Abstract: A glass melting furnace including a melt chamber configured to receive a glass melt which forms a glass melt top surface; at least one batch feeder configured to feed batch material into the melt chamber below a level of the glass melt top surface, the batch feeder arranged at a side wall, a back wall, or a bottom of the melt chamber, plural electrodes arranged in the melt chamber below the level of the glass melt top surface and configured to heat the glass melt, the electrodes spaced apart from each other, wherein the electrodes are arranged so that a flow with a horizontal and a vertical component of movement is created in the glass melt, wherein the electrodes are arranged so that a helical flow in the glass melt is created with an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the glass melt top surface.

Abstract: Gripper apparatus for gripping a row of glass containers moving on a lehr conveyor. The apparatus includes a pair of elongated gripping members arranged parallel with one another and relatively movable toward one another to grip a row of glass containers. Actuating means is connected to the gripping members for controlling their relative movement and thus gripping and releasing of the containers. The actuating means may include a series of actuating devices spaced apart along and connected to the gripping members. Those actuating devices are actuable, at least substantially following movement of the gripping members to grip containers on the lehr conveyor, to move the gripping members in a direction away from the lehr conveyor so as to move the depending gripped containers clear of the conveyor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for coating exterior surfaces of glass containers such as bottles. The containers are conveyed along a coating path by conveying means so that the containers are arranged in a non-contact relationship with one another. A coating vessel is provided for containing a bath of liquid coating material M. The conveying means is arranged to dip containers being conveyed at least partially into the bath of liquid coating material so as to apply a coating of material to exterior surfaces of the containers. Setting means operates to set the coating applied to the containers. The method and apparatus may be incorporated into a continuous container manufacturing line so that the containers to be coated are continuously received from a lehr conveyor for conveying along the coating path by the conveying means.

Abstract: Hollow blanks of glass are pressed between a hollow mold and a plunger (10). The mold comprises an inner wall complementary to the outer side of a blank. The plunger (10) comprises an open-pore plunger head (11) having a surface (24) complementary to the inner side of the blank and an inner cavity (15) which is filled with a liquid. In each working cycle a partial amount of the liquid evaporates by heat transfer from the glass to the plunger head (11) at the surface (24) of the latter, a separation vapor layer forming between the surface of the plunger head and the glass. The liquid pressure in the cavity (15) of the plunger head (11) is adapted to the pressing pressure obtaining in the glass during the pressing in each case until the glass has reached its dimensional stability necessary for withdrawal of the plunger head (11).

Abstract: An article of glassware, particularly a glass container, of increased strength is made by a process in which the parison is treated in a manner which will cause the glass in the outer surface layer of the formed glassware article to be in a state of compression. Preferably a glaze having a coefficient of thermal expansion lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the glass of the parison is applied to the outer surface of the parison. Advantageously, the glaze is applied to the parison by a flame spray method or by dipping the parison into a fluidized bed containing powdered glaze.As an alternative, the glaze applied to the outer surface of the parison may be capable of being at least partially crystallized, after the glassware article has been formed from the parison, to produce an outer surface of the glassware article having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the base glass of the glassware article.