Rotary molding method of press shaping glass

Abstract

Abstract This application discloses alternative embodiments of a method for press-molding glass articles, e.g. television picture tube faceplates or other glass items of similar shape. The method employs incrementally indexing concentric tables, the inner table being a molding table with a first number of stations thereon, and the outer table being a cooling table with a second number of stations thereon. An article to be press molded is advanced with the molding table, in unison with a movable mold which is located at one of the stations thereof and an aligned reciprocatable plunger in molding contact therewith, for a number of single-step incremental steps of the table which is preselected to provide sufficient time for proper pressing of the article. After the predetermined number of incremental steps, the plunger is retracted and the mold and article therein are shifted, in unison, to a station on the cooling table, for double-step incremental advancement therewith until the article has had sufficient time, at the rotational cycle time of the cooling table, to cool to a temperature adequate for removal from the mold. Thereupon the article is removed from the mold, a fresh gob of glass to be molded is added to the mold, and the mold is moved back to a station on the molding table to begin a repeat of the cycle. In the meanwhile, the same cycle has been initiated with a number of other molds. The advantages of molding large glass articles by indexing the articles in their molds through concentric molding and cooling paths, which previously have been described in relationship to a molding path employing eight molding stations, can now be obtained in lower productivity methods, e.g. in six-station and in seven-station molding methods, and therefore with simpler and less expensive equipment, by advancing the molded article along the cooling path in double step increments rather than in single step increments.

Inventors

• 👤 James C Coleman

Bibliographic Details