Process and machine for manufacturing a hollow article made of thin glass

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a hollow glass article comprising at least one thin side wall (42), in which process: at least one parison of molten glass is introduced into a blank mold, a blank of the article is formed in the blank mold from said parison, the blank of the article is transferred into a finishing mold, and the article is formed in the finishing mold. During forming of the article, excess glass is directed towards the exterior of the side wall of the article to form a convex bulge (43) and the bulge is removed to give the side wall of the article a substantially constant thickness. The invention also relates to a corresponding machine and product.

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing a hollow glass article comprising at least one thin side wall, in which process: at least one parison of molten glass is introduced into a blank mold, a blank of the article is formed in the blank mold from said at least one parison, the blank of the article is transferred into a finishing mold, and the article is formed in the finishing mold, wherein, during forming of the article in the finishing mold, excess glass is directed towards the exterior of the side wall of the article to form a convex bulge and the bulge is removed to give the side wall of the article a substantially constant thickness.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein: the manufactured hollow article comprises a second thin side wall, and during forming of the article in the finishing mold, excess glass is directed towards the exterior of the side wall of the article to form a second convex bulge and the second bulge is removed to give the second side wall of the article a substantially constant thickness.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein: the manufactured hollow article comprises a thin bottom, and during forming of the article in the finishing mold, excess glass is directed towards the exterior of the bottom of the article to form a convex bulge and that the bulge is removed to give the bottom of the article a substantially constant thickness.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, during forming of the article in the finishing mold, a gas forming between the side wall of the article and an inner wall of the finishing mold is channeled towards the exterior of that finishing mold.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the exterior bulge of the side wall of the article is removed by at least one cutting operation, followed by at least one polishing operation for the exterior face of the side wall of the article.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The features and advantages of the invention will appear upon reading the following description, provided as an example, and done in reference to the appended drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of part of a machine for manufacturing a thin hollow glass article, according to the invention,

(3) FIGS. 2 to 6 are diagrammatic vertical sectional views respectively showing the blank mold and the finishing mold of the machine, according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a hollow glass article obtained after the forming step in the finishing mold, and

(5) FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the final hollow glass article.

(6) Hereinafter, the machine for carrying out the process according to the invention will be described for the manufacture of a hollow glass article 30, for example a bottle with a generally parallelepiped shape comprising side walls, including two side walls 42, 52 that for example form the two small sides of the article 30 and are advantageously substantially parallel, and a bottom 32, as shown in FIG. 8. The side walls 42, 52 have a thickness comprised between 0.2 mm and 6 mm, preferably between 0.5 mm and 3.0 mm, and still more preferably a thickness of approximately 1 mm. The bottom 32 has a thickness comprised between 1 mm and 6 mm, preferably between 1.5 mm and 4.0 mm.

(7) The ranges provided above define the relative notion of thin, for the side faces 42, 52 and for the bottom 32, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) Of course, this machine also makes it possible to manufacture hollow articles with various shapes, comprising thin walls.

(9) As shown in FIG. 1, the machine comprises a molten glass distributor 1 placed between a furnace, not shown, and the blank mold designated as a whole by reference 10.

(10) The distributor 1 of a known type delivers, at the outlet of a pouring orifice 2, a parison 3, which is traditionally cut by shears, not shown.

(11) At the outlet of the distributor 1, the parison 3 falls into a conduit 4 that brings it into the blank mold 10 comprising a cavity 10a to form a blank 5. To that end, the cavity 10a of the blank mold 10 comprises a funnel 13 at its inlet.

(12) As diagrammatically shown in FIG. 2, the lower portion of the blank mold 10 comprises a blowing nozzle 12 connected to a device supplying pressurized gas, for example air, not shown.

(13) Once the parison 3 is introduced into the cavity 10a of the blank mold 10, a bottom 14 is placed on the funnel 13 on the upper opening of said blank mold, and pressurized air is blown in using the blowing nozzle 12 to settle the glass and form a ring 5a on the blank 5, as shown in FIG. 3. The bottom 14 is next raised to make it possible to remove the funnel 13. This bottom 14 is placed on the top of the blank mold 10, making it possible to shape the bottom of the blank 5, and pressurized air is blown in by the nozzle 12.

(14) The blank 5 of the article 30 is thus obtained.

(15) Next, the blank 5 is stripped and transferred by a handling arm 15 (FIG. 1) pivoting around an axis 15a, into a finishing mold 20 shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 4 to 6. This finishing mold 20 comprises a cavity 20a, the lower part of which is closed off by a removable bottom 21. The finishing mold 20 further comprises at least one removable side part 41 that closes off one side of the cavity 20a. Advantageously, the finishing mold 20 comprises a second removable side part 51 that closes off another side of the cavity 20a.

(16) The removable bottom 21 makes it possible to shape the bottom 32 of the article 30 to be obtained, while the two side parts 41, 51 make it possible to shape the two side faces 42, 52. When the side parts 41, 51 and the bottom 21 are joined, together they form the cavity 20a, closed tightly.

(17) As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the bottom 21 of the cavity 20a comprises a concave cavity 22 and two concave side cavities 41a, 51a.

(18) When the blank 5 has been introduced into the finishing mold 20 (FIG. 5), a blowing nozzle 23 is mounted on the upper part of the finishing mold 20, said nozzle being connected to a device supplying pressurized gas, for example air, not shown.

(19) After this operation, pressurized gas is blown into the blank 5 so as to form the article 30 (FIG. 6).

(20) During the forming of this article 30 in the finishing mold 20, the excess glass becomes housed in the cavity 22 arranged in the bottom 21 of the finishing mold 20 while forming, towards the exterior of the bottom of the article 30, a convex bulge 33, as shown in FIG. 7. Thus, the inner distribution of the bottom 32 of the article 30 sinks in the cavity 22 and the inner face 32a of the bottom 32 becomes horizontal.

(21) Likewise, during the forming of this article 30 in the finishing mold 20, excess glass becomes housed in the cavities 41a, 51a arranged in the side parts 41, 51 of the finishing mold 20 and forms two convex bulges 43, 53 towards the exterior of the article 30, as shown in FIG. 7. The distribution of the glass in the side walls 42, 52 of the article 30 equalizes, and the inner faces 42a, 52a of the side walls 42, 52 become substantially planar and vertical.

(22) The article 30 obtained in the finishing mold 20 is stripped from that finishing mold 20 by removing the removable bottom 21 and separating the side walls 41, 51 from one another.

(23) Next, to eliminate the exterior bulges 33, 43, 53 thus formed, the operators perform three cutting operations, followed by at least three polishing operations for the exterior faces 32b, 42b, 52b of the bottom 32 and the side walls 42, 52 of the article 30, so as to obtain a bottom 32 with a substantially constant thickness and two side faces 42, 52 with a substantially constant thickness, as shown in FIG. 8.

(24) Advantageously, the thickness of the bottom 32 and the thickness of the side walls 42, 52 is constant to within plus or minus 5% relative to their mean thicknesses.

(25) During the forming operation in the finishing mold 20, to allow the gas cushion that forms between the main faces of the blank 5 and the inner walls of the cavity 20a of the finishing mold 20 to escape, the finishing mold 20 comprises at least one vent 25 (FIGS. 4 to 6).

(26) In the example embodiment shown in these figures, each vent 25 is formed by a conduit arranged in the walls of the finishing mold 20, advantageously in one or the other of the side parts 41, 51. Each vent 25 inwardly comprises an element allowing the gas to escape and preventing the molten glass from flowing through the vent 25. Each vent 25 may be made up of any other arrangement in the finishing mold 20.

(27) Hot and/or cold chemical treatments may be done on the article 30, so as to reinforce the exterior surface of the glass.

(28) The method according to the invention makes it possible to obtain thin hollow glass articles having a homogenous distribution of the glass and having the required solidity for this type of article, despite the thinness of the side walls and the bottom.