Abstract: A process for stably and efficiently producing quality glass articles such as preforms at high yields, and a process for producing an optical device from the preform obtained by the above process. In the process for producing a glass article, molten glass gobs having a predetermined weight each are poured, or molten glass drops having a predetermined weight each are dropped through a nozzle, into a boiling liquid having a boiling point lower than the glass transition temperature of the glass constituting said glass article or a liquid which is temperature-adjusted beforehand so as to be caused to boil by the amount of heat of the glass, to form glass articles. In the process for producing an optical device, a preform obtained by the above process is softened by heating and precision-press-molded into the optical device.

Abstract: A glass gob shaping apparatus for shaping glass into glass gobs with a plurality of shaping molds while causing glass to stably float, in which molten glass is supplied to shaping molds and shaped into glass gobs while causing glass to float by ejecting gas from the shaping molds and applying gas pressure, the apparatus including (1) an apparatus having a plurality of shaping molds, a gas supply mechanism for supplying said gas and a gas flow passage for supplying gas from the gas supply mechanism to the shaping molds, said gas flow passage having a buffer mechanism for suppressing the variance of gas ejection amounts in shaping molds during shaping of the glass which variance is caused by a pressure variance in gas ejection ports of other shaping molds and (2) an apparatus having a plurality of shaping molds and gas supply mechanisms for supplying said gas, said gas supply mechanisms being independently provided in a manner that one single gas supply mechanism corresponds to one shaping mold.

Abstract: Methods and a device of manufacturing glass gobs with good productivity without defects in appearance from a glass melt. Glass gobs are manufactured from glass melt gobs by molding and cooling glass melt gobs in glass gob molding parts that are intermittently rotated. In one method, single intermittent rotation period of said glass gob molding part is in a range of 0.1 to 0.25 second, and the single intermittent rotation distance of said glass gob molding part is 0.8-7 cm. The device for molding glass gobs from a continuously flowing glass melt has a turntable intermittently rotated around a rotation axis and glass gob molding molds positioned on said turntable. The glass gob molding mold has multiple glass gob molding parts that receive glass melt on the upper surface thereof and mold the glass melt into glass gobs. The glass gob molding mold is positioned on a turntable so that said glass gob molding parts are disposed at equal intervals around a circumference centered on the rotation axis of the turntable.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing with high production efficiency glass articles, such as high-quality preforms for press molding (press-molding preforms) from glass melt, and to a method of manufacturing glass elements, such as lenses, by press molding these preforms. Further, the present invention relates to a method of molding glass gobs suited to the press molding of preforms of high quality and high weight precision from a glass melt, and to a method of manufacturing optical elements by reheating and press molding these glass gobs. In the method of manufacturing glass articles, glass gobs are continuously separated from a glass melt flow continuously flowing out of a nozzle and the separated glass gobs are formed with glass forming members that are intermittently or continuously moving.

Abstract: A process for stably and efficiently producing quality glass articles such as preforms at high yields, and a process for producing an optical device from the preform obtained by the above process.

Abstract: Methods and a device of manufacturing glass gobs with good productivity without defects in appearance from a glass melt. Glass gobs are manufactured from glass melt gobs by molding and cooling glass melt gobs in glass gob molding parts that are intermittently rotated. In one method, single intermittent rotation period of said glass gob molding part is in a range of 0.1 to 0.25 second, and the single intermittent rotation distance of said glass gob molding part is 0.8-7 cm. The device for molding glass gobs from a continuously flowing glass melt has a turntable intermittently rotated around a rotation axis and glass gob molding molds positioned on said turntable. The glass gob molding mold has multiple glass gob molding parts that receive glass melt on the upper surface thereof and mold the glass melt into glass gobs. The glass gob molding mold is positioned on a turntable so that said glass gob molding parts are disposed at equal intervals around a circumference centered on the rotation axis of the turntable.