Abstract: In the initial stage of die-opening operation when an upper core 3 moves upward together with an upper die plate 1, an upper cavity die 2 is biased downwardly by an elastic member 10 so as to press the lower surface of the upper cavity die 2 against the upper surface of a lower cavity die 6 and keep their contact, thereby forcing a molded glass element 4 to remain on a lower core 5 by utilizing the difference in outside diameter between the lower core 5 and the upper core 3. This makes it possible to securely release the molded glass element 4 from the upper core 3 and leave the molded product on the lower core 5 upon die opening, enabling smooth removal and automated transportation of the molded product.

Abstract: A pressing plunger apparatus for forming a parison in a glassware forming machine by a blow-and-blow process or a press-and-blow process.

Abstract: A load cell is attached between a fixed axis and an upper die assembly and arranged in a forming chamber. For this reason, the load cell is hardly influenced by reduction of pressure in the forming chamber. A cooling plate is arranged between the load cell and the upper die assembly. An interior of the forming chamber is sectioned into two zones by the cooling plate, a flange and an isolating plate. The upper die assembly and a lower die assembly are housed in the lower zone surrounded by a transparent quartz tube. The load cell is housed in the upper zone surrounded by a cooling chamber. Thus, temperature rise of the load cell can be prevented.

Abstract: A punch assembly for producing hollow glass articles in a mold has a punch member, which is moved to and from the mold along a straight axis by an electric motor positioned eccentrically with respect to the straight axis and connected to the punch member by a rotary-to-linear motion conversion assembly, and a releasable angular connecting assembly interposed between the motor and the motion conversion assembly.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a glass optical element having at least one concave surface, including: softening a glass molding material by heating, molding the softened material with a first mold having a first molding surface and a second mold having a second molding surface by applying a pressure, the first molding surface including a first concave forming surface, the second molding surface including a convex forming surface, a planar forming surface or a second concave forming surface, the second concave forming surface having a curvature radius greater than that of the first concave forming surface, whereby the applying of the pressure starts when the first mold and the second mold are at temperatures above a glass transition temperature of said glass molding material, the glass material is cooled so that a temperature of the glass material reaches a temperature equal to or lower than a glass transition temperature (Tg) of the glass material, and the cooled glass material is removed from either of the firs

Abstract: A glass material (4) is placed in a forming die including a pair of upper and lower dies (1, 2) and a control member (3) for controlling the space between the upper and the lower die, and then heated, softened, and molded by pressure into a glass substrate in the shape of a parallel plate. The amount of thermal contraction of the control member is smaller than that of the glass material. Therefore, the glass substrate is released from the die when cooled after molding. The present invention can provide a glass substrate that is excellent in smoothness and form accuracy of the surface, and that is suitable for recording media such as magnetic disks that are inexpensive and suitable for mass production.

Abstract: A glassware machine having a glassware mold and a movable plunger positioned adjacent to the glassware mold for pressing a glass gob in the glassware mold to form a glassware article. The glassware machine includes an electric motor operatively connected to the plunger to move the plunger with respect to the glassware mold to provide accurate pressing of the glass gob when forming the glassware article.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming a product by a pressing process, has

Abstract: A method of producing a disk having a radius of r and a thickness of 2h from an oxynitride glass by pressing, said method being characterized in that the pressing load (F), the pressing temperature (T), and the pressing time (t) are defined by the expression below. 1900 ≥ T ≥ 100 × log 10 ⁡ ( 0.

Abstract: A method and device for the manufacture of a hollow cone (37) with a cone tip (31) whereby a parison of viscous material (35) is moulded into the shape of the hollow cone. An escape space (11) becomes accessible to the material in the vicinity of a cone tip to be formed. The moment the pressure present in the material in the vicinity of the cone tip to be formed exceeds a previously defined value. Breaking-off of the cone tip during or after moulding is prevented by this. The hollow cone is suitable inter alia for use in a cathode ray tube.

Abstract: A fluid administration system for the operation of a cylinder and piston assembly for actuating mechanisms, mainly glassware forming and handling mechanisms, allowing rapid changing thereof, comprising: a passage network practiced at the cylinder cap, connected to the fluid admission and discharging passages of the centering ring, at the cylinder and at the support frame; and speed controlling valves, at the passage network of the cylinder cap, to control the velocity of discharging of fluid from the cylinder and piston assembly in its ascending and descending runs.

Abstract: A method for forming an optical glass element by pressure molding a glass pre-form using top and bottom molds, has steps of heating a glass pre-form held at a position separated from the top and bottom molds by a holding member within the top and bottom molds, pressing the glass pre-form while the glass pre-form is held by the holding member, and moving the bottom mold independently in an upward direction and pressing the glass pre-form again.

Abstract: A single drive mechanism for simultaneously driving plungers of a plurality of metal molds in each of the sections by employing an output cost-efficient electric motor as a mechanism for driving the plungers. The novel plunger drive mechanism makes it possible to correctly and efficiently mold the articles without causing defect even when the glass material is fed in varying amounts into the metal molds. In molding a glass material thrown into the metal molds by moving the plungers forward, a mechanism moves the plungers forward with a predetermined torque and then backward. The mechanism includes a drive motor, a main gear, planetary bevel gears, a first driven wheel member, a second driven wheel member, a first drive pinion, a second drive pinion, a first main drive member, and a second main drive member.

Abstract: A hollow glass parison is formed by pressing a gob of molten glass in a mold cavity with a plunger which is moved in a linear direction by a leadscrew which is connected to the plunger and is driven by a servomotor. Actuation of the servomotor creates a rotation of the leadscrew which causes the plunger to advance in a linear direction from a first position until the plunger contacts the gob at a second position. The plunger then advances to press the gob in the mold cavity to form the gob into a parison. During movement of the plunger in the linear direction the position of the plunger is continually sensed with a position-sensing resolver which provides position information to a system controller which utilizes the position information to control the position of the plunger prior to contacting the gob in the mold cavity, the depth of plunger penetration into the gob of molten glass during pressing by controlling the pressing pressure, and the weight of the gob of molten glass.

Abstract: A method of molding a glass element in which a glass material is heated and then press-molded between an upper mold and a lower mold when a temperature of the heated glass material reaches a predetermined temperature. A first cooling of the glass element is performed with the glass element in contact with the pair of molds until a temperature of the glass element is within a range of .+-.20.degree. C. of a glass transition point of the glass material while a pressure applied to the glass element by the upper and lower molds is gradually reduced until the pressure becomes 0 kg/cm.sup.2. Subsequently, a second cooling of the glass element is performed without the upper and lower molds contacting the patterned surface on the glass element. The upper mold has a bottom surface and a sidewall surface with a lowermost end portion of the side wall surface, adjacent the bottom surface, being inclined with respect to a central axis of the upper mold.

Abstract: In press molding, a shaft (metal mold 13) is moved by positional or torque control to cause upper and lower molds to reach a set position slightly before a position where the upper and lower molds are set in a final mold closed state. As soon as the upper and lower molds reaches the set position, the control is switched to torque control using a small force which does not deform a glass material to perform feedback control. For this reason, when the cooling process is started, the mobile shaft is moved by the same amount as a contraction amount of the shaft, the actual position of the shaft is moved. However, a tight contact state between the molds and the glass material is kept without changing the thickness of the glass material, and positional control and torque control can be apparently performed at once. Thereafter, when temperature reaches an almost glass transition point, final pressing is performed.

Abstract: A press head drive cylinder control having a force sensing, force signal providing load cell on the drive cylinder of a glass molding press. The glass molding press having a base, a mold table rotatably mounted on the base, a plurality of mold positions on the table for locating from one to a plurality of molds thereon, at least one mold at a mold position, a press head, a press head tower, and a press head drive cylinder supporting the press head and being reciprocally mounted on the press head tower for movement of the press head to and from a mold aligned at a molding station. The press head drive cylinder control responds to force signals from the load cell to control the press head drive cylinder location, movement, and pressing force, during glass molding.

Abstract: In the press-molding method for producing molded glass bodies, the molding plug remains in contact with the molded glass body in the mold after the molding process until the regions close to the surface have cooled to a temperature at which the molded body at least temporarily possesses sufficient inherent stability to be removed from the mold. To prevent re-heating of the regions near the surface from causing undesirable deformation of the molded glass body, the body is transferred to a cooling station after being removed from the press mold. With this method, the waiting period during which the molded glass body is in the mold is minimized, so this mold is available for another molding process after a very short time. The capability of a glass-molding apparatus operated according to the method of the invention is thus increased.

Abstract: Controlled movement of the pneumatically operated plunger in the narrow neck press and blow process of manufacture of glass containers is achieved by use of a pressure regulating valve in the air supply to the plunger which determines the pressure supplied according to the magnitude of a control signal which is determined by set point means operating in response to timing pulses from a timing control of the machine.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing an optical element capable of performing a molding temperature control required for a plurality of independent molding blocks in a short period of time, and continuously and simultaneously producing a plurality of different optical elements having a high degree of accuracy at a low cost is provided.

Abstract: A plunger mechanism for forming a hollow article of glass in a "narrow neck press and blow" operation which utilizes an electro servo-driven leadscrew to actuate it. A position sensing resolver is used to determine the position of the plunger over the full range of its stroke, and the position information can be used as feedback to control the position of the plunger prior to contacting a molten gob of glass in a mold chamber. The depth of the plunger penetration into the molten gob is then controlled by the pressing pressure, which is a function of motor torque and screw mechanics. It is possible to control the pressure exerted on the molten glass gob by controlling the torque applied by the motor. A separate gob weight controller is not required because changes in gob weight can be determined by closely monitoring the plunger penetration of the gob.

Abstract: An optical storage disk consists of a glass substrate (1) into which guide tracks (3) for servo-controlling the focussed light beams are directly stamped by a hot stamp process. After stamping, the glass substrate is thermally quenched in the stamping device to increase its breaking resistance through thermal curing. In order to achieve uniform guide tracks over the entire surface of an optical storage disk, flexible stamp stencils (35) in a flexible holder (34) are used whose curvature can be changed by applying hydro-static pressure. Suitable stamp stencils consist of monocristalline silicon disks with surface hardening, or of metal disks, structured in photolithographic processes. The stamp lands are made with bevelled edges to facilitate the separating of stamp and glass substrate after cooling.

Abstract: A press molding apparatus produces an optical element of high precision efficiently in such a way that an upper mold member is at least slidably operated relative to a shell mold, and the force of an operation member to be applied onto the upper mold member is exerted through the center of the upper mold member when press molding the glass material and releasing the molded optical element. The press molding apparatus in which glass material in a softened state is pressed within a shell mold using mold members slidable with the shell mold and an optical functional surface corresponding to a molding surface of each of the mold members is formed on the glass material is constructed such that at least the upper mold member slidable within the shell mold is operated via a pressing plate by an operation member so as to exert a pressure parallel to a sliding face of the shell mold at its center, and a hook member hung on the operation member is interlocked via alignment means so as to exert a central lifting force.

Abstract: A glass compression molding apparatus includes a horizontal upper platen and a lower platen disposed parallel to the upper platen. A top die is mounted for movement along the upper platen between a plurality of stations, and a bottom die is mounted for movement along the lower platen between another plurality of stations. A preform is introduced into the bottom die and then heated and compressed to form a molded product. The molded product is annealed and then removed from the bottom die. A clamping device forces the upper and lower platens together. A compression device compresses the preform. A conveying device moves at least the bottom die while suspended above the lower platen. Thus, wear of the lower platen, which would otherwise result from the sliding of the bottom die on the lower platen or the entry of foreign matter between the bottom die and the lower platen, is avoided. Such a wear or entry of foreign matter would occur while the mold is moved between stations in the conventional apparatus.

Abstract: A method of collecting data to indicate certain internal conditions during the function of a glass container forming machine, and apparatus for the practice of the method including sensing devices within a plunger cycling mechanism of the machine for transmitting information from the mechanism during the operation of the machine.

Abstract: A check valve assembly which is to permit flow into a pneumatic cylinder is accessible without taking the cylinder apart. The check valve is located within an insert which is secured to the cylinder head at an exterior surface. Removal of the inserts makes the check valve accessible.

Abstract: An individual section of a glass forming machine has a cylinder for controlling the displacement of the plunger. The piston is tandem in nature so that pressure can be selectively reduced for the final portion of plunger advance and the inner diameter of the cylinder guides plunger advancement at all pressures.

Abstract: The displacement of one or more of the plungers in an individual section glass forming machine is monitored so that the location of the plungers, when each mold cavity has completely filled (parison formation point), can be determined. When a plunger is located at the parison formation point the feed pressure is reduced by a selectable amount.

Abstract: Parisons of molten glass for subsequent moulding are molded in a mould cavity formed from one-piece lower portion (10), a dividable neck ring (14), and a dividable central mould portion (24). A gob of molten glass is introduced into a gov uide (58) so that the gob passes into the mould through the neck ring (14). A plunger guide (42) which serves to guide the plunger (26) through the neck ring (14) is introduced into the gob guide (58) and a plunger (26) is introduced into the plunger guide (42) so that the plunger enters the mould through the neck ring (14). During pressing of the glass, the guide (42) which serves to guide the plunger (26) through the neck ring (14) is pressed downwardly on to the neck ring (14). The guide (42) defines a sealing surface (54) of the neck portion (16) of the mould cavity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for pressing glass TV tube faceplates employing a microprocessor controlled ram and plunger operated with open loop position based speed control at relatively high rates of motion when the plunger is not in critical contact with the glass, at uniform speed as the plunger enters the glass and at closed loop pressure control after the viewing region of the cavity for the faceplate between plunger and mold has been filled out at uniform plunger pressing speed. Pressure control is employed to ramp pressure down to a pressing dwell pressure and maintain that pressure.

Abstract: A displacement pick-up arrangement for the position detection of a plunger is a component of a pressing station of a section of an I.S. glass-forming machine in which a plunger is inserted into a mold recess of a parison mold holding a glass gob at this time, and includes a ring-shaped core which is carried by a piston rod mounted to said plunger. The core forms an actuating element for changing the inductivity of a coil which is arranged in a ring-shaped frame between a cylinder and a guiding cylinder for the plunger.

Abstract: In glassware forming apparatus a parison is formed at a blank station by pressing a gob of molten glass using a plunger and plunger actuating means mounted on a carriage, the carriage also carrying a neck ring and being reciprocable so that a parison held by the neck ring is transported from the blank station to a further station in the apparatus and the neck ring is returned to the blank station after release of the parison at the further station and prior to the formation of the next parison at the blank station. The plunger mounting and actuating means is constructed to allow the plunger to float laterally and vertically during formation of the parison.

Abstract: In the operation of a pressing plunger for forming a parison from a gob of molten glass, it is important that the plunger be moved into the gob which is retained in the parison mold, with a fairly rapid motion and also be capable of being withdrawn from the formed parison as rapidly as possible. One other consideration is that it not be pressing the glass at the final portion of its travel at a very high force. By providing a large piston for moving the plunger into and out of pressing position, it is possible to move the plunger at a relatively high velocity with high operating pressure. A small piston is provided within the larger piston and by reason of having a substantially smaller surface area, with the smaller piston being connected to the plunger, a lower force is applied to the plunger. The plunger with its piston is moved by the larger piston to the fullest extent of the large piston's travel, and the smaller piston to which the plunger is attached is free to move relative to the large piston.

Abstract: An improved pressing machine for hollow glassware comprising advancing means for advancing molds through a series of advance steps for molding one range of size of articles and for advancing the molds through advance steps of other distances for molding articles of other size ranges. For each size range of articles to be produced, the machine includes a group of glass discharging devices discharging molten glass into each of the molds and a plurality of pressing devices for molding the glass within the molds. These devices are spaced relative to each other by distances equal to the distance of advance of the molds from station to station. The pressing machine further includes a molding plate having an adaptor for mounting molds of different sizes depending on which range of sized articles are to be produced.

Abstract: A control system for operating the ram vertically movable in and out of a glass mold. The control system for operating the ram includes a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic fluid reservoir, and a hydraulic cylinder which is interconnected to the pump and to the reservoir. A vertically reciprocal piston is positioned in the cylinder. Valve means control the flow of hydraulic fluid from the pump and reservoir to the chambers defined on opposite sides of the piston. The operating system includes a first control of hydraulic fluid and fluid pressure to the first chamber and from the second chamber for rapidly lowering or permitting free fall of the ram towards the mold by action of gravity and a second control means of the fluid pressure on both sides of the piston to reduce the speed of the ram to pressing speed and finally to a fixed pressing position.