A molding tool, a method, and an apparatus for hot forming of glass are provided that provide glass products used for pharmaceutical packaging. The molding tool includes a forming mandrel for reshaping at least a portion of a heated region of a glass precursor. The mandrel has a temperature-stable core material and an alloying element. The core material is made of precious metals, in particular of platinum group elements, and the further alloying element is made of one of tungsten, zirconium, rhodium, molybdenum, and rhenium.

A glass molding tool is provided that includes a forming mandrel, a method for forming glass, and to an apparatus for hot forming of glass. The glass products obtained in this way may be used as pharmaceutical packaging. The forming mandrel reshapes at least a portion of a heated region of a glass precursor. The mandrel includes a heat-resistant core material and a diffusion layer that is in contact with the glass precursor during reshaping.

An apparatus for the automated production of glass assemblies includes: a turning machine with at least two spindles, which are rotatable about a common axis of rotation and which each have a workpiece holder, wherein the workpiece holders are arranged opposite one another; one or more gas burners or lasers fixed on a first tool carriage which is movable in parallel and/or perpendicularly to the axis of rotation; one or more drives for driving a rotational movement of the spindles and a movement of the first tool carriage; a pressure module including a pump device at least one working cylinder for applying a pressure to an inner tube and/or to a space between the inner tube and an outer tube; and a control unit configured to control the burners or lasers, one or more drives, the first tool carriage and the pressure module.

An apparatus for the automated production of glass assemblies includes: a turning machine with at least two spindles, which are rotatable about a common axis of rotation and which each have a workpiece holder, wherein the workpiece holders are arranged opposite one another; one or more gas burners or lasers fixed on a first tool carriage which is movable in parallel and/or perpendicularly to the axis of rotation; one or more drives for driving a rotational movement of the spindles and a movement of the first tool carriage; a pressure module including a pump device at least one working cylinder for applying a pressure to an inner tube and/or to a space between the inner tube and an outer tube; and a control unit configured to control the burners or lasers, one or more drives, the first tool carriage and the pressure module.

A tip for being attached to a wrapper containing a smokable substance. The tip includes a tube having a generally cylindrical shape, having two ends each forming an opening at opposite ends of said tube. The openings are fluidly connected to each other by a chamber between the two ends, the chamber and said two ends being axially aligned. A first one of the two ends has a t-shaped opening and a second one of the two ends has a circular opening. The second end has an outside diameter less than an outside diameter of the first end. A method for making the tip is also described.

A tip for being attached to a wrapper containing a smokable substance. The tip includes a tube having a generally cylindrical shape, having two ends each forming an opening at opposite ends of said tube. The openings are fluidly connected to each other by a chamber between the two ends, the chamber and said two ends being axially aligned. A first one of the two ends has a t-shaped opening and a second one of the two ends has a circular opening. The second end has an outside diameter less than an outside diameter of the first end. A method for making the tip is also described.

A glass container production line includes N workstations configured to perform respective production steps on glass containers being processed along the line, wherein Nis an integer at least equal to 1; M heating devices associated with at least a part of the N workstations to heat portions of the glass containers being processed, wherein M is an integer at least equal to 1; wherein the M heating devices respectively comprise M microwave sources and M adjustment units operatively associated with the M microwave sources, each of the M adjustment units being configured to adjust in power the respective microwave source; wherein the M microwave sources are microwave generators of the solid-state type; and wherein the M adjustment units are configured to adjust a power of the respective M microwave sources with an adjustment time of less than 100 ms. An associated glass container production process is also described.

Methods for producing articles from a glass tube include securing a working end of the glass tube in a glass tube holder of a converter having a plurality of processing stations including a heating station and a forming station. An initial length of the glass tube includes a plurality of serial segments, each of the plurality of serial segments corresponding to one article and having an article number. The methods include heating the working end of the glass tube in the heating station, adjusting an amount of heating of the glass tube in the heating station based on the article number at the working end of the glass tube, and forming a feature of the article in the forming station. Adjusting the amount of heating based on the article number reduces variation in tube temperature, article dimensions, or both, from one article number to the next article number.

Methods for producing articles from a glass tube include securing a working end of the glass tube in a glass tube holder of a converter having a plurality of processing stations including a heating station and a forming station. An initial length of the glass tube includes a plurality of serial segments, each of the plurality of serial segments corresponding to one article and having an article number. The methods include heating the working end of the glass tube in the heating station, adjusting an amount of heating of the glass tube in the heating station based on the article number at the working end of the glass tube, and forming a feature of the article in the forming station. Adjusting the amount of heating based on the article number reduces variation in tube temperature, article dimensions, or both, from one article number to the next article number.