexible metal material disposed around the first envelope, the first and the second envelope rotating together as one.