DEVICE FOR PROCESSING GLASS MEMBER

Abstract

A method of processing a glass member having a portion to be heated to a processable temperature uses a device configured such that at least a portion of the device to come into contact with the heated portion of the glass member is formed of an impregnated graphite material.

Claims

1. A method for processing a glass member, comprising: heating at least a portion of the glass member to a processable temperature; and using a device to process the glass member, a portion of the device being brought into contact with a predetermined portion of the glass member heated to the processable temperature for processing of the glass member, wherein at least the portion of the device to be brought into contact with the predetermined portion of the glass member heated to the processable temperature being formed of an impregnated graphite material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the impregnated graphite material is a glassy carbon impregnated graphite material.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device is a roller, a mandrel, or a bottom plate to produce a glass container by forming the glass member.

4. A method for manufacturing a glass container comprising using a device to manufacture the glass container, at least a portion of the device which comes into contact with a heated portion of a glass member being formed of an impregnated graphite material, the glass member being a glass tube, wherein the method comprises: heating a portion of the glass tube to a processable temperature, and pivotally rotating at least one of the glass tube and the device so that the glass tube and the device are rotated relatively in opposite directions while pressing a portion of the impregnated graphite material of the device against the heated portion of the glass tube.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the impregnated graphite material is a glassy carbon impregnated graphite material.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the device is a roller, a mandrel, or a bottom plate to produce a glass container by forming the glass member.

7. A glass container manufactured by the method according to claim 4.

8. A glass member processing apparatus comprising: a device for processing a glass member, at least a portion of glass member to be heated to a processable temperature, wherein at least a portion of the device which is to come into contact with the heated portion of the glass member is formed of an impregnated graphite material.

9. A glass member processing system comprising the glass member processing apparatus according to claim 8.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 schematically shows a method of manufacturing a glass container by forming a glass member while using a device according to the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 2 schematically shows a state in which a mandrel of the device according to the present invention is inserted from a lower end of a glass member, and the device and the glass member are pivotally rotated while a flange portion inside of the glass member is in contact with a mandrel so as to process the inside of the flange portion.

EMBODIMENTS FOR CARRYING OUT INVENTION

[0029] Next, with reference to the drawings, the device for processing, particularly forming, a glass member of the first aspect according to the present invention will be mainly described. Basically, the present inventions of the other aspects are characterized by comprising or using such device. Therefore, by describing the device according to the present invention, those skilled in the art can easily understand the present inventions of the other aspects.

[0030] FIG. 1 schematically shows a method of processing a glass member in steps while using the device of the present invention, that is, a method of forming a glass member to manufacture a glass container for each process. In the illustrated embodiment, the process of producing a glass container 10′ is shown in steps wherein the device 14 of the present invention is brought into contact with one open end 12 of the glass member 10 to provide a mouth portion 12′ having a shoulder portion 16 and a flange portion 18 at the edge of the shoulder portion 16 so that the glass container 10′ is produced. It is noted that the right halves of the glass members 10 are schematically shown in their cross-sectional views.

[0031] In the step of FIG. 1(a), the heated glass member 10 is preformed. The device of the present invention in the form of a roller 14-1 (which is also referred to as a supplemental forming roller (1)) and the glass member 10 are constituted such that at least one of them is rotated so as to pivotally rotate them in the opposite directions with each other as shown with the arrows while the device 14-1 is brought into contact with one end 12 of the glass member 10 heated in advance to the processable temperature. It is noted that only one roller device 14-1 is shown, but it is preferable that the roller device is located on each side of the glass member 10 as a pair (that is, the one device is located away from the other by 180 degrees about the axis of the glass member). In other embodiment, three or more devices may be used which are located separately by an equal angle about the axis of the glass member (for example, three rollers which are located separately by 120° about the axis of the glass member). By processing the glass member 10 (that is, deforming the glass member) as shown in FIG. 1(a), a shoulder portion 16 is formed at the end portion 12, and also a flange portion 18′ which is in its preliminary stage is formed.

[0032] As can be readily understood, the device 14-1 of the present invention is in the overall form wherein a truncated cone portion and two disk-shaped portions (including a connecting portion between these portions) connected to the bottom surface of the truncated cone portion are integrated, and a portion of the device which portion comes into contact with the heated end portion 12 of the glass member 10 is formed of the impregnated graphite material, for example a glassy carbon impregnated graphite material. That is, at least an outer circumferential surface of the roller 14-1 (that is, the side surface of the truncated cone portion and the side surfaces of the two disk-like portions and the connecting portion between them) is formed of the impregnated graphite material. In the shown embodiment, the surface of the roller device 14-1 which surface comes in contact with the glass member 10 is a side surface portion of the truncated cone portion, and such contacting surface of the roller device may be such that a curved surface of which line corresponding to the generatrix of the side surface is curved.

[0033] In the step of FIG. 1(b), after the step (a), the vicinity of the flange portion 18′ of which temperature has been lowered is heated to a processable temperature by the burner 20. In the step of FIG. 1(c), a pair of rollers 14-2 (which is also referred to as supplemental forming rollers (2)) in other embodiment of the present invention and the flange portion 18′ are pivotally rotated as in FIG. 1(a) for further preforming while the rollers 14-2 are in contact with the vicinity of the heated flange portion 18′ outside the flange portion 18′. The device 14-2 of the present invention is in the form wherein three disk-like portions of which diameters are different are integrally stacked, and similarly to the device 14-1, a portion of the device which comes into contact with the heated flange portion 18′ is made of the impregnated graphite material, for example a glassy carbon impregnated graphite material. That is, at least the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper two disk-like portions (i.e., the side surfaces of the disk-like portions) of the rollers 14-2, and a peripheral upper surface of the lower disk-like portion which comes in contact with at least the edge of the flange portion 18′ (that is, the opening surface 19 of the glass member) are made of the impregnated graphite material.

[0034] In the step of FIG. 1(d), after the step (c), the flange portion 18′ is again heated to the processable (or workable) temperature by the burner 22. In the step of FIG. 1(e), the heated flange portion 18′ is formed for its finishing. Rollers 14-3 (which are also referred to as finish forming rollers) of the present invention which are in the same forms as in the embodiment of FIG. 1(c) and the flange portion 18′ are pivotally rotated as in FIG. 1(c) while the rollers 14-3 are in contact with the heated flange portion 18′. The device 14-3 of the present invention is also in the form wherein three disk-like portions of which diameters are different are stacked. Similarly to the device 14-2, a portion of this device which portion comes into contact with the heated flange portion 18′ is made of the impregnated graphite material, for example, a glassy carbon impregnated graphite material.

[0035] That is, at least the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper two disk-like portions (i.e., the side surfaces of the disk-like portions) of the rollers 14-3, and a peripheral upper surface of the lower disk-like portion which comes in contact with at least the edge of the flange portion 18′ (that is, the opening surface 19 of the glass member) are made of the impregnated graphite material. When processed as shown in FIG. 1(e), the flange portion 18′ shown in FIG. 1(d) having a chamfered round edge is deformed into the form of the flange portion 18 having an angled portion.

[0036] Although not shown in FIG. 1, for example, when the glass member 10 is processed as shown in FIGS. 1(a), 1(c) and/or 1(e), a mandrel 24 as the device of the present invention may be inserted upward (as shown by the arrow) from the opening 19 at the lower end of the glass member 10 into the inside thereof as schematically shown in FIG. 2 (which schematically shows the state of FIG. 1(c)), followed by pivotally rotating them as shown with the arrows while the mandrel 24 as the device of the present invention is in contact with the inside of the flange portion 18′ of the glass member 10 so as to process the glass member 10, especially the inside of the flange portion. In this embodiment, at least a portion, preferably a whole of the outer peripheral portion of the mandrel (that is, a side surface portion of the mandrel) which comes into contact with the inside of the flange portion is made of the impregnated graphite material, for example a glassy carbon impregnated graphite material.

[0037] For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, when the roller 14-1 is used, a mandrel may be inserted into the inside of the glass member 10 as an supplemental forming shaft (1) 24 so as to process the glass member. In addition to or alternatively to this, when the rollers 14-2 are used, a mandrel may be inserted into the inside of the glass member 10 as an supplemental forming shaft (2) so as to process the glass member. In addition to or alternatively to this, when the rollers 14-3 are used, a mandrel may be inserted into the inside of the glass member 10 as a supplemental finishing shaft so as to process the glass member.

[0038] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it is explained that all of the three kinds of the rollers (14-1, 14-2 and 14-3) are the devices according to the present invention. It is noted that at least one (for example, the roller 14-3) of the devices which come into contact with and process a heated portion of the glass member may be according to the present invention. Further, in addition to or alternatively to the device(s) of FIG. 1 according to the present invention, when mandrels as shown in FIG. 2 is used as described above, at least one of them may be a device of the present invention.

[0039] Generally, in the production a glass container such as a vial by processing a glass member while using a processing device such as a roller, a mandrel or a bottom plate, when the processing device and the glass member are slid in the opposite directions while the device is pressed against and in contact with the surface of the glass member, the contact surface of the device is generally worn due to the friction with the glass member surface. When producing many glass containers continuously, the surface of the device (for example a surface of the plate) which surface comes into contact with the glass member is roughened. If processing is continued with using such a device, a surface of the glass container is roughened, which lowers the light reflectivity, so that it is necessary to replace the device with a new device.

[0040] In order to suppress the above described friction and improve the slipperiness between the device and the glass member, oil is used. However, when the device according to the present invention is used wherein the impregnated graphite material is used, the number of the glass containers that can be manufactured during a period from the start of using the device up to the time to replace the device with a new one is equivalent to, and in a preferable embodiment, larger than the number of the manufactured glass containers when using a device made of the other kind of material (such a conventional metal, graphite or the like) even though an amount of the oil used is reduced, and in a particularly preferred embodiment, no oil is used in using the device according to the present invention. In other words, the device according to the present invention makes an interval for replacing the device equivalent or longer. Lowering an amount of the oil used simplifies an additional step for removing the oil. When no oil is used, such removing step is not required.

[0041] Although not bound by any particular theory, it can be presumed that the reasons why an amount of the oil to be used is lowered when processing the glass member with the impregnated graphite materials, especially the glassy carbon impregnated graphite are as follows:

[0042] The slipperiness between the glass member and the impregnated graphite material of the device is inherently good, and further the impregnated graphite material wears moderately without excessively wearing in a preferred embodiment. As a result, graphite fine particles generated by wear can exist between the device and the glass member and act as a lubricant. Even if the graphite fine particles are attached to the glass container, an amount of the particles is very small, and they are burnt off at the temperature of the post-processing of the glass container (for example, annealing) so that substantially no adverse effect is caused on the produced glass container.

EXAMPLE

[0043] Using the apparatus and the steps as shown in FIG. 1, a glass member formed from a glass tube was formed to produce a vial as a glass container. It is note that the rollers 14-1 and 14-2 in the steps (a) and (d) in FIG. 1 were metal rollers, respectively, and the devices according to the present invention were used as the rollers 14-3 in the step FIG. 1(e). In any of the steps in which the roller(s) was used, a forming shaft was used as the mandrel while inserting the shaft into the inside of the glass member. The details of the production are as follows: [0044] Roller 14-1: supplemental forming (preforming) roller (1) [0045] substrate: stainless steel (S45C) [0046] with lubricant oil used [0047] Supplemental forming (preforming) shaft (1) [0048] substrate: stainless steel (S45C) [0049] with lubricant oil used [0050] Roller 14-2: supplemental forming (preforming) roller (2) [0051] substrate: stainless steel (S45C) [0052] surface treatment: Non [0053] with lubricant oil used [0054] Supplemental forming (preforming) shaft (2) [0055] substrate: stainless steel (S45C) [0056] surface treatment: Non [0057] with lubricant oil used [0058] Roller 14-3: finish forming (final forming) roller [0059] (device according to the present invention) [0060] substrate: ET-10 (graphite, IBIDEN Co., Ltd.) [0061] surface treatment: glassy carbon impregnated graphite (VGI: registered trademark of IBIDEN Co., Ltd.) [0062] without lubricant oil used [0063] Finishing forming (final forming) shaft [0064] substrate: stainless steel (S45C) [0065] with lubricant oil used [0066] Glass tube (made of borosilicate glass): [0067] Diameter 24.5 mm, wall thickness: 1.2 mm [0068] Produced vial: diameter 24.5 mm×height 50 mm capacity 10 mL

[0069] As shown in FIG. 1(a), one end 12 of the glass member 10 heated to a processable temperature (about 800° C.) was brought into contact with the supplemental forming roller (1) 14-1 while a supplemental shaft (1) 24 was inserted into the glass member so as to supplementarily form the shoulder portion 16. In this step, the glass member was pivotally rotated. Further, a lubricant oil was deposited on the both surfaces of the roller 14-1 and the shaft 24.

[0070] Then, after the vicinity of the shoulder periphery was heated to the processable temperature (about 800° C.) as shown in FIG. 1(b), the supplemental forming rollers (2) 14-2 were brought into contact with the flange portion 18′ while inserting a supplemental forming shaft (2) into the glass member 10 so as to supplementarily form (or preform) the mouth portion 12′. In this step, the glass member was pivotally rotated. Further, the lubricant oil was deposited on the both surfaces of the rollers and the shaft (2).

[0071] Next, as shown in FIG. 1(d), after the vicinity of the supplementarily formed shoulder portion was heated to the processable temperature (about 800° C.) again as shown in FIG. 1(d), the finishing forming rollers 14-3 were brought into contact with the glass member while inserting a finish forming shaft into the glass member as shown in FIG. 1(e) so as to finish-form the shoulder portion and flange portion 18. In this step, the glass member was pivotally rotated. Further, the lubricant oil was deposited on the surface of the finish forming shaft, but not deposited on the surfaces of the rollers.

Comparative Example

[0072] The above Example was repeated except that the finish forming rollers (which correspond to the devices 14-3) were made of a stainless steel (substrate made of S45C), and oil was deposited on the surfaces of the rollers.

Test Examples

[0073] As to the vials obtained in the Example and the vials obtained in the Comparative Example, imaging tests and surface roughness measurements were carried out as follows:

Imaging Test

[0074] A plate on which evenly separated lines were drawn each having a thickness of 0.25 pt was prepared. Such plate was disposed behind the obtained vial, and an image of the lines was obtained with an optical camera which image can be seen through a side surface of the flange portion of the vial. The obtained image of the lines was estimated as to the distortion and also the sharpness of the lines of the image. It is noted that the estimation was carried out for each of the vials produced in the Example and the Comparative Example.

[0075] As a result, the lines on the plate disposed behind the plate which were seen through the side surface of the flange portion of the vial of the Example were clearly sharper, and also their distortions of the lines were smaller when compared with those in the case of the Comparative Example.

Surface Roughness

[0076] Using a surface roughness measuring machine (SURFTEST SJ-500, manufactured by Mitutoyo Corporation), the surface roughness (arithmetic mean roughness: Ra) on the outer side surface of the flange portion of the manufactured vial was measured. The measurement was carried out three times for each of the vials produced in the Example and the Comparative Example. The results are shown in Table 1 below:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Average value of Ra (mm) Vial of Example 0.040 Vial of Comparative Example 0.065

[0077] Furthermore, the state near the flange portion was visually observed. Compared with the vial produced in the Comparative Example, the vial produced in the Example had less wrinkles or horizontal streaks on the open end surface and the flange portion, so that the obtained vial had a glossy open end surface. This means that the smoothness of such portions is improved.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0078] With the device, the processing method and the like according to the present invention as described above, the glass containers, for example, the vials can be produced by the simplified method, and also the produced glass containers, for example, the vials have better smoothness. Therefore, when the device of the present invention is used for forming the glass containers, for example, the vials, the smoothness of the portions formed by using the device is improved, so that when the glass containers, for example, vials are optically inspected, the light transmittance on their open surfaces and the flange portions is improved. As a result, in the automatic inspection process, the rate of off-specification glass containers due to insufficient smoothness of the glass containers, for example, the vials is reduced, that is, the rate of the false inspection is reduced. Therefore, the detection accuracy during the inspection of the glass containers, for example, the vials is improved.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES

[0079] 10: glass member, 10′: glass container,

[0080] 12: one end, 12′: mouth portion

[0081] 14: device of the present invention (roller),

[0082] 16: shoulder portion, 18, 18′: flange portion,

[0083] 19: opening, 20, 22: burner,

[0084] 24: mandrel