Systems for producing articles from glass tube include a converter having a base with a plurality of processing stations and a turret moveable relative to the base. The turret indexes a plurality of holders for holding the glass tubes successively through the processing stations. The systems further include a gas flow system or a suction system for producing a flow of gas through the glass tube during one or more heating, forming, separating or piercing operations. The flow of gas through the glass tube produced by the gas flow system or suction system may be sufficient to evacuate or purge volatile constituents of the glass from the glass tube and/or pierce a meniscus formed on the glass tube during separation, thereby reducing the Surface Hydrolytic Response (SHR) of the interior surface of the glass tube and articles made therefrom.

Systems for producing articles from glass tube include a converter having a base with a plurality of processing stations and a turret moveable relative to the base. The turret indexes a plurality of holders for holding the glass tubes successively through the processing stations. The systems further include a gas flow system or a suction system for producing a flow of gas through the glass tube during one or more heating, forming, separating or piercing operations. The flow of gas through the glass tube produced by the gas flow system or suction system may be sufficient to evacuate or purge volatile constituents of the glass from the glass tube and/or pierce a meniscus formed on the glass tube during separation, thereby reducing the Surface Hydrolytic Response (SHR) of the interior surface of the glass tube and articles made therefrom.

The present disclosure relates to a method and device for cutting glass tubes with a length L from a glass tubing that moves at a feed rate v.sub.1. The glass tubing is investigated for defects with an analytical device. The analytical device determines whether a glass tube to be separated is either defect-free (case 1) or contains defects (case 2). In case 1, a defect-free glass tube of the length L is separated from the glass tubing. In case 2, the device and method of the present disclosure determines a distance L.sub.A in the lengthwise direction between the defect and a free end of the glass tube to be separated. The distance L.sub.A is determined from the portion of the defect at the greatest distance from the free end of the tube. The device and method of the present disclosure then separates a piece of a glass tube or a glass tube that contains defects from the glass tubing at a distance L.sub.S from the free end of the glass tube, as a function of L.sub.A.

A system for producing articles from glass tube includes a converter having a base with a plurality of processing stations and a turret moveable relative to the base. The turret indexes a plurality of holders for holding the glass tubes successively through the processing stations. The system further includes a thermal imaging system that includes a thermal imager coupled to the turret for movement with the turret. The thermal imaging system may also include a mirror coupled to the thermal imager and positioned to reflect infrared light from one of the plurality of holders to the thermal imager. The thermal imaging system may measure one or more characteristics of the glass tube during the conversion process. Processes for controlling the converter using the thermal imaging system to measure one or more process variables are also disclosed.

A system for producing articles from glass tube includes a converter having a base with a plurality of processing stations and a turret moveable relative to the base. The turret indexes a plurality of holders for holding the glass tubes successively through the processing stations. The system further includes a thermal imaging system that includes a thermal imager coupled to the turret for movement with the turret. The thermal imaging system may also include a mirror coupled to the thermal imager and positioned to reflect infrared light from one of the plurality of holders to the thermal imager. The thermal imaging system may measure one or more characteristics of the glass tube during the conversion process. Processes for controlling the converter using the thermal imaging system to measure one or more process variables are also disclosed.

Provided is a cutting method for a tube glass, including: a heating step of heating a preset cut portion (CP) of the tube glass (G2) by radiating laser light (L11) to the preset cut portion (CP); an inner crack region forming step of forming an inner crack region (C1) including one or a plurality of cracks through multiphoton absorption that occurs in an irradiation region of laser light (L12) by radiating the laser light (L12) having a focal point adjusted to an inside of the preset cut portion (CP); and a cooling step of cooling the preset cut portion (CP), to thereby cause the cracks to propagate in the inside of the preset cut portion (CP).

The invention relates to a transportation system for annealing a glass container having a barrel and two extremities, said transportation system including a lath provided with at least two non-metallic inserts, the at least two non-metallic inserts being positioned such that, when a glass container is seated on said transportation system, said glass container is exclusively held by contact between said at least two non-metallic inserts and said barrel in substantially horizontal position which is fixed relative to the lath. The transportation system further includes securing means configured to reversibly firmly secure a clipping portion of said at least two non-metallic inserts into a respective slot of the lath.

Systems for producing articles from glass tube include a converter having a base with a plurality of processing stations and a turret moveable relative to the base. The turret indexes a plurality of holders for holding the glass tubes successively through the processing stations. The systems further include a gas flow system or a suction system for producing a flow of gas through the glass tube during one or more heating, forming, separating or piercing operations. The flow of gas through the glass tube produced by the gas flow system or suction system may be sufficient to evacuate or purge volatile constituents of the glass from the glass tube and/or pierce a meniscus formed on the glass tube during separation, thereby reducing the Surface Hydrolytic Response (SHR) of the interior surface of the glass tube and articles made therefrom.

Systems for producing articles from glass tube include a converter having a base with a plurality of processing stations and a turret moveable relative to the base. The turret indexes a plurality of holders for holding the glass tubes successively through the processing stations. The systems further include a gas flow system or a suction system for producing a flow of gas through the glass tube during one or more heating, forming, separating or piercing operations. The flow of gas through the glass tube produced by the gas flow system or suction system may be sufficient to evacuate or purge volatile constituents of the glass from the glass tube and/or pierce a meniscus formed on the glass tube during separation, thereby reducing the Surface Hydrolytic Response (SHR) of the interior surface of the glass tube and articles made therefrom.

A glass tube cleaning and cutting device includes a glass tube cutting device configured to cut an end portion of a glass tube while the glass tube cutting device rotates the glass tube having a predetermined length about a tube axis of the glass tube and conveys the glass tube in a direction orthogonal to the tube axis, at least one blower configured to blow air into an opening located on a first end portion side of the glass tube, and at least one cutting blade provided at a position opposite to the at least one blower interposing the glass tube therebetween, the at least one cutting blade being configured to impose thermal shock and scratches on an outer circumference surface of a second end portion side of the glass tube to cut the second end portion side of the glass tube.