A mold has a sealing surface bearing a sealing profile. A plenum has a sealing surface bearing a sealing profile. The mold and plenum together form an apparatus for reforming a sheet material. In the closed position of the apparatus, the sealing profile of the mold is in opposing relation to the sealing profile of the plenum and the sealing profiles of the mold and plenum together define a profiled sealing gap. When the sheet material is wedged into the profiled sealing gap, a direct seal will be formed between the sheet material and each of the mold and plenum, resulting in two forming areas within the apparatus.

A mold has a sealing surface bearing a sealing profile. A plenum has a sealing surface bearing a sealing profile. The mold and plenum together form an apparatus for reforming a sheet material. In the closed position of the apparatus, the sealing profile of the mold is in opposing relation to the sealing profile of the plenum and the sealing profiles of the mold and plenum together define a profiled sealing gap. When the sheet material is wedged into the profiled sealing gap, a direct seal will be formed between the sheet material and each of the mold and plenum, resulting in two forming areas within the apparatus.

An apparatus and method for wafer-level hermetic packaging of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) devices of different shapes and form factors is presented in this disclosure. The method is based on bonding a glass cap wafer with fabricated micro-glassblown bubble-shaped structures to the substrate glass/Si wafer. Metal traces fabricated on the substrate wafer serve to transfer signals from the sealed cavity of the bubble to the outside world. Furthermore, the method provides for chip-level packaging of MEMS three dimensional structures. The packaging method utilizes a micro glass-blowing process to create bubbleshaped glass lids. This new type of lids is used for vacuum packaging of three dimensional MEMS devices, using a standard commercially available type of package.

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 system for levitating a softened, viscous or viscoelastic material by near field acoustic levitation. The system includes a support structure having a rigid surface, and a vibration generator operatively connected to the rigid surface. The vibration generator transmits acoustic waves to the rigid surface at a frequency and an amplitude sufficient to vibrate the rigid surface and create a gas squeeze film between the material and the rigid surface. The gas squeeze film has a pressure greater than ambient air pressure and sufficient to levitate the material. The system is particularly suited for transporting, forming, or casting heated glass. Also disclosed are methods for transporting, forming, and casting heated glass using near field acoustic levitation.

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a processed member including removing a first uplift portion from a plate member containing the first uplift portion and a support portion connecting to the first uplift portion, in which the plate member includes a first main surface and a second main surface, the first uplift portion is a projection portion in the first main surface and a portion in the second main surface, corresponding to the projection portion is a recess portion, and the first uplift portion has a line shape in a top view.

The present invention provides for a method and apparatus for bending multiple sheet of thin glass at the same time on a single set of molds. Multiple sheets of thin glass are stacked onto a full surface female mold. A partial surface male mold is placed onto the thin glass stack. The male mold serves to hold the edges in place and prevents the formation of wrinkles as the glass is heated and sags to conform to the shape of the female mold. Optionally, the top mold can be enclosed and pressurized to provide a pneumatic pressure assist to form the glass. In addition, the bottom mold can be enclosed to allow for vacuum assist to form the glass.

A laminated includes two bent glass substrates, a polymer interlayer between the glass substrates, and a notch or orifice cut in an entire thickness of the glazing. The glazing includes a border of compressive edge stresses obtained by general controlled cooling of the substrates in a paired state so that compressive stresses are generated at the border, and a local compression zone, different from the border, and obtained by local controlled cooling of a local area of a main surface of the glazing so that compressive stresses are generated in theid local compression zone. The notch or orifice is located in the local compression zone and made in the substrates in a paired state after forming the local compression zone so that cut contours of the substrates in the notch or orifice have a perfect superposition. The compressive edge stresses of the cut contours are greater than 4 MPa.

A method for manufacturing a curved glass sheet is provided. The method includes: providing a mold and a furnace; placing the mold in the furnace, the mold including a first mold, a second mold, and a mold core, the first mold defining a receiving space; a bottom surface in the receiving space defining at least one guiding groove, a bottom surface in the at least one guiding groove defining at least one air outlet, the mold core defining a mold cavity and a plurality of micro-holes; placing a raw glass sheet on the second mold; controlling a temperature in the furnace to heat the raw glass sheet; extracting air in the receiving space of the mold via the at least one outlet, to force the raw glass sheet to bend until contacting a bottom surface in the mold cavity; and cooling the mold to form a curved glass sheet.

A method for manufacturing a laminated glass panel, which includes at least two glass substrates and at least one intermediate layer made of a polymeric material arranged between the substrates, the method including in the following order: the bending of the substrates; the controlled cooling of the substrates; and the formation of a laminated assembly that includes the substrates and the intermediate layer; the cutting of the laminated assembly straight through the entire thickness thereof along a line on one of the main surfaces thereof, the controlled cooling including general controlled cooling and local controlled cooling of an area that includes the cutting line, the local controlled cooling being faster than the general controlled cooling.