GLASS SHEET FORMING UTILIZING LOWER FULL SURFACE VACUUM MOLD AND UPPER RING MOLD

摘要

Apparatus (38) and a method for forming a flat glass sheet is disclosed as utilizing a heating conveyor (42) that transfers a heated flat glass sheet to a downwardly facing surface (46) of a topside transfer device (44), a lower mold (48) having an upwardly facing full surface (50) at least a portion of which has an upwardly convex shape that receives the heated flat glass sheet from the topside transfer device, and an upper ring mold (52) that forms and seals the periphery of the heated glass sheet against the vacuum mold surface (50) at which a vacuum is supplied within the sealed periphery of the glass sheet to form the entire extent of the glass sheet to the vacuum mold surface. A vacuum is then provided within a vacuum chamber (122) of the upper ring mold (52) to receive the formed glass sheet from the lower vacuum mold for support by the upper ring mold. A cooling mold (132) which may either be an annealing ring (132a) or a quench ring (132b) is also preferably provided to receive the formed glass sheet from the upper ring mold (52) for cooling in order to provide either annealing or tempering of the formed glass sheet.