According to an aspect of the disclosure, a glass manufacturing system includes a hot-end subsystem, including: a submerged combustion melter that melts feedstock to produce molten glass; a stiller that receives the molten glass from the submerged combustion melter and that includes a stilling tank to still the molten glass and that is configured to control outflow of the stilled molten glass to effectively decouple viscosity of the molten glass from the flow rate of the molten glass and thereby control finer molten glass levels; and a finer that is mechanically decoupled from the stiller, and that receives and fines the stilled molten glass to produce fined molten glass. Many other aspects of the system are also disclosed and claimed.

A glass manufacturing apparatus includes a dissolving vessel configured to dissolve a glass raw material to produce a molten glass, a forming vessel configured to form the molten glass into a predetermined shape, and glass supply tubes configured to convey the molten glass from the dissolving vessel to the forming vessel. The glass supply tubes each include a tube body, a flange portion, which is arranged in an outer circumferential portion of the tube body and has first and second parts, an electrode portion arranged in the first part, and a temperature difference setting portion configured to cause a temperature difference between the first and second parts. The temperature difference setting portion sets a temperature of the first part to be higher than that of the second part.

A molten glass transporter includes a carriage frame including upper and lower sides, and a transport cup carried by the carriage frame and including a conduit including an inlet disposed at the upper side of the carriage frame, and an endcap disposed at the lower side of the carriage frame below an outlet end of the conduit. A related method is also disclosed.

A molten glass transporter includes a carriage frame including upper and lower sides, and a transport cup carried by the carriage frame and including a conduit including an inlet disposed at the upper side of the carriage frame, and an endcap disposed at the lower side of the carriage frame below an outlet end of the conduit. A related method is also disclosed.

A molten glass transport system includes rails spaced laterally apart from one another and establishing a cup transport path and cup carriages suspended from the rails and movable back and forth along the cup transport path of the rails. A related method and glass manufacturing system are also disclosed.

A molten glass transport system includes rails spaced laterally apart from one another and establishing a cup transport path and cup carriages suspended from the rails and movable back and forth along the cup transport path of the rails. A related method and glass manufacturing system are also disclosed.

A method includes observing a molten glass gob discharged from a transport cup and adjusting a fluid flow parameter of the transport cup based on an observed characteristic of the discharged glass gob.

A method includes observing a molten glass gob discharged from a transport cup and adjusting a fluid flow parameter of the transport cup based on an observed characteristic of the discharged glass gob.

A molten glass gob delivery guide is disclosed that includes a chute having an upstream end, a downstream end, a rear surface, and a front surface. The chute is comprised of a gas permeable material and is able to accommodate the permeable flow of a permeating gas from the rear surface to the front surface of the chute. When a molten glass gob is conveyed along the chute over the front surface of the chute, the permeating gas flows permeably through the chute to establish a gas cushion that displaces the glass gob away from the front surface of the chute, which creates a thermal break between the glass gob and the chute. In this way, heat loss from the molten glass gob to the chute can be minimized as the gob travels along the chute.

A molten glass gob delivery guide is disclosed that includes a chute having an upstream end, a downstream end, a rear surface, and a front surface. The chute is comprised of a gas permeable material and is able to accommodate the permeable flow of a permeating gas from the rear surface to the front surface of the chute. When a molten glass gob is conveyed along the chute over the front surface of the chute, the permeating gas flows permeably through the chute to establish a gas cushion that displaces the glass gob away from the front surface of the chute, which creates a thermal break between the glass gob and the chute. In this way, heat loss from the molten glass gob to the chute can be minimized as the gob travels along the chute.