A tool for holding at least one glass pane by means of suction in a bending process, comprising a frame-like, convex contact surface and a cover having a peripheral air guide plate that surrounds the contact surface at least in regions is described. The tool is suitable for generating a first, reduced pressure in a first pressure region between the air guide plate and the contact surface; a second pressure in a second pressure region, which is arranged in a central region inside the contact surface, wherein the second pressure is greater than the first pressure.

A method and device for bending superposed sheets of glass. The sheets are picked up by a top form furnished with a suction creating an upward airflow blowing over the rim of the sheets, the suction being sufficient to lift and hold the superposed sheets against the top form, then the sheets are pressed between the top form and a full surface solid concave bottom form furnished with openings, the pressing beginning conducted while the suction is not yet finished or is finishing, then the superposed sheets are formed, by suction of the main face of the bottom sheet through the openings of the bottom concave mold, the forming by suction beginning while the pressing is not yet finished, and then the sheets are cooled. Windshields free of optical defects may thus be produced.

The present invention relates to a device for bending at least one glass pane, having a lower bending mould with a working surface that is suitable for influencing the shape of at least one glass pane, an upper shaping tool arranged opposite the working surface that is suitable for generating a positive pressure on the surface of the at least one glass pane facing away from the working surface,
where the upper shaping tool has a hollow space with at least one opening oriented toward the lower bending mould and a membrane closing the opening and is equipped with means for introducing a gas into the hollow space in order to deform the membrane in the direction of the lower bending mould and to thus generate the positive pressure.

A battery cover and a method for manufacturing the battery cover are provided. The method includes: selecting a glass sheet; positioning the glass sheet at the first mold to define a sealing chamber with a wall of the groove; placing the second mold over and to cover the glass sheet, wherein the bump faces towards the groove, and the bump is in contact with the glass sheet; heating the first mold, the second mold, and the glass sheet; vacuumizing the sealing chamber to deform the glass sheet to a predetermined shape; deforming the glass sheet to a predetermined shape, wherein the deformed the glass sheet comprises a body and a flange connected to the body to define a battery chamber; cooling the first mold, the second mold, and the glass sheet; and processing the body to make a thickness of the body be less than a thickness of the flange.

Methods of shaping a glass sheet are described comprising heating the glass sheet to a temperature for shaping; positioning the glass sheet on a shaping support; 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. In preferred embodiments, the shaping of the glass sheet involves press bending a heat softened glass sheet between a lower shaping support and an upper shaping member, and 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 jet of air onto said portion.

A process for forming a textured 3-D glass-based substrate includes texturing a first surface of a glass-based substrate and shaping the glass-based substrate into a three-dimensional shape. The surface profile of the substrate is non-planar. In some embodiments, texturing the first surface of the glass-based substrate provides the first surface with an average roughness of 10 nm to 2000 nm.

A head-up display (HUD) mirror that includes a mirror substrate with a first major surface with a concave shape, a second major surface opposite to the first major surface and with a convex shape, and a minor surface connecting the first and second major surfaces. The HUD mirror also a reflective layer disposed on the first major surface. The first major surface has a first surface roughness Ra of 3 nm or less and a peak to valley (PV) roughness of less than 30 nm, and the mirror substrate is a glass or glass-ceramic material.

Proposed are an apparatus and a method of manufacturing a shell for a resonator using a laser. According to the apparatus and method, it is possible to stably manufacture 3D shells for a resonator in various shapes by applying heat through a laser and adjusting the degree of vacuum in a forming frame, it is possible to improve work safety and work efficiency, and it is possible to use various materials that are heated and deformed by a laser other than a glass material, thereby being able to increase generality of manufacturing. In particular, it is possible to accurately implement 3D shapes of a shell for a resonator such as a hemisphere or a semi-toroid, so it is possible to remarkably reduce a defective portion in manufacturing and the manufacturing cost, and considerably improve productivity.

A curved cover glass includes a plate-like glass body having a first surface, a second surface facing the first surface and at least one end face. The plate-like glass body has an average thickness of 5 mm or less. Among tangential directions on the first surface at an arbitrary point, when an X-axis is assumed to be a direction in which a first curvature radius R.sub.1 in cross-section of the first surface in an XZ plane is minimum, the first surface has a curvature part in which the surface is bent in the X-axis direction at least at one point on the first surface. The first curvature radius R.sub.1 is 10,000 mm or less. The curvature part includes at least one opening or concave part extending from the first surface to the second surface.

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.