Apparatus and method for producing elongated glass components with low bow. The apparatus may include a heating element to heat a bulk glass component where a strand may be drawn from the bulk glass component in a downward direction and a gripper device including a clamping element to support the strand while pulling or drawing it from the bulk glass component in a linear motion, and a low-friction mounting element attached to the clamping element which allows translational movement of the clamping element in an x-y plane. The gripper device may further be used to reduce bow in the strand while it is being drawn by moving the clamping element on the mounting element in a direction opposite the direction of any measured transverse acceleration.

A fiber optic imaging element includes medium-expansion and a fabrication method including: (1) matching a core glass rod with a cladding glass tube to perform mono fiber drawing; (2) arranging the mono fibers into a mono fiber bundle rod, and then drawing the mono fiber bundle rod into a multi fiber; (3) arranging the multi fiber into a multi fiber bundle rod, and then drawing the multi fiber bundle rod into a multi-multi fiber; (4) cutting the multi-multi fiber, and then arranging the multi-multi fiber into a fiber assembly buddle, then putting the fiber assembly buddle into a mold of heat press fusion process, and performing the heat press fusion process to prepare a block of the fiber optic imaging element with medium-expansion; and (5) edged rounding, cutting and slicing,

Disclosed herein are delamination resistant glass pharmaceutical containers which may include a glass body having a Class HGA1 hydrolytic resistance when tested according to the ISO 720:1985 testing standard. The glass body may have an interior surface and an exterior surface. The interior surface of the glass body does not comprise a boron-rich layer when the glass body is in an as-formed condition. A heat-tolerant coating may be bonded to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the glass body. The heat-tolerant coating may have a coefficient of friction of less than about 0.7 and is thermally stable at a temperature of at least 250° C. for 30 minutes.

Disclosed herein are delamination resistant glass pharmaceutical containers which may include a glass body having a Class HGA1 hydrolytic resistance when tested according to the ISO 720:1985 testing standard. The glass body may have an interior surface and an exterior surface. The interior surface of the glass body does not comprise a boron-rich layer when the glass body is in an as-formed condition. A heat-tolerant coating may be bonded to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the glass body. The heat-tolerant coating may have a coefficient of friction of less than about 0.7 and is thermally stable at a temperature of at least 250° C. for 30 minutes.

Disclosed herein are delamination resistant glass pharmaceutical containers which may include a glass body having a Class HGA1 hydrolytic resistance when tested according to the ISO 720:1985 testing standard. The glass body may have an interior surface and an exterior surface. The interior surface of the glass body does not comprise a boron-rich layer when the glass body is in an as-formed condition. A heat-tolerant coating may be bonded to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the glass body. The heat-tolerant coating may have a coefficient of friction of less than about 0.7 and is thermally stable at a temperature of at least 250° C. for 30 minutes.

Disclosed herein are delamination resistant glass pharmaceutical containers which may include a glass body having a Class HGA1 hydrolytic resistance when tested according to the ISO 720:1985 testing standard. The glass body may have an interior surface and an exterior surface. The interior surface of the glass body does not comprise a boron-rich layer when the glass body is in an as-formed condition. A heat-tolerant coating may be bonded to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the glass body. The heat-tolerant coating may have a coefficient of friction of less than about 0.7 and is thermally stable at a temperature of at least 250° C. for 30 minutes.

Methods of forming a glass tube are described. In one embodiment, the method includes heating a glass boule to a temperature above a glass transition temperature of the glass boule, drawing the glass tube from the glass boule in a vertically downward direction, and flowing a pressurized gas through a channel of the glass boule as the glass tube is drawn. The glass boule includes an outer surface defining an outer diameter of the glass boule and a channel extending through the glass boule defining an inner diameter of the glass boule. Drawing the glass tube decreases the outer diameter of the glass boule to an outer diameter of the glass tube and flowing the pressurized gas through the channel increases the inner diameter of the glass boule to an inner diameter of the glass tube. Glass boules, glass tubes, and apparatuses for making the same are also described.

Methods of forming a glass tube are described. In one embodiment, the method includes heating a glass boule to a temperature above a glass transition temperature of the glass boule, drawing the glass tube from the glass boule in a vertically downward direction, and flowing a pressurized gas through a channel of the glass boule as the glass tube is drawn. The glass boule includes an outer surface defining an outer diameter of the glass boule and a channel extending through the glass boule defining an inner diameter of the glass boule. Drawing the glass tube decreases the outer diameter of the glass boule to an outer diameter of the glass tube and flowing the pressurized gas through the channel increases the inner diameter of the glass boule to an inner diameter of the glass tube. Glass boules, glass tubes, and apparatuses for making the same are also described.

An apparatus (100) for making glass tubing (200) of a desired non-circular cross-sectional profile (cf FIG. 3) includes a mandrel (101) adapted for positioning proximate heat-softened tubing. The mandrel (101) has a nose (102) and a nozzle section (120) with a chosen profile that will define a final cross-sectional profile of the tubing. The nozzle section (120) has a feed chamber (140) for receiving a gas from a source (207) and a porous and/or foraminous circumferential surface (132,134) through which the gas can be discharged to an exterior of the mandrel. The gas discharges to the exterior of the mandrel, forming a film of pressurized gas in the gap (314, 318) between the porous circumferential surface (132,134) and the heat-softened tubing (200). A method of forming tubing having a non-circular cross-sectional profile using the apparatus is also provided. A glass sleeve made from the reshaped or formed tubing is also disclosed: a monolithic sleeve made of parallel, opposite, flat and smooth front and back covers for use in an electronic device (cf FIG. 13). Some glass-ceramic materials may also be suitable for the tubing, such as transparent beta spodumene.

Disclosed herein are delamination resistant glass pharmaceutical containers which may include an aluminosilicate glass having a Class HGA 1 hydrolytic resistance when tested according to ISO 720-1985 testing standard. The glass containers may also have a compressive stress layer with a depth of layer of greater than 25 μm. A surface compressive stress of the glass containers may be greater than or equal to 350 MPa. The delamination resistant glass pharmaceutical containers may be ion exchange strengthened and the ion exchange strengthening may include treating the delamination resistant glass pharmaceutical container in a molten salt bath for a time less than or equal to 5 hours at a temperature less than or equal to 450° C.