Temperature Or Heater Control Patents (Class 65/162)
  • Patent number: 11293071
    Abstract: Workpieces are disposed between a pair of side walls in a heat treatment chamber. A centrifugal fan is disposed to face the workpieces inside the heat treatment chamber, and sucks gas from the workpiece side and generates air current. In regions at the respective side wall sides relative to an intermediate position between the pair of side walls, an air current regulation unit regulates the air current so as to restrict flows of the air current from the centrifugal fan to the respective side wall sides when a rotary blade of the centrifugal fan rotates in regions in which outer circumferential edge portions of the rotating rotary blade separate from the respective side walls, and allows the flows in regions in which the outer circumferential edge portions of the rotating rotary blade approach the respective side walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Koyo Thermo Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakamura, Hiroaki Tetsubayashi, Takeshi Ueda
  • Patent number: 11194230
    Abstract: An optical device comprises a printed circuit card comprising an image capture electronic circuit, a metal lens support comprising at least one optical lens, the lens support being mounted on the printed circuit card so as to align, on the optical axis of the device, the image capture electronic circuit and the optical lens; the device further comprises at least one first electrically conductive heating element on and in electrical contact with the printed circuit card, between the lens support and the printed circuit card, and bearing against the lens support, the first heating element being configured to have passed through it an electrical current coming from the printed circuit card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Arkadiusz Rafalowski, Miroslaw Zurowski, Witold Poreda
  • Patent number: 10435322
    Abstract: Method of filling a mold with a glass gob through an opening of the mold, for forming a glass product in the mold, by using a delivery system for delivering the glass gob to the opening of the mold. The delivery system has an inlet, an outlet, and guiding means for guiding the glass gob through the delivery system. The method includes observing the glass gob, at at least one moment and/or during at least one period after the glass gob has passed the inlet of the delivery system, by using an optical imaging device. The method includes determining a glass gob observation result that includes a glass gob velocity, for predicting a glass distribution of the glass product formed in the mold and/or for controlling a next glass gob.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Centrum Voor Technische Informatica B. V.
    Inventor: Joop Dalstra
  • Patent number: 10273179
    Abstract: A glass manufacturing system and method are described herein for forming a high quality thin glass sheet. In one embodiment, the glass manufacturing system and method use at least one of a compensated rolling roll, a temperature controlled environment and edge rolls to form a high quality thin glass sheet that has a thickness less than about 2 mm and more preferably less than about 100 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventor: Allan Mark Fredholm
  • Patent number: 9815729
    Abstract: A method for the continuous production of a cellular ceramic plate having asymmetric cells comprising thermally treating ceramic particles and a blowing agent in a foaming furnace while conveying said ceramic particles and said blowing agent at a first speed thereby forming a cellular ceramic plate, and annealing said cellular ceramic plate in an annealing lehr by cooling it down while conveying it at a second speed, larger than said first speed, thereby stretching and cooling said cellular ceramic plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Pittsburgh Corning Europe NV
    Inventor: Hans Strauven
  • Patent number: 9731991
    Abstract: Method of filling a mould and system for filling a mould. Abstract Method of filling a mould (8) with a glass gob (10) through an opening (12) of the mould (8), for forming a glass product in the mould (8), by using a delivery system (14) for delivering the glass gob to the opening (12) of the mould (8). The delivery system (14) has an inlet (16), an outlet (18), and guiding means (20) for guiding the glass gob through the delivery system (14). The method includes observing the glass gob, at at least one moment and/or during at least one period after the glass gob has passed the inlet (16) of the delivery system (14), by using an optical imaging device (4). The method includes determining a glass gob observation result that includes a glass gob velocity, for predicting a glass distribution of the glass product formed in the mould (8) and/or for controlling a next glass gob.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Centrum Voor Technische Informatica B.V.
    Inventor: Joop Dalstra
  • Patent number: 9580345
    Abstract: A closed loop blank mold temperature control system and method for use in the operation of an I.S. machine is disclosed for automatically adjusting machine timing to maintain desired blank mold temperature/heat extraction. The closed loop blank mold temperature control system uses measured blank mold temperatures to automatically control the supply of coolant air to the blank molds, which may be done independently to each blank mold half as well as independently to the plunger for each blank mold. The closed loop blank mold temperature control system can provide temperature setpoint commands, balance left and right parison temperatures, and maintain parison temperatures as a setpoint, all of which contribute to enhanced final glass container quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Emhart Glass S.A.
    Inventor: Jonathan S. Simon
  • Patent number: 9556053
    Abstract: A method for forming a glass sheet with reduced inclusions is disclosed. The method includes flowing molten glass over converging forming surfaces of a forming body positioned within an enclosure. The forming body is heated with a plurality of heating elements separated from the forming body by an inner wall of the enclosure. The temperature T2 at the bottom of the forming body is decoupled from the temperature T1 at the top of the forming body by an insulating thermal barrier positioned between two adjacent heating elements of the plurality of heating elements such that a change in T2 does not cause a substantial change in T1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Andrey V Filippov, Chunhong Chelsie He, Bulent Kocatulum, Kathleen Elizabeth Morse, Liming Wang
  • Patent number: 9416039
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming a glass sheet with reduced zircon inclusions in the glass sheet is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises heating elements distributed vertically between the weirs of a forming wedge and the root of the forming wedge, and wherein a thermal barrier is disposed between adjacent heating elements. A method of using the apparatus is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Andrey V Filippov, Chunhong Chelsie He, Bulent Kocatulum, Kathleen Elizabeth Morse, Liming Wang
  • Patent number: 9388063
    Abstract: This invention provides a manufacturing method of a molded glass object in which generation of defects such as dents and wrinkles due to catching of ambient gas between a molten glass drop and an upper mold is restrained in the case of manufacturing a molded glass object by press-molding of a dropped molten glass drop, and a manufacturing method of an upper mold for the manufacturing method of a molded grass object. A molten glass drop is press-molded by use of an upper mold having been subjected to a roughening treatment to roughen the surface on the molding surface to compress the molten glass drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Inventors: Naoyuki Fukumoto, Shunichi Hayamizu, Kento Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9228783
    Abstract: A method for controlling a fuel supply to a plurality of burners of a burner group includes determining a temperature in the burner group as a control variable. The fuel supply to the burners of the burner group is specified in dependence on a control deviation of the temperature determined in the burner group to a specified setpoint temperature. The fuel supply is a common mean fuel supply that is specified for all of the burners of the burner group by a temperature master controller. The fuel supply is corrected for each of the burners or burner subgroups of the burner group. Each of the burners or the burner subgroups have a fuel supply slave controller. The fuel supply slave controllers use at least, one disturbance variable associated to the respective burner or the respective burner subgroup so as to perform the correcting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: OUTOTEC (FINLAND) OY
    Inventors: Karl Semiller, Wolfgang Selt, Michael Stroeder
  • Patent number: 9199816
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for guiding flexible glass ribbons (13) without mechanically contacting the central portion (4) of the ribbon are provided in which two curved sections are formed in the ribbon which stiffen the ribbon so that lateral forces can be applied to the ribbon without causing it to buckle. The curvatures of the curved sections are along the direction of motion (15) of the ribbon and can be produced using curved air-bars (12,14) and/or pairs of cylindrical rollers (5a,5b,16a,16b). The lateral forces can be applied by pairs of guide rollers (7a,7b,9a,9b) which can be mounted on spring-loaded pivot arms (6,19,29) and can have a complaint outer coating or sleeve (35). The guiding system can be used in the winding of the glass ribbon onto a cylindrical core (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Douglass L Blanding, Sean Matthew Garner, Gary Edward Merz, John Earl Tosch
  • Publication number: 20150114043
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that heats the glass of a primary glass product to be formed. The apparatus includes a laser that emits light at a wavelength for which the glass of the primary glass product is at most partly transparent, such that the light is absorbed at least partially in the glass. The apparatus also includes a mold having a forming mandrel having a thermally stable ceramic material, at least in the region that forms the contact surface with the glass during the forming process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2013
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Thomas Risch, Georg Haselhorst, Volker Plapper
  • Publication number: 20150114042
    Abstract: A method of reforming glass includes placing a glass sheet on a mold having a shaping surface for forming the glass sheet into a shaped glass article. A target starting mold forming temperature and temperature window are selected for the mold. A target starting mold forming temperature and temperature window are also selected for the glass sheet. The glass sheet and mold are simultaneously exposed to a first furnace condition controlled to a furnace temperature set point above the target starting mold forming temperature until a temperature of the mold is within the first temperature window. The glass sheet and mold are simultaneously exposed to a second furnace condition controlled to a furnace temperature set point between the target starting mold forming temperature and first furnace temperature set point until a temperature of the glass sheet is within the second temperature window, after which forming of the glass sheet starts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventor: Keith Raymond Gaylo
  • Publication number: 20150107305
    Abstract: A glass molding method for molding a glass preform to a glass product via an assembly mold includes the following steps. The glass preform is preheated to a glass molding temperature. The assembly mold is heated to a predetermined mold temperature lower than the glass molding temperature and maintained at the mold temperature. The preheated glass preform is transferred to the assembly mold. The assembly mold is closed together for molding the glass preform to the glass product. The glass product and the assembly mold are gradually cooled to an open temperature. Then the assembly mold is opened to take the glass product out of the assembly mold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Applicant: WEIS LIMITED
    Inventor: KANG WEI
  • Patent number: 8904822
    Abstract: A thickness of at least one preselected portion of a substrate, such as glass substrate for example, is controlled. A laser beam is directed to the at least one preselected portion of the substrate in a viscous state, thereby increasing a temperature and reducing a viscosity of the at least one preselected portion of the substrate in a viscous state sufficiently to cause the at least one preselected portion of the glass substrate to attain a desired thickness. The laser beam after it is generated can be directed to a reflecting surface from which the laser beam is reflected to the at least one preselected portion of the substrate in the viscous state. The substrate can comprise a glass ribbon produced in a downdraw glass forming process for example, and the laser beam can be directed onto a plurality of preselected portions of the glass ribbon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Philip Robert LeBlanc, Correy Robert Ustanik
  • Publication number: 20140352357
    Abstract: A furnace for shaping glass sheets for aircraft transparencies using the cut-to-size method includes a preheat and cooling furnace defined as a first furnace, and a shaping furnace. A conveyor geared for reciprocating movement moves a bending iron supporting a glass sheet through the first furnace set to a preheat temperature. The glass sheet supported on the bending iron is heated in the shaping furnace by microwave beams from a gyrotron to heat portions of the glass sheet to be shaped to a complex shape. After the sheet is shaped, the conveyor moves the bending iron supporting the shaped glass sheet from the shaping furnace through the first furnace set to a cooling cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: Yu Jiao, Robert M. Bonaddio, Joseph G. Koepfinger, Joseph Medzius, James Franklin Priddy, Russell Willis Schrier, Dennis D. Warren, Chao Yu
  • Patent number: 8820118
    Abstract: Apparatus for producing glass ribbon includes a control device configured at least periodic thermal stress compensation of the glass ribbon by independently adjusting operation of a plurality of temperature adjustment elements based on stress characteristic information at least periodically obtained from a stress sensor apparatus. In further examples, methods of producing glass include at least periodically sensing a stress characteristic of a glass ribbon and at least periodically changing a transverse temperature profile of the glass ribbon based stress characteristic information. In further examples, methods include the step of changing a transverse temperature profile of the glass ribbon only if a measured parameter is within an operating range associated with the parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Jeffrey Howard Ahrens, Terry Jay Ott
  • Publication number: 20140238077
    Abstract: Repositionable heater assemblies and methods of controlling temperature of glass in production lines using the repositionable heater assemblies are disclosed. The repositionable heater assembly includes a support frame, a first sled and a second sled each coupled to the support frame with bearing members that allow the first sled and the second sled to translate in a longitudinal direction. Each of the first sled and the second sled include at least one heating element, where the heating elements are spaced apart from the glass ribbon a spacing distance. The first and second sleds are movable in the longitudinal direction to controlling the spacing distance between the heating elements of the first sled and the second sled and the glass ribbon to manage temperature of the glass ribbon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: James Gary Anderson, Steven Roy Burdette, Vladislav Yuryevich Golyatin, Jon Anthony Passmore, George Clinton Shay
  • Publication number: 20140174130
    Abstract: Disclosed is a float bath which allows easy temperature control according to an internal position, and a glass manufacturing apparatus and glass manufacturing method including the float bath. The float bath includes a plurality of heaters provided at an upper portion of the float bath to supply heat into the float bath, and a shield provided between predetermined heaters among the plurality of heaters to block heat transfer therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Kyoung-Hoon MIN, Ye-Hoon IM, Su-Chan PARK, Sang-Oeb NA, Won-Jae MOON
  • Patent number: 8742287
    Abstract: Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to apparatuses for sealing the tips of pump-out tubes of vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units, and/or associated methods. In certain example embodiments, a laser source used in sealing the pump-out tube is thermally insulated from the VIG unit and emits a laser beam through one or more windows in an oven towards a mirror located therein. The mirror is located so as to redirect the laser beam onto the pump-out tube to thereby seal it. For instance, a substantially horizontal laser beam emitted from a laser source located outside the oven enters into the oven through one or more windows and is reflected by a mirror towards the pump-out tube to be sealed. The repositioning of the laser source advantageously can change its effective focal length and/or the location of the laser beam, e.g., because of the fixed location of the mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Guardian Industries Corp.
    Inventor: Ryan L. Dear
  • Publication number: 20140137601
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for fabricating continuous glass ribbons are disclosed. The method includes forming the continuous glass ribbon by drawing the continuous glass ribbon from a draw housing in a drawing direction, heating at least one portion of a central region of the continuous glass ribbon at a heating location downstream of the draw housing, sensing a temperature of the continuous glass ribbon at a sensed temperature location downstream of the draw housing, and automatically controlling the heating of the at least one portion of the central region of the continuous glass ribbon based on the sensed temperature to mitigate distortion of the continuous glass ribbon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Tomohiro Aburada, Anmol Agrawal, Steven Roy Burdette, Masumi Kihata, Gautam Narendra Kudva, Michael Yoshiya Nishimoto
  • Publication number: 20140013805
    Abstract: The method for producing a glass sheet by down-drawing includes an air pressure controlling step of controlling the air pressure of a furnace outside space formed between a furnace and a covering part that covers the furnace, the furnace including a forming furnace and a lehr, a melting step of melting glass raw materials to form molten glass, a supplying step of supplying the molten glass to a forming cell disposed inside the forming furnace, a forming step of forming a glass sheet by allowing the molten glass to flow down the forming cell, an annealing step of cooling the glass sheet while allowing the glass sheet to flow in one direction in the lehr, and a cutting step of cutting the glass sheet that has been cooled. In the air pressure controlling step, air pressure is controlled such that the air pressure is higher, inside the furnace outside space, at a position more toward the upstream side of the flow direction of the glass sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicants: AVANSTRATE KOREA INC., AVANSTRATE INC.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kariya, Kimihiko Nakashima
  • Publication number: 20140007620
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an apparatus for baking a glass substrate, which includes: a baking oven, a support component, a temperature sensing device, a heating device, a cooling device, and a temperature controlling device. The present invention further discloses a method for baking a glass substrate. The present invention is capable of dynamically controlling the temperature of the support component, which contacts the glass substrate. The temperature of the glass substrate keeps identical and the temperature of the support component keep identical, so as to prevent a Mura defect appearing on the glass substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tao Ma, Tao Ding, Ming Liu, Tao Song, Guodong Zhao, Yijun Liu
  • Patent number: 8618442
    Abstract: A nozzle housing assembly, which is used in a convection heating furnace for a heat treatable glass sheet. The nozzle housing assembly comprises an elongated enclosure, at least one elongated heating resistance in the enclosure for heating convection air, and orifices in a bottom surface of the enclosure for blasting heated convection air against the glass sheet. The enclosure is divided with a flow-throttling partition into a top supply duct and a bottom nozzle box, the heating resistances being housed in the latter. Flow-throttling openings present in the partition are positioned to comply with the location and shape of the heating resistances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Glaston Services Ltd. Oy
    Inventor: Mikko Rantala
  • Publication number: 20130327092
    Abstract: Processes of controlling submerged combustion melters, and systems for carrying out the methods. One process includes feeding vitrifiable material into a melter vessel, the melter vessel including a fluid-cooled refractory panel in its floor, ceiling, and/or sidewall, and heating the vitrifiable material with a burner directing combustion products into the melting zone under a level of the molten material in the zone. Burners impart turbulence to the molten material in the melting zone. The fluid-cooled refractory panel is cooled, forming a modified panel having a frozen or highly viscous material layer on a surface of the panel facing the molten material, and a sensor senses temperature of the modified panel using a protected thermocouple positioned in the modified panel shielded from direct contact with turbulent molten material. Processes include controlling the melter using the temperature of the modified panel. Other processes and systems are presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Inventor: Mark William Charbonneau
  • Publication number: 20130305784
    Abstract: In a known process for drawing a quartz glass strand, SiO2 particles are fed to a melting crucible and softened therein to form a quartz glass mass, and the softened quartz glass mass is pulled vertically downward as a quartz glass strand via a drawing nozzle which is provided in the bottom region of the melting crucible and has a gap-like drawing nozzle opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicant: HERAEUS QUARZGLAS GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Boris Gromann, Christian Neumann
  • Publication number: 20130269393
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a glass sheet using a fusion down-draw process, wherein the heating powers of the heating elements are managed such that in case of a failure of one heating element, the heating power of the adjacent heating element is immediately increased. The method decreases the thermal stress the forming body is exposed to due to the failure of the heating element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Inventors: Adam Charles Berkey, Nikolay Anatolyevich Panin, Eunyoung Park
  • Publication number: 20130239616
    Abstract: A directional solidification furnace is disclosed that includes one or more movable cooling plates disposed beneath a crucible. In a first position, the cooling plates are free from contact with a crucible support positioned adjacent the crucible. In a second position, the cooling plates are in contact with the crucible support. A control system is used to control the amount of force exerted by the cooling plates against the crucible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: MEMC Singapore, Ptd. Ltd (UEN200614794D)
    Inventors: Benjamin Michael Meyer, Lee William Ferry
  • Publication number: 20130186138
    Abstract: Apparatus (36, 36?) and a method for forming glass sheets utilizes a press ring assembly (50) adjacent a heating furnace to receive a heated class sheet therefrom for press forming. The press ring assembly (50) includes a press ring (52) for mounting on a support (48), with the press ring having an open interior and peripheral shape including an upwardly oriented forming face (74) for contacting the heated glass sheet periphery. A heater (75) extends along the peripheral shape of the press ring (52) to provide heating under the control of at least one thermocouple (110), and insulation (78) extends along the periphery of the press ring within the interior, around the exterior and below the press ring to reduce heat loss, with the heater located between the insulation and the press ring. An upper press mold (58) cooperates with the press ring assembly (50) to provide press forming.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: GLASSTECH, INC.
    Inventors: Troy R. Lewandowski, David B. Nitschke, Dean M. Nitschke, Jeffrey A. Grzeszczak, Mace L. Odneal
  • Patent number: 8490432
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a glass sheet using a fusion down-draw process, wherein the heating powers of the heating elements are managed such that in case of a failure of one heating element, the heating power of the adjacent heating element is immediately increased. The method decreases the thermal stress the forming body is exposed to due to the failure of the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Adam C Berkey, Nikolay A Panin, Eunyoung Park
  • Patent number: 8474286
    Abstract: The present invention significantly modifies “The Overflow Process”. It includes a method and apparatus for measuring glass flow rate and maintaining a constant glass flow rate. It also embodies design features and methods that support and stress the forming apparatus in a manner such that the deformation that results from thermal creep is corrected, thus minimizing the effect of the thermal creep on the thickness variation of the glass sheet. The present invention also embodies design features that change the process from a single step (combined flow distribution and cooling) to a two step process; step one being flow distribution and step two being cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventor: Richard B. Pitbladdo
  • Patent number: 8459062
    Abstract: Apparatus for producing glass ribbon includes a control device configured at least periodic thermal stress compensation of the glass ribbon by independently adjusting operation of a plurality of temperature adjustment elements based on stress characteristic information at least periodically obtained from a stress sensor apparatus. In further examples, methods of producing glass include at least periodically sensing a stress characteristic of a glass ribbon and at least periodically changing a transverse temperature profile of the glass ribbon based stress characteristic information. In further examples, methods include the step of changing a transverse temperature profile of the glass ribbon only if a measured parameter is within an operating range associated with the parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Jeffrey H. Ahrens, Terry J. Ott
  • Patent number: 8448466
    Abstract: The glass sheets (2) of an asymmetric glass-sheet pair, which is intended for the production of laminated glass, are preheated in a preheating furnace (1) and then undergo a press-bending process in a press-bending station (4). By means of a temperature measuring point (11) arranged at the exit of the press-bending station, it is ensured that the glass sheets exhibit a uniform bending behavior, in order to guarantee identical restoring forces during cooling. The temperature measuring point (11) is connected to a control device (16), which causes an intermediate cooling of the glass sheet heating more rapidly by means of an intermediate cooling installation (12, 13) in the pre-heating furnace and/or lengthens its dwell time in the press-bending station (4) by means of a timing control element (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Pilkington Automotive Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Funk, Joachim Pilz, Peter Michels
  • Publication number: 20130074549
    Abstract: Apparatus for producing glass ribbon includes a control device configured at least periodic thermal stress compensation of the glass ribbon by independently adjusting operation of a plurality of temperature adjustment elements based on stress characteristic information at least periodically obtained from a stress sensor apparatus. In further examples, methods of producing glass include at least periodically sensing a stress characteristic of a glass ribbon and at least periodically changing a transverse temperature profile of the glass ribbon based stress characteristic information. In further examples, methods include the step of changing a transverse temperature profile of the glass ribbon only if a measured parameter is within an operating range associated with the parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Inventors: Jeffrey H. Ahrens, Terry J. Ott
  • Publication number: 20130047670
    Abstract: A metalloid such as silicon in the form of a preheated solid electrode is purified by a CEVAR purification process by producing an ingot with controlled heating and cool down after the preheated electrode is melted in a CEVAR furnace system using a short CEVAR open-bottomed crucible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Inventor: Raymond J. ROBERTS
  • Publication number: 20120318020
    Abstract: Apparatus for producing glass ribbon comprises a plurality of cooling coils positioned along a cooling axis of the apparatus extending transverse to a draw direction. The cooling coils are configured to control a transverse temperature profile of the glass ribbon along a cooling axis. Each cooling coil can be fabricated from at least one tube and configured to circulate fluid to remove heat from the cooling coil. In further examples, methods of producing a glass ribbon include the step of controlling a transverse temperature profile of the glass ribbon along a width of the glass ribbon. The step of controlling the temperature profile includes selectively removing heat from at least one of a plurality of cooling coils positioned along the cooling axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Inventors: Robert Delia, Ahdi El Kahlout
  • Publication number: 20120304695
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for precision glass roll forming a supply of molten glass at a glass temperature of 1000° C. or higher. A pair of hot forming rolls having a surface temperature of about 500° C. or higher, vertically below the glass feed, that thin the supplied stream of molten glass to produce a formed glass ribbon. A pair of cold sizing rolls maintained at a surface temperature of about 400° C. or lower, vertically below the forming rolls, that thin the formed glass ribbon glass to produce a sized glass ribbon having a desired thickness and a desired thickness uniformity. The sized glass ribbon may have a thickness of 1 mm or less that varies in thickness by no more than +/?0.025 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Inventors: Alexander Lakota, William E. Lock, Joel A. Schultes, John C. Thomas
  • Publication number: 20120291490
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for annealing a glass sheet, which can sufficiently reduce ITT formed in the glass sheet, are provided. In the method for annealing a glass sheet G of the present invention, in a state that a heated and bent glass sheet G is placed on a forming mold 16, first, a region of the glass sheet G to be lifted up is cooled by cooling devices 20, 22, to make the temperature of the region to be lifted up to be a temperature of at most the strain point. Next, in this state, a lift-up member 36 is operated to lift up the region of the glass sheet G to be lifted up, by rods 38, 38 . . . , to separate the glass sheet G from the forming mold 16.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hiroshi YAMAKAWA, Akira SUGAHARA, Yasumasa KATO
  • Publication number: 20120204601
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a glass blank for a substrate for an information recording medium, the method including steps of: cutting out a gob of a glass material from a molten glass material by cutting the molten glass material discharged from a glass material outlet at a predetermined timing; causing the gob of the glass material to fall downwardly; pinching and pressing the gob of the glass material by a press unit having a pair of molds, the molds' surfaces facing to each other being press surfaces which are planes without an unevenness, so as to contact the falling gob of the glass material only to the press surfaces; and forming a circular flat plate-shaped glass blank having a target flatness as a glass substrate for a magnetic disk such that a ratio between a diameter and a thickness of the glass blank is within a range of from 50:1 to 150:1, from the gob of the glass material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Inventor: Akira MURAKAMI
  • Publication number: 20120186301
    Abstract: In a glass product forming machine having molds 1A and 1B each composed of a pair of split molds 11 and 12, and a mold cooling device X for cooling the molds 1A and 1B to control the temperatures thereof, in order to prevent the occurrence of a defect such as deformation or cracks in a formed article due to a temperature difference between the split molds 11 and 12, the mold cooling device X is configured to include: cooling mechanisms 3R and 3L provided to the respective split molds, the cooling mechanisms each individually applying cooling air to each of the split molds 11 and 12 of the molds 1A and 1B; valve mechanisms 30R and 30L for individually opening and closing each of paths for introducing cooling air to the respective cooling mechanisms 3R and 3L; temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of at least one of the split molds; and a temperature control device 9 for generating and outputting control signals for controlling the opening and closing operations of the respective valve mecha
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: Nihon Yamamura Glass Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Nishimura, Masaki Kataoka, Shintaro Ohno, Takahiro Kotoh
  • Publication number: 20120174628
    Abstract: A system and method for automatically adjusting I.S. machine timing to maintain desired vertical glass distribution to improve process yield and quality while reducing dependence on operator skill. Deficiencies in the vertical glass distribution are rapidly addressed by automatically varying the start of final blow to allow more or less stretching of the parison, and more fundamentally addressed by adjusting the cooling of the parison mold. The cooling time of the parison mold may be adjusted by using final blow timing error correction or by also using parison mold temperature error correction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Inventor: Jonathan Seth Simon
  • Publication number: 20120137737
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing a molten glass which can produce a molten glass having a good quality, a glass-melting furnace, a process for producing glass products and an apparatus for producing glass products. While an oxygen combustion burner 20 is rotated by a motor 38, glass raw material particles (not shown) are dropped into a high-temperature gas phase atmosphere produced by a flame F of the oxygen combustion burner 20, to be changed into liquid glass particles. By rotation of an outlet (nozzle) of the oxygen combustion burner 20, the falling position of the liquid glass particles 26, 26 . . . changes with time. Accordingly, generation of bubbles caused by continuous fall of the liquid glass particles in a particular position on a molten glass liquid surface is prevented. Accordingly, it is possible to produce a molten glass having a good quality with few bubbles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicant: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Osamu SAKAMOTO, Chikao TANAKA, Seiji MIYAZAKI, Satoru OHKAWA, Takahiro MURAKAMI
  • Publication number: 20120131957
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a sheet wafer melts feedstock material in a crucible that is part of a crystal growth furnace, passes a plurality of filaments through the crucible to form a sheet wafer, and cuts a portion of the sheet wafer to form a smaller sheet wafer. The method and apparatus then determine the weight of the smaller sheet wafer, and control the temperature of the melted feedstock material (e.g., by controlling crucible temperature or by interfacing with another temperature control system) as a function of the determined weight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: Max Era, Inc.
    Inventors: Leo van Glabbeek, Gerald A. Simpson, JR., Soumana Hamma, Stephen Yamartino
  • Publication number: 20120094079
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to a device for ceramizing green glass in a continuous furnace, with the ceramization being carried out directly on rollers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2010
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Inventors: Falk Gabel, Thoralf Johansson, Uwe Martens, Christian Roos, Friedrich Georg Schroder
  • Patent number: 8136374
    Abstract: Disclosed is a float bath system for manufacturing a float glass, comprising a block assembly having a plurality of blocks connected to each other and configured to store a molten metal therein; a steel casing surrounding the block assembly; an air blower capable of supplying air to the steel casing; and a cooling water spray member capable of spraying a cooling water onto the steel casing. And, a cooling method of said float bath system is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Won-Jae Moon, Sang-Oeb Na, Yang-Han Kim, Hyung-Young Oh, Young-Sik Kim, Kil-Ho Kim, Heui-Joon Park, Chang-Hee Lee
  • Publication number: 20120006057
    Abstract: The present invention significantly modifies “The Overflow Process”. It includes a method and apparatus for measuring glass flow rate and maintaining a constant glass flow rate. It also embodies design features and methods that support and stress the forming apparatus in a manner such that the deformation that results from thermal creep is corrected, thus minimizing the effect of the thermal creep on the thickness variation of the glass sheet. The present invention also embodies design features that change the process from a single step (combined flow distribution and cooling) to a two step process; step one being flow distribution and step two being cooling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Inventor: Richard B. Pitbladdo
  • Publication number: 20110294646
    Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a float glass includes a bottom block in which molten metal is stored to float, a loop block which covers the bottom block, and a plurality of thermocouples buried in the loop block in a predetermined pattern to measure the temperature of the loop block so that a temperature gradient of an inner circumstance of a float chamber formed by the bottom block and the loop block is measured and/or controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: Woo-Hyun KIM, Sang-Oeb Na, Won-Jae Moon, Jeong-Deok Kim, Kil-Ho Kim, Heui-Joon Park, Jin Han, Dong-Shin Shin
  • Publication number: 20110289967
    Abstract: A glass manufacturing system and a method are described herein that use an enhanced temperature control device to help manufacture a uniformly thick glass sheet that is substantially stress free. In one example, the enhanced temperature control device includes an array of temperature controlled elements and a radiation collimator which together cool the glass sheet with a high degree of spatial resolution so as to reduce stress in the glass sheet and control the thickness of the glass sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventor: Steven R. Burdette
  • Patent number: 8051677
    Abstract: Disclosed is a float bath system for manufacturing a float glass, comprising a block assembly having a plurality of blocks connected to each other and configured to store a molten metal therein; a steel casing surrounding the block assembly; an air blower capable of supplying air to the steel casing; and a cooling water spray member capable of spraying a cooling water onto the steel casing. And, a cooling method of said float bath system is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Won-Jae Moon, Sang-Oeb Na, Yang-Han Kim, Hyung-Young Oh, Young-Sik Kim, Kil-Ho Kim, Heui-Joon Park, Chang-Hee Lee