Methods and systems are provided for automated shaping of a glass sheet. The methods comprise preheating the glass, bending the glass through selective, and focused beam heating through the use of an ultra-high frequency, high-power electromagnetic wave, and computer implemented processes utilizing thermal and shape (positional) data obtained in real-time, and cooling the glass sheet to produce a glass sheet suitable for use in air and space vehicles.

A manufacturing process for realizing increased precision in forming elements using computational masks. Some embodiments include a thermal source that may be computationally patterned, and a subsystem coupled to the course, the subsystem comprising an element that may be computationally patterned.

A frame for supporting a sheet of glass, referred to as a suction frame, includes a contact path for receiving the periphery of the underside face of the sheet of glass, and includes a suction system able to apply suction to the underside face of the sheet in order to enhance the retention of the sheet by the frame. This frame may form part of a device for the hot-bending of the sheet and convey the sheet with high acceleration or deceleration through a heating enclosure for the purposes of the hot-bending of the sheet.

A quench arrangement for quenching glass sheets includes a main quench station having upper and lower main quench heads for performing a primary quench operation on a glass sheet, a first lower secondary quench head located downstream of the main quench station, and a second lower secondary quench head located downstream of the first lower secondary quench head. The arrangement further includes an upper secondary quench system positioned above the first and second lower secondary quench heads, and the upper secondary quench system is cooperable with the lower secondary quench heads to perform further cooling of the glass sheet. The arrangement further includes a conveyor located above the second lower secondary quench head for moving the glass sheet away from the second lower secondary quench head.

A method for bending a glass pane in a furnace, wherein the furnace has an inlet and an outlet, includes providing a glass pane on a mounting, wherein the mounting is preheated, introducing the mounted glass pane into the inlet of the furnace for bending, discharging the bent, mounted glass pane out of the outlet of the furnace, withdrawing the bent, mounted glass pane from the mounting, installing thermal insulation on the mounting, returning the mounting and the thermal insulation using a transport device, removing the thermal insulation prior to renewed mounting, wherein the aforementioned steps are carried out again in a cyclical manner.

The present disclosure relates to a thermoforming method, a thermoforming mold, and a thermoforming device. The method comprises: providing a glass sheet to be processed at a softening point temperature and above; providing a thermoforming mold which comprises a male mold, a female mold arranged above the male mold and matched therewith, and a limiting block for limiting the female mold from deviate from the male mold, wherein the female mold comprises a central body module and a female mold frame surrounding the central body module and matched therewith; a first pressurizing process, wherein the central body module and the male mold are matched to press a central plane portion of the glass sheet; and a second pressurizing process, wherein the female mold frame and the male mold are matched to press a peripheral portion of the glass sheet so that the peripheral portion is bent and molded relative to the central plane portion; wherein the central plane portion is always pressed by the central body module in the second pressurizing process. The method improves the quality of a molded glass product and enhances the manufacturing yield of the glass product.

A glass sheet forming method utilizes first and second upper molds and a lower mold to provide three stage forming. The glass is curved on the upper mold in the first stage but retains straight line elements transverse to the curvature. Transfer of the initially formed glass sheet from the first upper mold to the lower mold then provides the second stage of gravity forming and the glass sheet is then press formed between the second upper mold and the lower mold in the third stage which reduces optical distortion in the central viewing area of the formed glass sheet. In one embodiment the glass sheet is moved horizontally on the lower mold, and in another embodiment the glass sheet is moved horizontally on the first upper mold.

A glass sheet press forming station (32) and method for press forming hot glass sheets with transverse curvature is performed by initially limiting the central forming of a glass sheet (G) between its end portions upon pickup from a roll conveyor to an upper mold (38) and prior to press forming with an associated lower mold (66) to prevent central area optical distortion of the press formed glass sheet.

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.

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).