TWI753780B - Continuous glass thermoforming method, module and equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The prevent invention reveals a continuous glass thermoforming method, a glass enters into a forming compartment comprising a temperature gradient which is a gradual rising temperature from the bottom to top in the forming compartment. The glass gradually softens when moved from the bottom to the top of the forming compartment, and formed by a forming method in the top of the forming compartment. The glass gradually becomes cold when moved from the top to the bottom of the forming compartment after formed, and stays at an annealing zone where close the bottom of the forming compartment.

Description

Continuous glass thermoforming method, components and equipment

A glass forming equipment, especially a continuous glass thermoforming method, components and equipment.

Currently, a glass is produced and formed mainly through a process of heating and softening, shaping, cooling and forming, and secondary heating and annealing. The above-mentioned items are mostly processed by sub-stations, and the glass needs to be continuously moved to the next processing station, resulting in a waste of manpower and time.

There is also a heating furnace on the market that combines the heating and softening and the forming step, the glass is translated along a track in the heating furnace, and a gradient temperature is gradually increased during the translation process to gradually soften the glass, and The molding step is performed at the end of the heating furnace. However, due to the principle of temperature diffusion, the gradient temperature is not easily maintained in the heating furnace, so that the heating furnace needs to set a temperature between each temperature range of the gradient temperature. The controller repeatedly regulates the temperature to maintain the temperature in each temperature range, resulting in a great waste of energy.

There is also a single-chamber heating furnace that combines the heating and softening and the molding step. The glass is placed in the single-chamber heating furnace to gradually heat up and soften, and then gradually cool and set after the molding step. The single-cavity heating furnace causes equipment loss and energy waste due to continuous heating and cooling. Therefore, the development of a glass forming method and equipment that can reduce the loss of manpower, time and equipment and energy waste is the current glass molding method and equipment. A much-needed development target in industry.

To develop a glass forming method and equipment that can reduce the wastage of manpower, time and equipment, as well as energy waste, the present invention provides a continuous glass thermoforming method, which comprises a bottom of a glass entering a forming cavity, and the forming cavity is formed by The gradual temperature rise from bottom to top forms a temperature gradient; the glass moves from the bottom in the molding cavity to the top in the molding cavity and gradually softens; the glass is formed at the top of the molding cavity by a molding method.

Wherein, after the glass is formed on the top of the molding cavity, the glass moves from the top of the molding cavity to the bottom of the molding cavity and gradually cools down, and the glass stays in an annealing zone near the bottom of the molding cavity.

Wherein, the molding method can be selected from a suction molding method, a gravity molding method or a compression molding method.

Further, the temperature gradient is distributed from bottom to top with a gradient of 200 degrees Celsius to 900 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the annealing zone is set between 450 degrees Celsius and 650 degrees Celsius.

A continuous glass thermoforming assembly includes a molding cavity, a heating space can be defined in the molding cavity, the molding cavity includes a temperature device and a molding device, the temperature device is arranged in the molding cavity, so that the heating space A temperature gradient gradually rising from bottom to top is formed inside, and the forming device is arranged on the top of the forming cavity.

Wherein, an annealing zone is arranged in the bottom zone of the forming cavity.

Further, the temperature gradient is distributed from bottom to top with a gradient of 200 degrees Celsius to 900 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the annealing zone is set between 450 degrees Celsius and 650 degrees Celsius.

A continuous glass thermoforming equipment comprises a preheating cavity, a forming cavity, a cooling cavity and a conveying device, the preheating cavity, the forming cavity and the cooling cavity are arranged in a transverse connection in the above-mentioned order, the conveying The equipment carries a glass, and the glass can be preheated in the preheating chamber in sequence, softened and shaped in the molding chamber, and cooled and shaped in the cooling chamber.

A heating space can be defined in the molding cavity, and the molding cavity includes a temperature device and a molding device. The temperature device is arranged in the molding cavity, so that a temperature gradient gradually rising from bottom to top is formed in the heating space.

Wherein, the molding device is disposed on the top of the molding cavity, and the molding device shapes the softened glass by a molding method, and the molding method can be selected from a suction molding method, a gravity molding method or a compression molding method method.

Wherein, the track device includes a track and two lifting devices. The two lifting devices correspond to the bottom of the molding cavity and are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the track. The lifting devices can move up and down in the heating space. move.

Further, an annealing zone is provided in the bottom region of the molding cavity, and the temperature of the annealing zone is set between 450 degrees Celsius and 650 degrees Celsius.

Further, it includes a plurality of the molding cavities, and the plurality of the molding cavities are laterally connected between the preheating cavity and the cooling cavity; the track device includes two of the track, a car, a displacement device and a plurality of pairs. The lifting device is provided, wherein two of the rails are arranged in parallel along the connection direction of the continuous glass thermoforming equipment, the trolley moves back and forth between the preheating cavity and the outside of the continuous glass thermoforming equipment, and the trolley includes a A fork-shaped bearing part of the glass, the fork-shaped bearing part includes two bearing arms arranged at intervals and a space defined between the two bearing arms, when the trolley enters the preheating chamber, the two bearing arms are positioned at It is relatively higher than the two rails; the displacement device corresponds to the position of the preheating chamber and is arranged between the two rails. The displacement device includes a lifting platform. The displacement device moves the lifting platform up and down in conjunction with the trolley. During the preheating cavity, the displacement device moves up and down together with the lifting platform, and passes through the space; and a plurality of the lifting devices corresponding to a plurality of bottom positions of the molding cavity are arranged in pairs on two opposite sides of the two rails. outside.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3 , which are a continuous glass thermoforming method, components and equipment provided by the present invention, which include a preheating chamber 10 , a molding chamber 20 , a cooling chamber 30 and a conveying device 40 . The preheating cavity 10 , the molding cavity 20 and the cooling cavity 30 are arranged in a transverse connection in the above-mentioned sequence. The conveying device 40 carries a glass, and enables the glass to pass through the preheating cavity 10 in sequence to preheat, It is softened and molded in the molding cavity 20 , and finally cooled and shaped in the cooling cavity 30 .

The continuous glass thermoforming method is as follows: the glass enters the bottom of a molding cavity 20, and the temperature gradually increases from bottom to top in the molding cavity 20 to form a temperature gradient; the glass moves from the bottom of the molding cavity 20 to the top of the molding cavity 20 gradually softens as the glass is formed; the glass is formed on the top of the forming cavity 20 by a forming method.

A preheating space 11 can be defined in the preheating cavity 10 , a first partition door is arranged between the preheating cavity 10 and the forming cavity 20 , and the glass enters the preheating cavity from the outside of the continuous glass thermoforming equipment 10, the preheating space 11 provides a preheating temperature and a deoxidizing environment for the glass, so that the glass can be preheated and enter the subsequent steps of heating, softening and shaping.

A heating space 21 can be defined in the molding cavity 20, and the heating space 21 and the preheating space 11 can be regulated and communicated through the first partition door. The molding cavity 20 includes a temperature device 22 and a molding device 23. The temperature device 22 is arranged in the molding cavity 20 , so that the heating space 11 forms the temperature gradient gradually rising from bottom to top, and the molding device 23 is arranged on the top of the molding cavity 20 . After the glass is preheated and deoxidized in the preheating cavity 10, the first partition door is opened, so that the glass can enter the bottom of the molding cavity 20, and the glass moves from bottom to top at the bottom of the molding cavity 20 to the molding cavity 20. At the top of the cavity 20 , the glass gradually softens due to the temperature gradient, and is finally shaped by the shaping device 23 .

Preferably, the temperature gradient is distributed from bottom to top with a gradient of 200 degrees Celsius to 900 degrees Celsius. In response to the principle of a hot air rising, the distribution of the temperature gradient from bottom to top can make the higher temperature in the heating space 21 . The temperature will not spread downward, the top of the molding cavity 20 can be continuously maintained at the highest temperature, and there is no need to set a temperature controller between each temperature interval of the temperature gradient to repeatedly control the temperature, saving energy.

After the glass is molded on the top of the molding cavity 20 , it moves from top to bottom to the bottom of the molding cavity 20 , so that the glass can be gradually cooled from top to bottom through the temperature gradient. Preferably, an annealing zone is provided near the bottom of the molding cavity 20 , and the temperature of the annealing zone is set between 450°C and 650°C. After the glass is molded, it is moved to the annealing zone for annealing to exclude the glass. After heating and forming, the residual stress due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the glass is generated during the cooling process. In this way, after the glass is formed, annealing can be completed directly in the forming cavity 20 without moving to the next workstation for reheating and annealing. , saving manpower and time consumption.

The forming device 23 can form the softened glass by a forming method, and the forming method can be a suction forming method, a gravity forming method or a compression molding method. For example, the forming device 23 can pass the suction forming method In the molding method, the molding device 23 includes a mold and a plastic suction device, and the plastic suction device is connected with the mold. When the glass is softened at the top of the molding cavity 20 , the glass is in contact with the mold, and the glass is formed corresponding to the mold through the plastic suction device.

When the molding device 23 adopts the compression molding method, the molding device 23 includes an upper mold and a pressing device. And the pressing device can be linked with the upper mold. When the glass is softened on the top of the molding cavity 20 , the pressing device can drive the upper mold to be pressed toward the glass, so that the glass is formed corresponding to the mold. After the upper mold and the glass are pressed together, the upper mold and the glass can be moved integrally from top to bottom to the annealing zone for a period of time, the upper mold is separated from the glass, and please reset to the molding cavity 20 top.

The cooling cavity 30 can be defined as a cooling space 31, a second partition door is arranged between the cooling cavity 30 and the molding cavity 20, and the heating space 21 and the cooling space 31 can be regulated and communicated through the second partition door, When the glass enters the cooling cavity 30 in the molding cavity 20, the cooling space 31 provides a cooling temperature and an oxygen injection environment for the glass, so that the glass can be cooled and shaped.

The track device 40 includes a track 41 and a lift device 42 . The lift device 42 is correspondingly disposed at the bottom of the molding cavity 20 , and the lift device 42 can move up and down in the heating space 11 . The rail 41 carries the glass to move in sequence in the preheating cavity 10 , the molding cavity 20 and the cooling cavity 30 . When the glass moves to the bottom of the molding cavity 20 , the lifting device 42 moves from bottom to top. against the glass, so that the glass can move up and down in the molding cavity 20 . In the present embodiment, two lifting devices 42 are used to push against the two ends of the glass from bottom to top respectively, so that the glass can move up and down in the heating space 11 to perform steps such as heating and softening, molding and annealing. The continuous glass thermoforming equipment provided by the present invention can avoid the need to set up a workstation for each step, thereby saving space and manpower waste.

In the second embodiment provided by the present invention, the continuous glass thermoforming equipment may further include a plurality of the forming cavities 20 , and the plurality of the forming cavities 20 are laterally connected between the preheating cavity 10 and the cooling cavity 30 . , so that the continuous glass thermoforming equipment can simultaneously perform a plurality of thermoforming steps of the glass. The structures and implementations of the plurality of forming cavities 20 are described in the previous paragraph, and will not be repeated here.

Please refer to FIG. 3 , the rail device 40 includes two rails 41 , a cart 43 , a displacement device 44 and a plurality of the lifting devices 42 arranged in pairs. The two rails 41 are along the continuous glass thermoforming equipment. The connecting directions are arranged in parallel at intervals. The trolley 43 can move back and forth between the preheating chamber 10 and the outside of the continuous glass thermoforming equipment. The trolley 43 includes a fork-shaped bearing portion 431 for placing the glass. Two carrying arms 432 arranged at intervals and a space 433 defined between the two carrying arms 432, when the trolley 43 inputs the glass to the preheating chamber 10 from the outside of the continuous glass thermoforming equipment, two The position of the carrying arm 432 is relatively higher than the two rails 41 .

The displacement device 44 is disposed between the two rails 41 corresponding to the preheating chamber 10 . The displacement device 44 includes a lifting platform 441 , and the displacement device 44 can move the lifting platform 441 up and down in conjunction with it. When the trolley 43 inputs the glass from the outside of the continuous glass thermoforming equipment to the preheating chamber 10, the position of the glass corresponds to the lifting platform 441, the displacement device 44 moves upward from the bottom, and the lifting platform 441 passes through the space 433 and contacts the glass, so that the glass is lifted up from below by the displacement device 44 and is separated from the fork-shaped bearing portion 431. At this time, the trolley 43 goes from the preheating chamber 10 to the continuous When the trolley 43 leaves, the displacement device 44 moves from top to bottom, so that the glass can abut against the two rails 41 and along the direction of the forming cavity 20 .

A plurality of pairs of the lifting devices 42 are disposed on two opposite outer sides of the two rails 41 corresponding to the bottom positions of the plurality of the forming cavities 20 , when the glass is transported to the bottom of one of the forming cavities 20 through the two rails 41 , the two lifting devices 42 disposed at the bottom of one of the molding cavities 20 respectively press against the two ends of the glass from bottom to top, so that the glass can move up and down in the heating space 11 . In this way, the continuous glass More than one thermoforming step of the glass can be performed simultaneously and independently between each of the forming cavities 20 of the thermoforming apparatus.

The continuous glass thermoforming method, component and equipment provided by the present invention can achieve the following advantages: 1. The distribution of the temperature gradient from bottom to top can prevent the higher temperature in the heating space 21 from spreading downward, and the top of the molding cavity 20 can be maintained at the highest temperature continuously, saving energy. 2. The glass can be directly molded by heating and softening, and annealing is completed in the molding cavity 20, avoiding the need to set up a workstation for each step, saving space, labor and time waste. 3. When a plurality of the molding cavities 20 are provided, each of the molding cavities 20 can simultaneously and independently perform more than one thermoforming step of the glass, saving time.

10: Preheating chamber 11: Preheating the space 20: Molding cavity 21: Heating the space 22: Temperature device 23: Forming device 30: Cooling cavity 31: Cooling space 40: Conveying equipment 41: Orbit 42: Lifting device 43: Trolley 431: Fork bearing part 432: Bearing Arm 433: Interval space 44: Displacement device 441: Lifting Platform

Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention FIG. 2 is a top view of the partial structure of the preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 3 is a side view of a part of the structure of the preferred embodiment of the invention

10: Preheating chamber

11: Preheating the space

20: Molding cavity

21: Heating the space

22: Temperature device

23: Forming device

30: Cooling cavity

31: Cooling space

40: Conveying equipment

41: Orbit

42: Lifting device

43: Trolley

44: Displacement device

441: Lifting Platform

Claims (10)

A continuous glass thermoforming method, the steps of which include: a glass enters the bottom of a molding cavity, and the temperature gradually increases from bottom to top in the molding cavity to form a temperature gradient; the glass goes from the bottom of the molding cavity to the molding cavity The top inside moves and gradually softens; and the top of the glass in the forming cavity is formed by a forming method. The continuous glass thermoforming method according to claim 1, after the glass is formed on the top of the forming cavity, the glass moves from the top in the forming cavity to the bottom in the forming cavity and gradually cools down, and the glass stays an annealing zone in the forming cavity near the bottom. According to the continuous glass thermoforming method according to claim 1 or 2, the forming method can be selected from a blister forming method, a gravity forming method or a compression molding method. According to the continuous glass thermoforming method as claimed in claim 3, the temperature gradient is distributed from bottom to top with a gradient of 200 degrees Celsius to 900 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the annealing zone is set between 450 degrees Celsius and 650 degrees Celsius. A continuous glass thermoforming assembly includes a molding cavity, a heating space can be defined in the molding cavity, the molding cavity includes a temperature device and a molding device, the temperature device is arranged in the molding cavity, so that the heating space A temperature gradient gradually rising from bottom to top is formed inside, and the forming device is arranged on the top of the forming cavity. The continuous glass thermoforming assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein an annealing zone is provided in the bottom zone of the forming cavity. According to the continuous glass thermoforming assembly of claim 6, the temperature gradient is distributed from bottom to top with a gradient of 200 degrees Celsius to 900 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the annealing zone is set between 450 degrees Celsius and 650 degrees Celsius. A continuous glass thermoforming equipment comprises a preheating cavity, a forming cavity, a cooling cavity and a conveying device, the preheating cavity, the forming cavity and the cooling cavity are arranged in a transverse connection in the above-mentioned order, the conveying The equipment carries a glass, and the glass can be preheated in the preheating cavity in sequence, softened and molded in the molding cavity, and cooled and shaped in the cooling cavity, wherein a heating space can be defined in the molding cavity , the molding cavity includes a temperature device and a molding device, the temperature device is arranged close to the molding cavity, so that a temperature gradient gradually rising from bottom to top is formed in the heating space; the molding device is arranged in the molding cavity. At the top, the forming device forms the softened glass through a forming method, the forming method can be selected from a suction forming method, a gravity forming method or a compression molding method; and the track device includes a track and a two-step Two lifting devices, corresponding to the bottom of the molding cavity, are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the track, and the lifting devices can move up and down in the heating space. As claimed in claim 8, the continuous glass thermoforming equipment is provided with an annealing zone near the bottom of the forming cavity, and the temperature of the annealing zone is set between 450°C and 650°C. The continuous glass thermoforming equipment as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein: comprising a plurality of the forming cavities, and the plurality of the forming cavities are laterally connected between the preheating cavity and the cooling cavity; and the track device comprises Two of the rails, a cart, a displacement device and a plurality of the lifting devices arranged in pairs, wherein: the two rails are arranged in parallel and spaced apart along the connection direction of the continuous glass thermoforming equipment, the cart is in the preheating chamber and The external reciprocating movement of the continuous glass thermoforming equipment, the trolley includes a fork-shaped carrying part for placing the glass, the fork-shaped carrying part includes two spaced carrying arms and two carrying arms an interval space defined between the arms, when the trolley enters the preheating chamber, the positions of the two carrying arms are relatively higher than the two rails; the displacement device corresponds to the position of the preheating chamber and is arranged between the two rails , the displacement device includes a lifting platform, the displacement device is linked to the lifting platform to move up and down, when the trolley enters the preheating chamber, the displacement device is linked to the lifting platform to move up and down, and pass through the space; and a plurality of The lifting devices are arranged in pairs on two opposite outer sides of the two rails corresponding to a plurality of bottom positions of the forming cavity.

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