Abstract: A press roll apparatus temporarily or finally bonds two glass sheets with an adhesive intermediate film sandwiched therebetween to manufacture a laminated glass. The press roll apparatus has a plurality of drive roll units each having a pair of upper and lower presser rolls operatively coupled to a drive source and rotatable thereby for pressing the glass sheets therebetween, and a plurality of free roll units each having a pair of upper and lower presser rolls freely rotatable for pressing the glass sheets therebetween. The drive roll units and the free roll units are housed in a frame and vertically positionally adjustably supported by the frame, the frame having a pair of horizontal shafts projecting outwardly. The frame is supported on a support frame by the horizontal shafts for angular movement about the horizontal shafts, the support frame having a pair of horizontally spaced vertical support columns.

Abstract: An apparatus for the assembly by pressing of a laminated glass plate includes at least one assembly extending transversely of the pressing rollers (3) mounted at the end of rods (8) of at least one group of jacks (9) and in which the jacks (9) of the group are arranged in alternating manner in at least two subgroups (10, 11) in at least two different planes.

Abstract: A device for the assembly of a laminated glazing by pressing includes at last one unit of pressing rollers (3, 5) extending crosswise, and controlled by at least one unit of cylinders (19, 30). The pressing rollers are mounted at least in part in pairs (3a, 3b, 5a, 5b) on the rod of the same cylinder by a joint system (17, 28) making possible a relative movement of one roller in relation to the other in the direction of pressing.

Abstract: The device according to the invention includes at least one assembly of pressing rollers divided into at least two subassemblies of pressing rollers. Each subassembly of pressing rollers is mounted on a beam portion the position of which can be changed and adjusted in relation to the position of the other beam portions.

Abstract: A device for the drive of driving rollers of a calendar for the pressing of laminated glazings 49 has at least one series of pressing rollers 1, 2 mounted on a mobile frame 3, at least one of these pressing rollers being driven by a driving motor 9 to which it is connected by a transmission system. Stationary and nondeformable drive shaft 11 is mounted on a mobile frame 3 and connected to driving motor 9 by a chain 10 or belt and to each driven roller 6 by the transmission system including a bevel gear 14 and a deformable, jointed unit 16 extending in an essentially vertical direction. The calendar equipped with this device can be used for the assembly of glazings of complex shapes.

Abstract: A prepress roll assembly includes upper and lower pressing roll segments that apply pressure to the opposing major surfaces of a windshield assembly as the assembly passes between the roll segments. A drive roll arrangement is provided that moves vertically in response to the elevational of the leading edge of a windshield assembly to be prepressed while continuing to drive the windshield assembly between the prepress rolls.

Abstract: An apparatus for pressing laminated composites formed of two glass layers and one interposed thin plastic layer presses the glass/plastic composite while the glass/plastic composite is in a vertical position. A horizontal conveyor delivers the composite to the apparatus, and a tipping device places the composite in a vertical position. A suction cup unit, which is rotatably mounted on a supporting shaft, receives the composite from the tipping device. A movable carriage moves the supporting shaft, suction cup unit, and composite to a pair of pressing rolls. The pressing rolls receive the composite therebetween and press the composite layers together. Another rotatably mounted suction cup unit removes the composite from the pressing rolls and delivers the composite to another conveyer. The arrangement allows highly curved glass/plastic composites to be pressed with no risk of breaking the glass and without requiring manual intervention.

Abstract: An apparatus for prepressing an assembly of stacked, superimposed glass and plastic sheets for subsequent autoclave lamination to provide a glazing includes a frame positioned between a delivery conveyor and a discharge conveyor and carrying prepress and support rollers. The prepress rollers are rotatably mounted in pairs and attached to air cylinders which retract the rollers during entry of an assembly in order to clear a vacuum ring which extends about a peripheral edge of the assembly and then extend the rollers into contact with an upper surface of the assembly to apply pressure thereto. The assembly is supported from its bottom side by the support rollers which are rotatably attached to the frame and are located on either side of a plurality of drive rollers which are rotatably attached to the frame in pairs. The drive rollers are of different diameters and are adjustably mounted on an axis of rotation which is tilted from the horizontal path of the assembly.

Abstract: A calendering device has a plurality of pressure rollers and an opposing plurality of counterpressure rollers, each rotatably mounted on a piston rod movable in a direction for permitting the pressure rollers and counterpressure rollers to approach one another to calender a product. The pistons of the piston rods are mounted within pneumatic casings and are moved by a diaphragm within the pneumatic casings. There is no contact between the pistons and the walls of the pneumatic casings, thereby reducing the frictional resistance to the movement of the rollers. Means are provided for equalizing the pressure applied to a roller and its corresponding counter roller. Separate pneumatic casings and diaphragms may be provided for each piston rod, or several of the pressure rollers or countepressure rollers may be moved by a single diaphragm, which can be in the form of an elongated hose.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for pressing curved laminated glass having an adhesion interlayer between curved sheets of plate glass by passing the curved laminated glass through a pair of press rolls. A level of a contact position between said pair of press rolls and an inclination angle of a line connecting axes of said pair of press rolls with respect to a curved surface of the laminated glass are controlled to control a posture of said pair of press rolls upon movement of the laminated glass so as to correspond to controlled rotation of said pair of press rolls. A line of action of a press pressure is directed along a direction substantially normal to the curved surface of the laminated glass, and the location of application of the press pressure is level-shifted along the curved surface of the laminated glass. The posture of the press rolls is controlled in accordance with prestored data sampled along the curved surface of the laminated glass.

Abstract: The object of the invention is an apparatus for the preliminary or final assembly of sheets of glass and/or plastic material for forming laminated glazings.The apparatus according to the invention comprises a lower pinching means following a curvature transversal to the bottom side of the rigid support of the glazing, a flexible, cylindrical pressure roller placed above the lower pinching means, means bearing on the pressure roller to give it the desired curvature, and means providing a rotational drive of the pressure roller and/or the lower pinching means.The invention is applicable to the manufacture of laminated glazings, particularly for automobile glazings or flat glass used in construction.

Abstract: Laminated safety glass panels comprising sheets of rigid transparent material, such as glass, polycarbonate, acrylic plastic, polyester and the like, alternating with interlayer materials, such as polyvinyl butyral, polyurethane and the like, are prepressed to remove entrapped air at the interfacial surfaces to prepare the assemblies for final lamination. When the relatively rigid plies to be laminated have unsmooth surfaces, such as wavy surfaces, or surfaces having imperfections due to the penetration of the sheet during thermal treatment by tongs or other solid members that engage the rigid transparent sheet during its heat treatment prior to assembly for lamination, the preliminary pressing performed by the prior art techniques is insufficient to prevent oil from an oil autoclave used in the final laminating step from penetrating into the interfacial surfaces between adjacent rigid and relatively flexible layers of the assembly to be laminated.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for the assembly or permanent adhesion of sheets of glass with sheets of plastic material, comprising a pair of pressure rollers between which one passes the layers superimposed for assembly, which rollers being provided with, on a length corresponding at least with the size of the layers to be assembled, a hollow elastic covering which is filled with a fluid under pressure. In each roller the elastic covering is mounted to the roller (in a manner similar to a vehicle tire) by means of two rim-like elements, one of which is movable axially of the roller toward and from the other such rim. The elastic covering is like a tire but oversize in the axial direction. By adjusting one of the rims relative to the other, or the fluid pressure or both, the shape of the elastic tire-like member may be modified within wide limits to accommodate sheets of glass having complex, compound curves.