A molten material furnace system having a liquid cooled flow control mechanism and method are disclosed. In particular, the flow control mechanism can include a needle including: a longitudinal axis; an outer conduit including an outer base end, an outer body, and an outer free end; an inner conduit including an inner base end, an inner body radially spaced from the outer body, an inner free end, and a central inlet passage extending between the inlet and the inner free end. Also disclosed is a needle control assembly to position the flow control needle relative to a stilling tank outlet orifice to control flow of molten material through the outlet orifice.

In a plunger assembly for forming ribbons of molten glass, at least one extruder plunger is guided in a vertical direction from and towards a tank adapted to contain a mass of molten glass from a guide head carried by a support arm kept fixed during the forming of the bead extruder plunger displaced by alternated cyclic motion with respect to the support arm according a predefined law of motion from one drive unit displaced above the support arm and at least partly above tank.

In a plunger assembly for forming ribbons of molten glass, at least one extruder plunger is guided in a vertical direction from and towards a tank adapted to contain a mass of molten glass from a guide head carried by a support arm kept fixed during the forming of the bead extruder plunger displaced by alternated cyclic motion with respect to the support arm according a predefined law of motion from one drive unit displaced above the support arm and at least partly above tank.

A glass forming machine and a method for manufacturing formed glass parisons. A glass forming machine includes a blank side for forming parisons from gobs of molten glass. The blank side includes a plunger and a blank mould. The plunger can be moved into the blank mould up to an end position. The plunger can be moved out of the blank mould up to a start position. The glass forming machine includes a glass feeding device which is configured to bring a gob of molten glass into the blank mould. The glass forming machine includes a measuring device which is configured to measure the end position of the plunger. The glass feeding device is configured such that the size of a gob of molten glass depends on the end position previously reached during operation. Parisons of good quality can be produced with a bigger tolerance of mould volumina.

A method and apparatus for forming a glass parison are disclosed. The method of forming a glass parison includes flowing molten glass to a glass feeder spout located immediately upstream of a neck ring; feeding molten glass through an annular space established between an orifice ring of the glass feeder spout and a plunger of the glass feeder spout; blowing gas through the plunger into the molten glass to establish an exterior and an interior of the glass parison; and contacting a portion of the exterior of the parison with the neck ring.

A method and apparatus for forming a glass parison are disclosed. The method of forming a glass parison includes flowing molten glass to a glass feeder spout located immediately upstream of a neck ring; feeding molten glass through an annular space established between an orifice ring of the glass feeder spout and a plunger of the glass feeder spout; blowing gas through the plunger into the molten glass to establish an exterior and an interior of the glass parison; and contacting a portion of the exterior of the parison with the neck ring.

A method of loading glass gobs into blank molds includes producing glass gobs falling from laterally spaced orifices along falling gob axes, and receiving the glass gobs into laterally spaced blank molds having blank mold centerlines corresponding to the falling gob axes. A related system is disclosed. Also disclosed is a multiple gob feeder that includes a feeder vessel including outlets with outlet centerlines, and feeder orifices in communication with the feeder vessel and having orifice centerlines coaxial with the outlet centerlines of the outlets of the feeder vessel and establishing gob falling axes and including orifice pipes and orifice tips below the orifice pipes. The orifice pipes include heaters to heat the orifice pipes and the orifice tips include orifice tip heaters to heat the orifice tips.

In a plunger assembly for forming ribbons of molten glass, at least one extruder plunger is guided in a vertical direction from and towards a tank adapted to contain a mass of molten glass from a guide head carried by a support arm kept fixed during the forming of the bead. The extruder plunger is displaced by alternated cyclic motion with respect to the support arm according a predefined law of motion from one drive unit displaced above the support arm and at least partly above the tank.

In a plunger assembly for forming ribbons of molten glass, at least one extruder plunger is guided in a vertical direction from and towards a tank adapted to contain a mass of molten glass from a guide head carried by a support arm kept fixed during the forming of the bead. The extruder plunger is displaced by alternated cyclic motion with respect to the support arm according a predefined law of motion from one drive unit displaced above the support arm and at least partly above the tank.