Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring safety glass production or controlling a treatment process, such as a tempering process. Information representing a load of glass panels is used in controlling a treatment process, such as heating of glass panels, or in monitoring production. The information, which includes at least one of the following: shape, size, and position, is read with one or more cameras (6). This is possible as glass is made visible by means of reflected light as high intensity light is applied to the glass surface. The line camera (6) is used for receiving low intensity background light radiation incident through the glass conveying plane, a substantial increase in its intensity, as light is reflected by glass, being deciphered as glass.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for laminating glass panels in which a sandwich structure to be laminated is preheated by radiation heat (7, 8), whereafter the sandwich structure is heated by bilateral hot air blasting concurrently with radiation heating. Convection heating elements for blasting hot air include conveyor rolls (3), which are hollow and apertured. Radiation heating elements (11, 12) apply heat to the sandwich structure by direction radiation heating and additionally warm up convection air circulated in the heating chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus for bending and tempering glass panels includes a number of ring moulds for supporting and conveying glass panels; a number of preheating sections for heating glass panels to a bending temperature; at least one prebending section for sagging a glass panel gravitationally; a bending section provided with a hoistable and descendable press mould; and a quenching section for tempering a bent glass panel. The bending section is provided with a hoistable and descendable mould supporting frame for supporting the mould from below during a press-bending operation. The supporting frame is mounted on a mobile cassette wagon which constitutes a replaceable floor for the bending section.

Abstract: A method for measuring the sagging of a glass panel in the process of bending the glass panel on a ring mould. The method includes measuring the sagging at a glass panel's measuring point and the measurement data is applied to control progress of the bending process, especially heating of the glass panel or abortion of the bending process. A reference plane stationary with respect to the ring mould is established, a distance gauge is used for measuring a distance between the reference plane and the distance gauge, and a distance gauge is used for measuring a distance between the glass panel's measuring point and the distance gauge. The glass panel's sagging is determined by comparing the distance between the reference plane and the distance gauge to the distance between the glass panel's measuring point and the distance gauge.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for laminating glass sheets in which a first glass sheet is passed onto a laminating conveyor and raised by a lift mechanism to a distance off the conveyor. The lift mechanism is held stationary and a second glass sheet is placed under the first one. A plastic film is drawn to cover the second glass sheet and the first glass sheet is lowered by the lift mechanism on top of the second glass sheet and the plastic film. This lowering process involves performing an alignment of the glass sheets by manipulating a carrier rack at a distal end of the lift mechanism's pickup arm relative to the pickup arm. Three-sheet lamination can be performed by displacing two superimposed glass sheets, with a plastic film therebetween, by the laminating conveyor from below the lift mechanism. A third glass sheet is passed onto the laminating conveyor to below the lift mechanism and raised by the lift mechanism to a distance off the conveyor.

Abstract: The invention relates to an air-exhausting lehr for laminated glass sheets, including a tunnel-like lehr, a conveyor, including elements for carrying laminated glass sheets in a substantially upright position through the lehr, and air circulation ducts, having fans and heating elements associated therewith for blasting heated air between the laminated glass sheets presently on the conveyor within the lehr. The lehr has its sides provided with movable walls for adjusting the lehr width to match a given glass size. This results in an enhanced passage of air between glass sheets regardless of variations in glass size.

Abstract: The invention relates to a bendable or vaulting support structure in a bending section or bending and tempering section for glass sheets or panels. The support structure comprises a plurality of support arms (10), which are attached by pivotal joints (7) to each other for a vaulting bridge. Each support arm (10) includes a bracket member (6) protruding from between two pivotal joints (7). Between the bracket members (6) is provided a guide lever mechanism, which directs bending or vaulting of the support structure with a constant-radius curvature. The guide lever mechanism is established by levers (11, 12, 13) set in a Z-pattern and provided with five pivotal joints (1-5), three (1, 4, 5) of which engage with the bracket members (6), and two articulated axles (2, 3) present therebetween, which connect the lever arms (11, 12, 13) to each other, are capable of moving relative to the bracket members (6).

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for bending glass panels. The upper tier of successive mould carriers defines a number of heating sections, the last one of which is an actual bending section. The lower tier of successive mould carriers defines a number of cooling sections, which are located below the heating sections. The mould carriers are provided with an open-structured or otherwise highly heat transmissive bottom. Underneath bending sections, effecting gravitational bending on an upper mould carrier track, lie cooling sections, each of which is individually provided with controlled cooling air circulation by means of cooling air exhaust fans. Following the sections performing the controlled cooling or annealing, the mould carriers are adapted to be conveyed along a lower mould carrier track nonstop under a plurality of preheating sections by a single passage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for bending and tempering glass panels includes a glass panel being heated to a tempering temperature and passed from a furnace's conveyor into a bending and tempering section for an arched roller mould, the glass bending upon its arrival thereon. The bent glass is subjected to a tempering blast. The first roller mould and a tempered glass article thereon are shifted out of the bending and tempering section in a direction substantially matching its own axis of curvature or the direction of rollers. The second, vacant roller mould is shifted into the bending and tempering section for receiving the next glass article to be bent, the bending-tempering of which is performed at the same time as the bent and tempered glass article is being removed from the first roller mould. The gained benefits include an increased capacity, a shortened cycle time and an economically attractive, durable construction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for heating glass sheets in preparation of tempering. A furnace (1) is provided with upper and lower convection blasting conduits (11, 14) extending lengthwise of the furnace. The furnace is also provided with upper and lower radiation heating elements (12, 16). The convection heating air is pressurized with a compressor (3), cleaned with a filter (4). The upper convection heating air is heated with air discharged from the furnace in a plurality of separate heat exchangers (7), through which the convection heating air is passed into the upper convection blasting conduits (11). The amount of air discharged from the furnace (1) through the heat exchangers (7) is substantially equal to that blasted into the furnace for convection heating.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and furnace for binding glass panels. Preheating compartments (3) upstream of a binding compartment are used for heating a glass panel by hot-air injection applied to the top and bottom sides of a glass panel. The air employed in hot-air injection is circulated through heating resistances (15, 16). Outputs of the heating resistances (15, 16) can be adjusted for individually adjusting the temperatures of air injected to the top and bottom sides of a glass panel. The glass is heated to the proximity of a bending temperature exclusively or mainly by means of convection.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a treatment process in safety glass production by means of information representing a load of glass panels. Flat glass panels are conveyed through a heating lehr (2) and a quenching section (22). The treatment process is preceded by using a line camera (6) for reading the information representing a load of glass. This information is used in controlling the treatment process. The load-representing information is supplemented by automated detection of a glass panel's coating or the absence of coating. A glass panel's thickness is also measured. This information about coating and thickness is used in quenching for automated regulation of a quenching time and a blast pressure. Such information is also particularly useful for the automated control of convection heating (3c) included in the heating device.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for bending glass panels. An upper tier of successive mould carriages (9) defines a number of heating stations, the final one being an actual bending station (4b). A lower tier of successive mould carriages (9) defines a number of cooling stations (5, 6, 7), which are located underneath the heating stations. The mould carriages have an open-structured or otherwise highly heat transmitting floor (10). A pre-bending station (4a) preceding the bending station (4b) and at least the final preheating station (3b) have a floor (15), on top of which are radiation heating elements (16) positioned below a floor (10) of the carriage (9) for speeding up the heating of a bottom glass panel for preventing it from falling behind from the heating of a top glass panel.

Abstract: Glass panels are heated in a heating oven while supported on rolls. The glass panels are heated form above and below with convection air or with a combination of convection air and radiation heat. The convection air is heated by electric resistance elements and/or a combustible gas. The convection air passes through heat exchangers disposed in the oven en route to the glass panels.

Abstract: The invention relates to an air-exhausting lehr for laminated glass sheets, including a tunnel-like lehr, a conveyor, including elements for carrying laminated glass sheets in a substantially upright position through the lehr, and air circulation ducts, having fans and heating elements associated therewith for blasting heated air between the laminated glass sheets presently on the conveyor within the lehr. The lehr has its sides provided with movable walls for adjusting the lehr width to match a given glass size. This results in an enhanced passage of air between glass sheets regardless of variations in glass size.

Abstract: A semi-convective forced air system for heating glass sheets during a heating cycle comprises a heating chamber having a length and a width, at least one heating element located within the heating chamber, a conveyor having a length and a width, the conveyor extending lengthwise through the heating chamber, a compressed air source, a plurality of air manifolds positioned within the heating chamber and in fluid connection with the compressed air source, each of the air manifolds having a length, and each of the air manifolds being oriented parallel to the length of the conveyor, and a plurality of nozzles mounted on each air manifold and in fluid connection with the air manifold for mixing together and directing toward the conveyor a combination of compressed air and over air to convectively heat a sheet of glass on the conveyor, the plurality of nozzles on each air manifold being spaced along the length of the air manifold.

Abstract: In a method and an apparatus for heating glass panels in a tempering furnace equipped with rollers, glass panels are carried on a conveyor defined by rollers into a tempering furnace for the duration of a heating cycle, followed by carrying the glass panels into a tempering station. The glass panels are heated in the tempering furnace by bottom- and top-heating radiation elements as well as by bottom- and top-heating convection elements through which convection air is supplied to the tempering furnace. The glass panels' bottom side is heated by the bottom-heating convection elements, which are arranged lengthwise along the furnace and define convection heating zones side by side in a lateral direction of the tempering furnace. Thus, convection heating effects of the convection heating zones can be altered relative to each other for profiling the heat transfer coefficient in a lateral direction of the furnace.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for supporting the middle section of a glass panel to be bent in a mold. During a preheating process of a glass panel, its middle section is supported by middle support elements carried along with a mold carriage. At the start of a bending process, the middle support is released by pushing bearing rods through the bottom of the mold carriage. The middle support for the glass panel is lowered upon the bearing rods gradually under the control of glass panel thermometry. A controlled hoisting and lowering of the bearing rods is performed by a hoisting and lowering mechanism present in a carriage elevator. The invention makes it possible to implement a middle support also in an automatically operating serial furnace.

Abstract: A method for heating LowE glass panels in a tempering furnace (1) provided with rollers. LowE glass panels are carried on a conveyor constituted by rollers (2) into the tempering furnace and then the discussed glass panels are set in an oscillating motion within the tempering furnace for the duration of a heating cycle. This is followed by delivering the discussed glass panels into a tempering station (3). In the tempering furnace, the glass panels are heated by means of top and bottom radiation heating elements (4, 5), as well as by top and bottom convection heating elements (6, 7). In the early stage of a heating cycle the top glass surface is subjected to convection heating more powerful than that applied to the bottom surface and in the final stage of a heating cycle the bottom glass surface is subjected to convection heating more powerful than that applied to the top surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to an air output unit in connection with a tempering station in a tempering plant for glass panels, and to a method for manufacturing the unit. An equipment bay (3) has its walls (32), roof (33), and floor (31) designed and dimensioned as a shipping container, wherein air output equipment (4) is set up and secured prior to shipping to a working site. Since the fan room enclosing an air output unit functions at the same time as a shipping container for the air output unit, the repeated loading and unloading of air output equipment is avoided. The workload required for shipping and assembling is substantially reduced.