A tool for local cooling by contact of a glass sheet at a temperature higher than 450° C., known as a contact tool, includes a contact face suitable for coming into contact with the glass sheet, the tool including an internal pipe for the circulation of a coolant, in particular air. The tool is used in a device for bending and/or cooling a glass sheet, in particular individual, the tool coming into contact with the glass sheet while it is held by a bending tool or by a cooling frame after bending. A compression zone is created that is capable of being drilled to form an edge having compressive stresses.

A process for manufacturing a bent laminated glazing, includes manufacturing a first bent laminated glazing including at least two glass substrates locally comprising, in each of the at least two glass substrates and facing each other in all the at least two glass substrates, a zone including compressive stresses, and cutting the first bent laminated glazing through its entire thickness along a line included in the zone in order to form local cut edges and, after cutting, a second bent laminated glazing with the local cut edges having compressive edge stresses.

A method for forming a flat glass into a glass component, the glass component comprising a base surface and provided with a number of formations for forming surface structural elements that can be felt by a user, is intended to ensure a particularly high mechanical load-bearing capacity of the glass component or moulded part in a particularly simple and reliable manner, even in the case of comparatively complexly configured structural elements. For this purpose, according to the invention, the flat glass is placed in a forming tool on a number of forming plungers corresponding to the intended formations and then heated to soften the material, so that the glass material assumes the contour of the base of the forming tool between the forming plungers for forming the base area.

A tooling for forming a sheet of glass includes a forming die made of electrically conductive material and a heating unit, distant from the forming die. The forming die includes a molding surface, a support to hold a sheet of glass away from and opposite the molding surface, and an induction circuit having an inductor extending in a cavity in the forming die. The heating unit includes a surface configured to produce thermal radiation opposite the molding surface, and an induction circuit having an inductor extending in a cavity of the heating unit. A connector connects the induction circuits to a high-frequency current generator.

A device and method for bending vehicle glass are provided in the disclosure. The device for bending vehicle glass includes a concave solid lower mold, at least one blowing pipe, and multiple extraction pipes. The concave solid lower mold includes a base and a top plate covered on the base. The base and the top plate cooperatively define an accommodating space. Multiple first partitions are arranged in the accommodating space to divide the accommodating space into multiple subspaces. The top plate has a carrying surface that is concave and away from the base. The top plate has multiple through holes that are in communication with the accommodating space and arranged at intervals. Each of the multiple subspaces corresponds to at least one of the multiple through holes.

A system for shaping glass or metal sheets or panels for use in solar collectors or microwave antennae may include an oven and an adjustable mold. The adjustable mold may comprise a molding surface located within the oven. The molding surface may be coupled to position actuators located outside of the oven via coupling elements. A sheet or panel may be placed in the oven and heated until the sheet or panel softens and takes the shape of the molding surface. The molding surface may be adjusted to achieve different shapes for glass or metal sheets or panels.

A method of forming a glass article includes providing a first glass sheet. The first glass sheet is heated to a temperature suitable for shaping. The first glass sheet is deposited on a first bending tool. An edge portion of the first glass sheet is disposed over a shaping surface of the first bending tool. The shaping surface of the first bending tool is configured to provide in the first glass sheet a compression area and a tension area. The first glass sheet is shaped on the first bending tool and the compression area is formed in the edge portion of the first glass sheet. The compression area includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion has a width which is greater than a width of a second portion.

A process and system for forming a curved glass article from a sheet of glass material is provided. The process and system includes supporting a glass sheet on a shaping frame and then heating the sheet of glass material while supported by the shaping frame such that the central region of the sheet of glass material deforms into an open central cavity of the bending frame. The process and/or system are configured such that a steep, localized temperature differential is formed in the region adjacent the outer edge of the glass sheet during the heating stage of the shaping process.

Disclosed herein are systems for shaping glass structures, comprising a shaping mold; a magnetic field generator; and a susceptor plate positioned substantially between the shaping mold and the magnetic field generator. Also disclosed herein are systems for shaping a glass structures, comprising a magnetic field generator comprising at least one induction coil and a one power supply connected to the at least one induction coil; and a susceptor plate having a first surface proximate the at least one induction coil and an opposing second surface proximate the glass structure. Further disclosed herein are methods for heating glass structures, comprising positioning the glass structure on a shaping mold; introducing the shaping mold and glass structure into a furnace; and indirectly heating at least a portion of the glass structure using at least one induction heating source.

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.