GLASS-BENDING DEVICE AND GLASS-BENDING METHOD USING A FAN

Abstract

A glass bending device is presented. The glass bending device includes a bending chamber, a tool for holding at least one glass pane by means of a suction effect, including a downward-directed frame-like, convex contact surface and a cover with a peripheral air-guiding plate surrounding the contact surface at least in regions. The tool is suitable for sweeping the edge of the glass pane at least in sections with an air flow and thereby pressing the glass pane against the contact surface. The glass bending device further includes a fan, which is connected to the bending chamber via a feed line and a return line and is suitable for extracting air from the bending chamber via the tool and the feed line to produce the air flow and for returning air back into the bending chamber via the return line. The return line is connected to the bending chamber above the tool.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A glass bending device, comprising: a bending chamber; a tool for holding a glass pane by means of a suction effect, comprising a downward-directed frame-like, convex contact surface and a cover with a peripheral air-guiding plate, wherein the cover surrounds the contact surface in regions and wherein the tool is suitable for sweeping an edge of the glass pane at least in sections with an air flow and thereby pressing the glass pane against the contact surface; and a fan, which is connected to the bending chamber via a feed line and a return line and is suitable for extracting air from the bending chamber via the tool and the feed line to produce an air flow and for returning air back into the bending chamber via the return line; wherein the return line is connected to the bending chamber above the tool.

17. The glass bending device according to claim 16, wherein the return line is connected to the bending chamber such that the glass pane is not impacted by the air flow flowing back into the bending chamber.

18. The glass bending device according to claim 16, wherein the return line is connected on a top of the bending chamber.

19. The glass bending device according to claim 16, wherein the fan is arranged next to or above the bending chamber.

20. The glass bending device according to claim 16, wherein a circuit formed by the feed line, the fan, and the return line is not equipped with a heater.

21. The glass bending device according to claim 16, further including a full-surface lower bending mould, which is movable under the tool, in order to subject the glass pane to a press-bending step between the tool and the lower bending mould.

22. The glass bending device according to claim 16, which includes a gravity bending mould, which is movable into the bending chamber under the tool.

23. The glass bending device according to claim 16, wherein the feed line is equipped with a movable flap, wherein the movable flap can completely or partially seal the feed line.

24. A method for bending a glass pane in a bending chamber pane comprising: providing a tool including a downward-directed frame-like, convex contact surface and a cover with a peripheral air-guiding plate, surrounding the contact surface in regions; providing a fan; providing a return line above the tool; extracting air from the bending chamber via the tool and a feed line to produce an air flow; sweeping an edge of the glass pane by the air flow and against an effect of gravity thereby holding the glass pane by the tool; and returning the air back into the bending chamber via the return line.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the glass pane comprises two glass panes lying one atop the other and wherein the two glass panes are bent simultaneously as a pair.

26. The method according to claim 24, further comprising: providing a gravity bending mould; pre-bending the glass pane on the gravity mould; transporting the glass pane on the gravity mould into the bending chamber; and taking over the glass pane from the gravity bending mould by the tool.

27. The method according to claim 24, further comprising: providing a full-surface lower bending mould; and press-bending the glass pane between the tool and the full-surface bending mould.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the lower bending mould is provided with openings and a suction effect, the method further comprising exerting the suction effect through the openings thereby further deforming the glass pane.

29. The method according to claim 27, further comprising, after the step of press-bending: providing a lower tray mould; and cooling the glass pane, wherein the glass pane after press-bending, is transferred to a lower tray mould for cooling, preferably to a gravity bending mould.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein the lower tray mould is a gravity bending mould.

31. A method of holding a glass pane against a tool in a bending chamber comprising: providing a fan, a feed line and a return line; connecting the return line to the chamber above the tool; extracting air from the bending chamber via the tool and the feedline; and returning the air to the bending chamber via the return line to produce air flow and thereby generating a suction effect to hold the glad pane against the tool.

Description

[0046] In the following, the invention is explained in detail with reference to drawings and exemplary embodiments. The drawings are schematic representations and not to scale. The drawings in no way limit the invention.

[0047] They depict:

[0048] FIG. 1 a cross-section through a tool for holding at least one glass pane by means of a suction effect,

[0049] FIG. 2 a cross-section through an embodiment of the glass bending device according to the invention with the tool,

[0050] FIG. 3 a stepwise representation of an embodiment of the method according to the invention, and

[0051] FIG. 4 a flowchart of an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0052] FIG. 1 depicts a tool 1 known per se for holding at least one glass pane by means of a suction effect (holding tool). The tool 1 is an upper mould that is suitable for holding two glass panes I, II lying one atop the the other against a frame-like, convex contact surface 2 by means of a suction effect against the effect of gravity. The contact surface 2 is arranged on a so-called skeleton 13. For producing the suction effect, the tool 1 has a suction tube 12, via which air is exhausted. The tool further has a cover 3, whose end is equipped with a peripheral air-guiding plate 4. The air-guiding plate 4 surrounds the contact surface 2 peripherally. By means of the bending skeleton 13 and the cover 3 with the air-guiding plate 4, the air flow produced by the suction tube 12 is routed such that it sweeps the edges of the glass panes. Thus, the pair of glass panes I, II is reliably held against the contact surface 2.

[0053] The panes I, II are pre-bent, for example, by gravity bending in a lower bending mould. The tool depicted can be used, for example, to pick up the pair of glass panes I, II out of the lower mould and to transfer it to another mould. For example, the pair of glass panes I, II can be subjected to a press-bending process, wherein it is shaped between the tool depicted and a counter mould under the influence of the effect of pressure and/or suction.

[0054] The tool presented and the bending method in which it can be used are known from EP 1 836 136 B1, WO 2012/080071 A1, and WO 2012/080072 A1.

[0055] FIG. 2 depicts a glass bending device according to the invention which includes the tool 1 of FIG. 1 known per se in a bending chamber 8. The bending chamber 8 can be warmed by means of a heating device (not shown) to a temperature above the softening temperature of the panes to be bent. The device includes a gravity bending mould 9 movably mounted on a cart, on which the glass pane pair I, II was transported in the situation depicted and was pre-bent by means of gravity bending. In the depicted, the pair of glass panes I, II was picked up by the tool 1 and reliably fixed against it by the suction effect.

[0056] The suction effect required is caused by a stream of air L, which is produced according to the invention by a fan 5, which is arranged above the bending chamber 8. The fan 5 exhausts air from the bending chamber 8 via the tool 1 and the feed line 6 connected thereto. The feed line 6 is connected to the above-described suction tube of the tool 1. The air flow L is guided back into the bending chamber 8 via a return line 7, and, in fact, on the top of the bending chamber 8. The feed line 6 is provided with a flap 14 by means of which the strength of the air flow L can be regulated and the air flow L can be interrupted, without changing the speed a revolution of the fan 5.

[0057] The circuit according to the invention consisting of the feed line 6, the fan 5, and the return line 7 to produce the air flow L enables a significant savings of energy. It is possible to dispense with expensive venturi nozzles operated with preheated compressed air. By means of the recirculation of the air, little energy is diverted out of the system. The compression of the air by means of the fan 5 results in warming which substantially compensates the cooling of the air outside the bending chamber 8 such that the circuit need not be equipped with a separate heating device. By introducing the air on the top of the bending chamber 8, as a result of which the glass panes I, II are not impacted by the air flow L flowing back, the influence on the bending process is negligiblethe glass bending is not interfered with. These are major advantages of the invention.

[0058] FIG. 3 schematically depicts the steps of an embodiment of the method according to the invention. First, two glass panes I, II lying one atop the other, which are flat in the starting state, are positioned on a gravity bending mould 9 and transported thereon into the bending chamber. The glass panes I, II are heated to bending temperature, for example, 600? C. such that they nestle under the effect of gravity against the gravity bending mould 9. The heating is done, for example, in a tunnel furnace, which is part of the bending chamber 8 or is situated upstream therefrom. Inside the bending chamber 8, the pre-bent glass panes I, II are positioned on the gravity bending mould 9 below the tool 1 for holding the glass panes I, II (Part a). The tool 1 is lowered and the flap 14 is then opened, by which means the suction effect acts on the glass panes I, II, which are then raised with the tool 1 by the gravity bending mould 9 (Part b). Then, a full-surface lower bending mould 10 is positioned under the tool 1. The suction bending mould 10 can, for example, be mounted on an arm and be retracted between the tool 1 and the gravity bending mould 9. The glass panes I, II are bent into their final shape between the tool 1 and the suction bending mould 10 by press-bending (Part c). During the press-bending, the suction effect of the upper tool 1 is turned off. After the press-bending, the glass panes I, II are picked up again by the tool 1. The suction bending mould 10 is then moved away again and the glass panes I, II are put down by tool 1 onto a gravity bending mould 9 (Part d, e). The glass panes I, II are transported out of the bending furnace 8 on this gravity bending mould 9 and cooled.

[0059] The process steps presented schematically here reflect the method described in more detail in EP 1 836 136 B1, wherein the glass bending device used there to produce the air flow L has been supplemented by the circuit made up of the feed line 6, the fan 5, and the return line 7.

[0060] FIG. 4 depicts the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 with reference to a flowchart.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0061] (1) tool for holding at least one glass pane [0062] (2) frame-like contact surface [0063] (3) cover [0064] (4) air-guiding plate [0065] (5) fan [0066] (6) feed line [0067] (7) return line [0068] (8) bending chamber [0069] (9) gravity bending mould [0070] (10) lower bending mould [0071] (12) suction tube of 1 [0072] (13) skeleton of 1 [0073] (14) flap of 6 [0074] (L) air flow [0075] (I) glass pane [0076] (II) glass pane