Device and method for forming glass bodies

Abstract

A device for the shaping of glass bodies, in particular of pharmaceutical vials, comprises a clamping chuck for holding a glass body, a rotary drive for driving the clamping chuck rotatingly, further at least one heat source for heating a glass body held within the clamping chuck, and further a controller which is coupled to the rotary drive so that the clamping chuck can be driven at variable rotational speed.

Claims

1. A device for the forming of glass bodies, comprising a plurality of processing stations, each processing station comprising: a clamping chuck for receiving a glass body; a rotary drive for driving said clamping chuck rotatingly at a rotational speed; a controller being coupled to said rotary drive allowing to control said rotational speed of said rotary drive continuously between a minimum value and a maximum value so that said rotational speed of said rotary drive of said plurality of processing stations are controlled independently from each other; and at least one handling device configured to remove the glass body from one of said plurality of processing stations that performs a first processing step on the glass body and to transfer the glass body to a different one of said plurality of processing stations that performs a different processing step on the glass body, wherein at least one of said plurality of processing stations further comprises at least one heat source for heating the glass body.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said handling device is configured for transferring glass bodies between said processing station while said clamping chucks are driven rotatingly or are at rest.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said heat source is arranged for selectively heating said glass body, and wherein said clamping chuck and said heat source can be positioned in an axial direction with respect to each other.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one heat source is configured as a heat source selected from the group consisting of a burner, a laser, a hot-air nozzle, a resistance-heated gas heater, and an infrared radiator.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said heat source is a substantially particle-free heat source.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller controls said rotational speed of said rotary drive up to a maximum value of at least 10000 rpm.

7. The device of claim 1, which further comprising a shaping body being arranged for advancing against said glass body in a radial direction thereof to assist a bottom forming.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein for transferring glass bodies between selected processing stations the clamping chucks can be stopped to allow for a transfer of the glass bodies while being at a standstill.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising magnetic bearings for holding said clamping chuck rotatingly.

10. A device for the forming of glass bodies, comprising: a clamping chuck for receiving a glass body; a rotary drive for driving said clamping chuck rotatingly at a rotational speed; a controller being coupled to said rotary drive allowing to control said rotational speed of said rotary drive continuously between a minimum value and a maximum value; a shaping body being arranged to advance against the glass body in a radial direction to close a bottom of the glass body; and at least one heat source for selectively heating the glass body received within said clamping chuck, wherein said clamping chuck and said heat source are configured for being positioned in an axial direction with respect to each other.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the controller controls said rotational speed of said rotary drive up to a maximum value of at least 10000 rpm.

12. A device for the forming of a glass body, comprising: a plurality of processing stations, each processing station comprising a clamping chuck for receiving the glass body and a rotary drive for driving said clamping chuck rotatingly at a rotational speed; a controller coupled to said rotary drive of all of said plurality of processing stations, said controller being configured to control the rotational speed of each rotary drive continuously between a minimum value and a maximum value; and at least one handling device configured to remove the glass body from one of said plurality of processing stations and to transfer the glass body to a different one of said plurality of processing stations, wherein said plurality of processing stations comprises at least two processing stations that further comprise at least one heat source for heating the glass body, wherein the rotational speed of said rotary drive of said at least two processing stations is controlled independently from each other, and wherein said controller controls said clamping chucks to a standstill and said at least one handling device is configured to remove and transfer the glass body between said plurality of processing stations only when said clamping chucks are at said standstill.

13. A device for the forming of glass bodies, comprising: a clamping chuck for receiving a glass body; a rotary drive for driving said clamping chuck rotatingly at a rotational speed; a heat source for selectively heating the glass body received within said clamping chuck; a shaping body being arranged to advance against the glass body in a radial direction to from a closed bottom on the glass body and to retract from the glass body after closing said closed bottom; and a controller being coupled to said rotary drive and said shaping body, said controller being configured to increase said rotational speed of said rotary drive after retraction of said shaping body from said closed bottom so that said closed is a flat bottom with even material thickness.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features and advantages of the invention can be taken from the subsequent description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the drawings show:

(2) FIG. 1 a strongly simplified representation of a glass forming machine comprising two processing stations;

(3) FIGS. 2a-d a schematic representation of the different phases of a bottom forming for a pharmaceutical vial;

(4) FIGS. 3a,b a schematic representation of the different phases during the forming of a bypass; and

(5) FIG. 4 a strongly simplified representation of a further device for glass forming, wherein in addition the position of the glass tube with respect to a heat source can be adjusted.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(6) In FIG. 1 a device according to the invention for the forming of glass bodies is shown strongly simplified.

(7) A first station 10 comprises a rotary drive 12 which can be continuously adjusted to a variable rotational speed between 0 and 15000 rpm by means of a controller 20. A clamping chuck 14 is driven by the rotary drive 12 and allows for a clamping of different glass bodies 16 configured as glass tubes. In addition at least one heating device 18 is provided. This can for instance be a burner, a laser, a hot-air nozzle, a resistance-heated gas heater or an infrared radiator, depending on the desired application purpose.

(8) The device further comprises a second station for the glass forming which is configured identical and denoted with 10. Again a clamping chuck 14 can be driven with variable speed by means of a rotary drive 12. Preferably the rotational speed can be continuously adjusted in the range of 0 to 15000 rpm by means of the controller 20.

(9) Depending on the bearings (not shown) that are utilized, also higher rotational speeds may be possible If for instance magnetic bearings are utilized, very high rotational speeds of for instance 25000 rpm can be reached practically wear-free.

(10) For transferring glass bodies 16 between the stations 10, 10 a handling device 22 is provided which here is only depicted exemplarily. The handling device 22 comprises a gripper 24 whereby a glass body 16 can be gripped from outside and can be held at an arm 26. The arm 26 can be translated along a guide 28 so that by means of the handling device 22 glass bodies 16 can be inserted into the clamping chuck 14 of the first station 10, can be removed therefrom and can also be transferred to the clamping chuck 14 of the second station 10.

(11) Of course the device may comprise further stations. Herein only two stations 10, 10 and an assigned handling device 22 are shown exemplarily. For a transfer between the stations 10, 10 the rotational speed can be lowered to zero so that the risk of a damage of the glass bodies during the transfer is considerably reduced.

(12) In the following with reference to FIGS. 2a to 2d the different stations are further explained with respect to a bottom forming of a pharmaceutical vial according to the invention.

(13) Pharmaceutical flasks (also commonly designated as vials) must fulfill high requirements with respect to the quality of the glass bodies and in particular also with respect to the freeness of residuals. Pharmaceutical vials usually are prepared from borosilicate glass. During the forming of a borosilicate glass at the normal forming temperatures which usually are between about 1100 C. and 1200 C., depending from the temperature and time of heating, evaporation losses in particular in the form of boron oxide or sodium may result which affect the quality of the pharmaceutical vials adversely and also may lead to precipitates on the inner surfaces of the glass vials which is also unfavorable. These problems with the bottom forming according to the invention can partially be avoided or at least reduced. Also in total the course of processing is simplified.

(14) According to the bottom forming of pharmaceutical vials according to the invention it is acted as follows:

(15) In the beginning a glass tube 16 is heated at its outer end 30 by means of a burner 18 so that the glass end is adjusted to a viscosity of about 10.sup.3 to 10.sup.5, preferably to about 10.sup.4 dPas. Depending on the glass type this temperature T.sub.4 is about 1100 to 1200 C. Now the rotational speed is reduced from initially for instance 600 rpm to for instance about 50 to 100 rpm.

(16) During continuous heating and slow rotation of the glass tube 16 now a shaping body 36, which may be configured as shaping roll, is advanced against the end of the glass tube 16, as depicted in FIG. 2a by means of the arrow 38. The end of the glass tube is deformed towards the rotational axis 32 by the shaping body 36, as depicted in FIG. 2b. A tapering at the end 30 of the glass tube 16 results. During further slow rotation of the glass tube 16 and further heating the shaping body 36 is further advanced towards the direction of the axis of rotation 32, as depicted in FIG. 2c. Finally the end of the glass tube 16 by means of the surface tension closes so that a closed bottom 40 results, as depicted in FIG. 2d. The shaping body 36 may now be retracted.

(17) Now the bottom 40 can be evenly formed by a further variation of the rotational speed, usually by an increase in the rotational speed. At higher rotational speed the centrifugal forces increase so that more material is urged to the outside, while at lower rotational speed more material accumulates in the center. In this way by a suitable adjustment of the rotational speed a flat forming of the bottom with even material thickness can be effected.

(18) In FIGS. 3a and b a further variant of the method according to the invention is shown.

(19) Herein a so-called bypass is formed. This is configured as an extension at the end or in the middle of a glass tube. Such a bypass is necessary for instance, when two different substances shall be stored initially separated from each other and thereafter shall be mixed for usage. Herein the bypass serves as a mixing room of a suitably designed syringe.

(20) For generating such a bypass initially a glass tube at its end is heated by means of a burner 18 to its softening temperature so that for instance a viscosity of about 10.sup.4 dPas ensues. Now instantly the rotational speed from initially 600 rpm by way of example is increased to 5000 rpm, which by way of example may be performed within one minute or even faster. By the fast increase in the rotational speed the centrifugal forces increase drastically so that a symmetrical arching in the softened region results so that in this way a bypass 52 is formed at the outer end.

(21) After the desired forming of the bypass the heating is shut off, and the rotational speed is again reduced to zero.

(22) In FIG. 4 a further development of the device for glass forming according to the invention is shown schematically and depicted in total with the numeral 10. A clamping chuck 14 is provided at the outer end of a shaft 46 which is held adjustably in axial direction by means of two bearings 42, 44 which preferably are configured as magnetic bearings. The shaft 46 at its end is driven by a motor 50 by means of a gear 48. By the axial adjusting possibility of the clamping chuck 14 and of the glass body 16 received therein, the latter in combination with the assigned heating device 18, which for instance may be configured as a laser, can be locally treated in a particular way, wherein as parameters, in addition to the heating by means of the laser, the respective axial position of the glass body 16 and its rotational speed are included.

(23) In total in this way the possibility of variation during the forming of the class body 16 is particularly improved.