A kind of pressure maintaining device and hot bending equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of pressure maintaining device and hot bending equipment, pressure maintaining device is used to exert force for mould after forming operation in hot bending equipment, and hot bending equipment includes shell, shell has inner cavity and is provided with heating element in shell;Pressure maintaining device includes: power source, set to the outside of shell, for providing the force required for pressure maintaining;Pressing rod, connected with power source, for transmitting force;Contact component, set to the inner cavity of shell and connected with pressing rod, and for exerting force to mould;The number of contact component is at least two, and universal joint structure is provided between each contact component and pressing rod.The utility model discloses pressure maintaining device is provided with at least two contact components, so that two or more moulds can be simultaneously pressure maintained, which reduces the number of required power source, and also improves efficiency.In addition, universal joint structure is also provided, which can balance the stress between each contact component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of glass processing technology, specifically to a pressure holding device and a hot bending equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In glass processing, hot bending is a common method for shaping glass into specific curved surfaces. Hot bending typically involves heating flat glass to its softening temperature range and applying external pressure to conform it to the surface of a mold, thus obtaining the desired curved profile. Glass hot bending equipment is commonly used to perform this process. To achieve the entire hot bending process, the equipment generally includes a heating section, a constant temperature section, and a cooling section, divided by temperature range. In the heating section, the glass temperature rises and softens. In the constant temperature section, the glass sheet has been heated to its softening temperature, allowing for hot bending by applying pressure. During this process, to ensure the glass fully conforms to the mold profile and to prevent deformation due to springback or gravity, external pressure is typically maintained for a certain period after the glass softens—this is known as pressure holding. During the pressure holding stage, the glass reaches a malleable state, and maintaining a certain pressure promotes stable shaping. Furthermore, to further improve shaping accuracy and stability, the pressure holding operation can be briefly extended during the initial cooling process until the glass shape is essentially finalized. Proper pressure control is crucial for preventing glass warping and improving product consistency.

[0003] In traditional hot bending mechanisms, the heat required for the pressure holding stage is typically provided by placing heating plates both above and below the mold. This necessitates a dedicated cylinder and two separate heating plates for each mold. This results in a large number of components required for the pressure holding stage, leading to higher costs. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes the following solution.

[0005] A pressure-holding device is used to apply force to a die after a forming operation in a hot bending machine, the hot bending machine including a housing having an inner cavity and a heating element disposed therein; the pressure-holding device includes:

[0006] A power source, located outside the housing, is used to provide the force required to maintain pressure;

[0007] A pressure rod, connected to the power source, is used to transmit the force;

[0008] A contact component is disposed in the inner cavity of the housing and connected to the pressure rod, and is used to apply force to the mold;

[0009] The number of contact components is at least two, and each contact component is provided with a universal connection structure with the pressure rod.

[0010] According to one example of the present invention, the universal joint structure includes a universal ball, which is partially received in a ball socket on the contact member.

[0011] According to one example of the present invention, the pressure rod is connected to the universal ball via a central member and connectors, the number of connectors being the same as the number of contact parts.

[0012] According to one example of the present invention, the contact component has a circular or square structure.

[0013] According to one example of the present invention, the number of contact components is four, and the center of each contact component is located at a vertex of the rectangle.

[0014] According to an example of the present invention, a buffer device is provided between the power source and the pressure rod. The buffer device includes a first component, a second component, a third component, and a fourth component. The first component is connected to the power source, the second component is connected to the pressure rod, and the fourth component is an elastic component with one end abutting against the first component and the other end abutting against the second component. One end of the third component is fixedly connected to the first component and the other end passes through the second component. A stop is provided on the third component to prevent the other end of the third component from detaching from the second component.

[0015] According to one example of the present invention, the elastic member is a compression spring.

[0016] According to one example of the present invention, a cooling device is further provided between the buffer device and the power source, and the first component is connected to the cooling device.

[0017] According to one example of the present invention, the power source includes a cylinder, the cylinder having a push rod, the push rod being directly or indirectly connected to the pressure rod.

[0018] This utility model also proposes a hot bending device, comprising:

[0019] A housing, comprising a top wall, side walls, and a base, wherein the top wall, side walls, and base together form an inner cavity, and a heating element is disposed in the base; and

[0020] The pressure-holding device described above.

[0021] As can be seen from the above, the pressure-holding device of this utility model has at least two contact parts, which allows for simultaneous pressure holding of two or more molds. This reduces the number of power sources required and improves efficiency. In addition, a universal joint structure is provided to balance the forces between the various contact parts.

[0022] Other features and advantages of this utility model will be shown in the detailed description below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The features and advantages of this utility model will become clear from the following detailed description provided with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following drawings are merely schematic and not necessarily drawn to scale, and therefore should not be considered as limitations on this utility model, wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 A cross-sectional perspective view of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention in a hot bending apparatus is shown.

[0025] Figure 2 A perspective view of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention is shown.

[0026] Figure 3 A top view of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention is shown.

[0027] Figure 4 It shows along Figure 2 A sectional view of section line AA in the diagram.

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the connection between the contact component and the central component of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention is shown.

[0029] Figure 6 A perspective view of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention in production state is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand and implement the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that implementations of the present invention may not include some of these specific details. Furthermore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. Rather, the present invention can be conceived to be implemented with any combination of the features and elements described below, regardless of whether they relate to different embodiments. Therefore, the following aspects, features, embodiments, and advantages are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as features or limitations of the claims unless expressly set forth in the claims.

[0031] The descriptions of orientation used in the following description, such as "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "radial," and "axial," are for convenience only and are not intended to limit the technical solution of the utility model, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., used below to describe elements of this application are only used to distinguish individual elements and are not intended to limit the nature, sequence, order, or number of these elements.

[0032] Figure 1 A cross-sectional perspective view of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention in a hot bending apparatus is shown. Figure 1 The hot bending equipment, at the pressure holding device, includes a housing 1 with an inner cavity. This cavity serves as a transport channel for the mold and provides an operating area for the pressure holding operation and the forming operation prior to the pressure holding operation. Specifically, the housing 1 may include a top wall 11, side walls 12, and a base 13, which together form the inner cavity. Other components can be installed in the top wall 11, side walls 12, and base 13 of the housing 1 to achieve the required heating, cooling, or support functions. For example, a heating element can be installed inside the base 13 to heat the base and transfer heat to the mold 2 mounted on the base. Alternatively, a heating element can be installed in the top wall 11 or side wall 12 to achieve the desired temperature. The top wall 11 and / or side wall 12 can also serve as a mounting structure for other components, such as the pressure holding device. The housing 1 may also include other structures or have additional structures installed thereon, such as cooling pipes.

[0033] At least one movable support portion 14 may also be provided on the base 13. The movable support portion 14 is used to place the mold 2, and the movable support portion 14 can move within the inner cavity, thereby driving the mold 2 located thereon to move to different work positions. The movable support portion 14 can be moved by a component such as a push rod. Figure 1 The diagram shows multiple movable support sections 14 closely adjacent to each other, allowing actuation components such as push rods to be installed on one side of the entire hot bending device. Each time an adjacent movable support section 14 is pushed, all the movable support sections 14 can be moved. Heat from the base 13 can be transferred to the mold 2 located above the movable support sections 14 through the movable support sections 14.

[0034] Figure 1 The pressure-holding device 3 according to the present invention is also shown. The pressure-holding device is located after the forming device (not shown in the figure). When the mold 2 reaches the station where the pressure-holding device 3 is located, the mold 2 has already been processed by the forming device. At this time, although the glass in the mold 2 already has the required curved profile, it is still necessary to continue to apply a certain pressure to it to prevent defects such as warping from occurring.

[0035] Figure 2 A perspective view of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention is shown. Figure 3 A top view of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention is shown. Figure 4 It shows along Figure 2 A sectional view of section line AA in the diagram. Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the connection between the contact component and the central component of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention is shown. Figure 6 A perspective view of the pressure-holding device according to the present invention in its production state is shown. (In conjunction with...) Figures 2 to 6 As can be seen, the pressure-holding device according to this utility model includes at least one contact component 35 for contacting the mold to be pressure-held and applying pressure to the mold to prevent warping and other issues. Since heat can be transferred to the mold from the moving support and the air in the aforementioned hot bending equipment, it is no longer necessary to have heating plates on the upper and lower sides of the mold as in traditional pressure-holding devices. Therefore, the pressure-holding device of this utility model can have only upper and lower pressure plates and does not require heating plates.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment, from Figure 3 and Figure 6 It can be clearly seen that there are four contact parts 35, which allows for simultaneous pressure holding operations on four molds. Figure 3 As shown in the top view, the contact components 35 include a first contact component 351, a second contact component 352, a third contact component 353, and a fourth contact component 354. Each contact component can be circular, square, or other shapes. Of course, depending on the specific production line setup, the number of contact components 35 can be set to two or six, or other quantities, and the positional relationship between the multiple contact components 35 can be set according to the positional relationship of the molds on the production line. As an example, when four contact components are used, these four contact components are circular, and their centers are located at different vertices of the same rectangle. Therefore, a single power source can simultaneously drive multiple contact components to perform pressure holding operations on multiple molds. This reduces the number of cylinders required, and correspondingly reduces the number and complexity of the corresponding components and structures needed, resulting in a simpler structure and easier control.

[0037] In order to use a single power source to simultaneously drive multiple contact parts 35, this invention proposes that each of the multiple contact parts 35 is connected to a central member 34 via a connector 36. The central member 34 is in turn connected to one end of a pressure rod 33. Thus, when the pressure rod 33 moves downward, it can drive the central member 34 downward, and the central member 34 can simultaneously drive each contact part 35 downward via the connectors 36, thereby applying pressure to the corresponding mold.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, a ball joint is used for connection between the contact member 35 and the connector 36. Figure 4 The cross-sectional view shown and Figure 5 As shown in the connection diagram, the contact component 35 is provided with a ball socket for accommodating the universal ball, which is then fixedly connected to the connector 36 via a rod-like structure. Therefore, when the central component 34 and the connector 36 drive the contact component 35 downwards, during the process of the contact component 35 contacting the mold and applying pressure to it, the contact component 35 rotates relative to the connector 36 and the central component 34 via the universal ball. This adaptively adjusts the orientation of each contact component 35, avoiding the problem of force imbalance caused by rigid connections of multiple contact components. This is particularly suitable for the aforementioned hot bending equipment, because metal components are prone to deformation at high temperatures within the cavity; using a universal connection can better eliminate the adverse effects of this deformation.

[0039] Further integration Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 The pressure-holding device 3 uses a cylinder 31 as its power source, and a push rod 32 is connected to the piston of the cylinder 31. The push rod 32 can perform reciprocating linear motion under the action of the cylinder 31. Figure 1 As can be seen, cylinder 31 can be fixed to a frame mounted on housing 1. For example, as... Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, cylinder 31 can be fixed to the frame via connecting flange 37. One end of push rod 31 is connected to the cylinder piston, and the other end is connected to cooling device 38. Cooling device 38 includes internal and external components, with a cavity formed between the internal and external components to hold coolant. Figure 2 As can be seen, the external components of the cooling device 38 are provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, which can be connected to the cooling pipes, thereby allowing the coolant inside the cooling device 38 to circulate. Preferably, a partition plate is provided in the cavity inside the cooling device 38, located between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, thereby limiting the flow of coolant in the cavity in a predetermined direction.

[0040] A buffer device 39 is provided at the lower part of the cooling device 38. Specifically, the buffer device 39 includes a first component 391, a second component 392, a third component 393, and a fourth component 394. The first component 391 is connected to the cooling device 38 and has a structure, for example, an annular disc. The second component 392 is connected to the pressure rod 33, or is part of the pressure rod 33 itself. The second component 392 is also, for example, an annular disc. A plurality of third components 393 are provided on the first component 391 in the circumferential direction. The third components are, for example, rod-shaped structures, with one end fixedly connected to the first component, for example, by means of threads. The other end of the third component passes through a hole provided on the second component 392. A fourth component 394 is also provided between the first component 391 and the second component 392. The fourth component 394 is located inside the space surrounded by the plurality of third components 393. The fourth component 394 is preferably a compression spring in the form of a helical spring or the like. Therefore, when the push rod 32 moves downward, it drives the internal components of the cooling device 38 to move, which in turn drives the first component 391 and the fourth component 394 to move downward. The fourth component 394 then drives the second component 392 to move, which in turn drives the pressure rod 33 to move downward. Through the buffer device 39, a rigid direct connection between the push rod 32 and the pressure rod 33 is avoided, thus preventing the application of a large pressure directly to the mold 2. Instead, pressure can be applied gradually, making the pressure holding operation smooth and safe, while also reducing noise. The third component 393 can guide and limit the movement of the pressure rod 33. When the push rod 32 moves upward, the third component 393 can abut against the second component 392 through a stop such as a nut at its end, thereby lifting the second component 392 and the pressure rod 33.

[0041] The pressure-holding device may also include a cylindrical component 40 through which the pressure rod 33 passes. The cylindrical component 40 may have a structure that mates with the outer surface of the pressure rod 33 to achieve circumferential positioning and guidance of the pressure rod 33.

[0042] The specific structure of this utility model has been described in detail above. As can be seen, this utility model proposes a pressure-holding device, installed after the forming device, to provide pressure holding for the mold after the forming operation, preventing warping of the glass in the mold. This pressure-holding device is particularly suitable for hot bending equipment that uses heating elements embedded in the housing and that transfers heat to the mold via air.

[0043] Various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments disclosed above without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention. Other embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the practice of this invention disclosed in this specification. This specification and the examples disclosed herein should be considered illustrative only, and the true scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A pressure-holding device for applying force to a die after a forming operation in a hot bending apparatus, the hot bending apparatus comprising a housing (1) having an inner cavity and a heating element disposed therein; characterized in that, The pressure-holding device includes: A power source, located outside the housing, is used to provide the force required to maintain pressure; A pressure rod (33) is connected to the power source and is used to transmit the force; The contact component (35) is disposed in the inner cavity of the housing and connected to the pressure rod (33), and is used to apply force to the mold; The number of contact components (35) is at least two, and each contact component is provided with a universal connection structure with the pressure rod.

2. The pressure-holding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The universal connection structure includes a universal ball, which is partially housed in a ball socket on the contact member (35).

3. The pressure-holding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pressure bar is connected to the omnidirectional ball via a central member (34) and a connector (36), the number of which is the same as the number of the contact parts (35).

4. The pressure-holding device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The contact component has a circular or square structure.

5. The pressure-holding device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The number of contact components is four, and the center of each contact component is located at a vertex of the rectangle.

6. The pressure-holding device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, A buffer device (39) is provided between the power source and the pressure rod. The buffer device includes a first component (391), a second component (392), a third component (393), and a fourth component (394). The first component is connected to the power source, the second component is connected to the pressure rod, and the fourth component is an elastic component with one end abutting against the first component and the other end abutting against the second component. One end of the third component is fixedly connected to the first component and the other end passes through the second component. A stop is provided on the third component to prevent the other end of the third component from detaching from the second component.

7. The pressure-holding device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The elastic component is a compression spring.

8. The pressure-holding device according to claim 6, characterized in that, A cooling device (38) is also provided between the buffer device and the power source, and the first component is connected to the cooling device.

9. The pressure-holding device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The power source includes a cylinder (31), which has a push rod (32) that is directly or indirectly connected to the pressure rod (33).

10. A hot bending device, characterized in that, include: The housing (1) includes a top wall (11), side walls (12), and a base (13), wherein the top wall (11), side walls (12), and base (13) together form an inner cavity, and a heating element is disposed in the base; and The pressure-holding device according to any one of claims 1-9.

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