METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A GLASS PRODUCT

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to methods and equipment for manufacturing a glass product, in particular rotationally symmetrical glassware, such as a glass syringe, a glass carpule, a glass vial, or a glass ampoule. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for forming a rotating glass intermediate, in particular a glass tube, especially for use in such equipment and for such a method.

[0002] Glassware, such as glass syringes, glass cartridges, glass vials, or glass ampoules, is subject to very tight manufacturing tolerances to ensure high product quality and compliance with standardized interfaces, for example, in the funnel-shaped end section. In particular, a final contour accuracy of 0.03 mm may be required for the reliable attachment of a plastic component to a glassware. This final contour accuracy may be especially crucial for the automated assembly of plastic components onto glassware.

[0003] For the production of glass products, it is known to heat glass intermediates to temperatures above the transformation temperature, set them in rotation, and form them into the glass product by pressing a forming roller against the surface of the glass intermediate. The contact formed between the surface of the glass intermediate and the forming roller can be referred to as a forming contact. For the production of glass products, especially those with complex geometries, it is known to carry out the forming process in several steps. For example, different forming rollers can be used, and the glass intermediates can be cooled and / or reheated between the use of the different forming rollers.

[0004] DE 10 2009 031 689 A1 describes how multi-step forming negatively impacts the dimensional accuracy of glass products and therefore proposes using forming rollers with a circumferentially variable diameter to form glass intermediates into glass products in a single step. It is proposed that the forming rollers be designed either to rotate freely, so that they are turned by friction with the glass intermediate during deformation, or to be driven by separate motors. When driving the forming rollers with separate motors, it is proposed that the forming rollers rotate more slowly than the glass intermediate, so that each point on the forming rollers in the forming rolling contact has multiple points of contact with the glass intermediate. This is intended to achieve an effect similar to a pottery process.

[0005] However, it has been found that the non-powered embodiment from DE 10 2009 031 689 A1 does not achieve satisfactory dimensional accuracies, in particular not the final contour accuracies of 0.03 mm, and that the powered embodiment requires particularly long cycle times, high lubricant consumption, complex plant technology, and complex process control. WO2019108705A1 describes a glass tube forming process in which ISO 2R vials are produced from a glass tube with an outer diameter of 16.75 mm and a wall thickness of 1.1 mm at a conversion rate of 31 ppm. The tube is processed by a converter with several stations, including heating, forming, and cutting stations.During the process, the proximal end of the pipe, particularly at the heating stations after piercing, may be subjected to negative pressure or suction to remove air and reduce surface alkali contamination (SHR).

[0006] In the non-driven embodiment, the high relative speed between the forming roller and the glass intermediate at the beginning of the forming process appears to negatively affect the forming accuracy. Furthermore, inertia, wear, and contamination of the freely rotating forming roller impair the forming process. In particular, in the freely rotating configuration, the reproducibility of the forming roller's circumferential speed depends on the condition of the forming roller and its bearings. For example, wear on the forming roller bearings and / or fluctuations in lubrication can affect the rotational behavior of the forming roller and thus the forming accuracy of the glass product. Moreover, the inertia of the forming roller at the beginning of the forming process leads to high relative speeds between the forming roller and the glass intermediate, which can cause the glass intermediate to twist and consequently result in low forming accuracy of the glass product.

[0007] In the driven embodiment, cycle times of approximately 5 seconds are required, which negatively impacts the economic viability of the produced glass products. It has been found that these cycle times cannot be significantly reduced, as this would impair the dimensional accuracy of the proposed solution using variable-diameter forming rollers. Furthermore, manufacturing the complex geometry of the forming rollers is costly. In addition, the large contact area between the forming rollers and the glass intermediate results in a high lubricant requirement. Moreover, the process control, particularly the heating of the glass intermediate and the lubrication, has proven to be very complex in the driven embodiment.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the known prior art, in particular to provide a method, a device and a system for the production of a glass product with high dimensional accuracy, in particular with a dimensional accuracy of 0.1 mm or 0.03 mm, and / or with short cycle times, in particular with cycle times of a maximum of one second or a maximum of 0.5 seconds.

[0009] This task is solved by the characteristics of independent claims.

[0010] According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a method for producing a glass product, in particular a rotationally symmetrical one, such as a glass syringe, a glass carpule, a glass vial, or a glass ampoule. The method comprises the steps of rotating a glass intermediate, in particular a glass tube, at a receiving speed about a receiving axis of rotation, rotating at least one forming roller at a roller rotation speed about a roller rotation axis, and moving the at least one forming roller and the glass intermediate into a forming rolling contact for shaping. The receiving axis of rotation is radially spaced from the forming contact by an intermediate radius, and the roller rotation axis is radially spaced from the forming contact by a roller radius. The ratio of roller rotation speed to receiving speed during the method is controlled as a function of the ratio of intermediate radius to roller radius.

[0011] The glass intermediate can be rotated about the axis of rotation of the holder, in particular by means of a receptacle. The axis of rotation of the holder is, in particular, the axis along which the longitudinal axis of the glass intermediate extends when it is held in the holder. The glass intermediate can, in particular, be rotatably held about the axis of rotation of the holder. In particular, the glass intermediate can be held by the holder such that the rotational speed of the axis of rotation of the holder corresponds to the rotational speed of the glass intermediate. Rotation is understood to mean, in particular, that the glass intermediate rotates circumferentially about its longitudinal axis, in particular about the axis of rotation of the holder. A glass intermediate is understood to be, in particular, a glass tube of a predetermined length. In particular, the glass intermediate can be hollow cylindrical.In a preliminary step, the glass intermediate is provided by cutting it from a glass tube, particularly a glass tube with a length of at least 1 meter, 2 meters, 3 meters, or 4 meters. Specifically, during the provision of the glass intermediate, its length and / or wall thickness are determined and transmitted to a control system for carrying out the process. In particular, the length of the glass intermediate can be adjusted depending on its wall thickness in order to compensate for variations in the mass of the glass intermediate caused by fluctuating wall thicknesses, such that the formed glass product has a predetermined, and in particular reproducible, length.

[0012] In particular, the axis of rotation of the camera extends horizontally or is inclined by less than 30 degrees, 15 degrees, ten degrees, five degrees or one degree to the horizontal.

[0013] In particular, the rotation of at least one forming roll comprises the rotation of two forming rolls. The two forming rolls extend, in particular, along each a roll axis of rotation. Preferably, the roll axes of rotation of the two forming rolls extend parallel to each other or are inclined to each other by less than 30 degrees, 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, or 1 degree. In particular, the at least one roll axis of rotation extends along the horizontal or is inclined to the horizontal by less than 30 degrees, 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, or 1 degree. The forming roll can, in particular, be rotationally symmetrical.

[0014] In particular, the at least one forming roller can have a forming surface for the rolling contact. Specifically, the forming surface is formed by a roller shell extending around the roller's axis of rotation. The forming surface can be cylindrical and / or conical. As described below, the method for producing a rotationally symmetrical glass product can have several forming steps. Preferably, at least one forming roller, preferably two forming rollers, with different forming surfaces can be used in each of the forming steps. In particular, at least one forming roller with a conical forming surface can be used in the first forming step and / or the middle forming step described below. Alternatively or additionally, at least one forming roller with a cylindrical forming surface can be used in the last pre-forming step and / or the final forming step described below.

[0015] In particular, the axis of rotation of the at least one forming roll corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the at least one forming roll. In particular, the at least one forming roll is rotationally symmetric about its longitudinal axis.

[0016] In particular, the axis of rotation of the at least one forming roller extends parallel to the receiving axis of rotation and / or is inclined by less than 30 degrees, 15 degrees, ten degrees, five degrees or one degree relative to the receiving axis of rotation.

[0017] Forming refers in particular to the transformation of a glass intermediate into a glass product. According to the first aspect of the invention, the forming process can consist of several forming steps or a single forming step. However, in the preferred embodiment described below and according to further aspects of the invention, the forming process takes place in several forming steps, in particular in four forming steps, each with separate forming rollers and fixtures. For forming, the forming roller is brought into rolling contact with the glass intermediate. Rolling contact refers to the contact surface between the forming roller and the glass intermediate. In particular, the forming roller exerts a forming force on the glass intermediate in rolling contact. The forming force can act, in particular, in the radial direction to deform the glass intermediate radially.Alternatively or additionally, the forming force can act axially on the glass intermediate. In the forming contact, the forming roller rolls, in particular, over the glass surface of the glass intermediate. In the forming contact, the forming roller rotates, in particular, about the roller's axis of rotation. In the forming contact, the glass intermediate rotates, in particular, about a longitudinal axis, in particular a rotation axis, of the glass intermediate and / or about the receiving axis of rotation. In particular, the longitudinal axis of the glass intermediate, in particular the receiving axis of rotation, and the roller's axis of rotation extend parallel to each other in the forming contact.

[0018] In particular, the forming roller is adjustable along a feed axis. Specifically, the forming roller can be adjustable along a radial feed axis. A radial feed axis is, in particular, a feed axis extending in the radial direction, especially a feed axis extending transversely, particularly orthogonally and / or radially, to the roller's axis of rotation. Alternatively or additionally, the forming roller can be adjustable along an axial feed axis. An axial feed axis is, in particular, a feed axis extending in the axial direction, especially a feed axis extending longitudinally, particularly parallel, to the roller's axis of rotation. The translational adjustability along a radial feed axis serves, in particular, to shape the glass intermediate in the radial direction.The translational adjustability of the forming rollers in the axial direction serves primarily to adjust the axial position of the forming rollers depending on the axial position of the area of ​​the glass intermediate to be formed. The axial position of this area can vary, particularly depending on the thickness of the glass intermediate. Specifically, in a preliminary step, especially during the cutting of the glass intermediate, its wall thickness can be determined, and the length and / or axial position of the area to be formed can be calculated based on this thickness. Subsequently, the thickness, length, and / or axial position of the area to be formed can be transmitted, allowing the axial position of the forming rollers to be adjusted accordingly. This enables the production of glass products with high dimensional accuracy, even with varying thicknesses of the glass intermediate.This consideration of the variation in the thickness of the glass intermediate can be referred to as glass mass compensation.

[0019] The method can further comprise a step in which a forming mandrel is moved translationally into the interior of the glass intermediate to form the glass intermediate on its inner side during the forming rolling contact, while the at least one forming roller forms the glass intermediate on its outer side. The forming mandrel can, in particular, extend parallel to or at an angle of less than 30 degrees, 50 degrees, ten degrees, five degrees, or one degree to the roller's axis of rotation and / or the receiving axis of rotation. In particular, the forming mandrel can have a forming surface facing the radial inner side of the glass intermediate. The forming surface of the forming mandrel can be rotationally symmetrical to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel. In particular, the forming surface of the forming mandrel can be conical or cylindrical.In particular, the forming mandrel can be designed to be complementary to the forming surface of the at least one forming roller in a forming device, especially a preforming device and / or a final forming device. In particular, the forming mandrel is radially inserted into the glass intermediate on the inside before the at least one forming roller and the glass intermediate are brought into the forming rolling contact.

[0020] The glass intermediate and the at least one forming roller are moved into the mold rolling contact, in particular by moving the at least one forming roller and / or the glass intermediate along a feed axis. Preferably, the at least one forming roller is moved into the mold rolling contact with the glass intermediate by moving the at least one forming roller, or in particular two forming rollers, along the feed axis towards the receiving axis of rotation. Preferably, the feed axis extends radially to the receiving axis of rotation and / or to the roller axis of rotation.

[0021] In particular, the ratio of roller speed to pickup speed during the process is controlled by a control system, especially a control unit. Control during the process can refer to control during the movement of the at least one forming roller and the glass intermediate into the forming contact, during the subsequent reduction of the distance between the roller axis of rotation and the pickup axis of rotation in the forming contact, and / or during the release of the forming contact. Alternatively or additionally, control during the process can refer to control of the pickup speed and / or the roller speed over several forming steps.

[0022] By controlling the roller speed and the feed speed depending on the ratio of intermediate radius to roller radius, it can be ensured that a desired relative speed between the intermediate and the forming roller is maintained in the mold rolling contact. Excessive relative speed can lead to reduced forming accuracy, cosmetic defects, increased lubricant consumption, and / or increased wear of the forming rollers. Nevertheless, a certain degree of relative speed can also offer advantages, such as providing additional forces for shaping the glass intermediate and / or introducing heat into the mold rolling contact. However, excessive relative speed should be avoided.

[0023] Due to the radial deformation of the glass intermediate, the intermediate radius in the mold contact area decreases during the process. With a constant loading speed, this leads to a reduced circumferential speed of the intermediate surface in the mold contact area. For example, reductions in the intermediate radius from an initial radius to a final radius of 66 percent can occur, such as a reduction from twelve millimeters to four millimeters. Such a reduction, for instance, leads to a 66 percent reduction in the circumferential speed from the initial radius to the final radius, such as a reduction from 450 millimeters per second to 150 millimeters per second. With constant roller speed, loading speed, and roller radius, this can result in a significant increase in the relative speed in the mold contact area.The inventive measure allows the relative velocity to be set within a desired range even in the case of severe deformation of the glass intermediate. In particular, excessively high relative velocities can be avoided.

[0024] In one embodiment, the intermediate radius in the mold rolling contact is reduced from an initial radius to a final radius by decreasing the distance between the roller rotation axis and the receiving rotation axis. In particular, the roller rotational speed is reduced during this reduction from the initial radius to the final radius. Alternatively or additionally, the ratio of roller rotational speed to receiving speed is reduced during this reduction, particularly proportionally to the intermediate radius. Preferably, the receiving speed remains constant during this reduction from the initial radius to the final radius. Furthermore, it is preferable that the roller radius remains constant during this reduction from the initial radius to the final radius.Accordingly, the reduction of the intermediate radius is preferably compensated by reducing the roller speed in order to keep the relative speed between the glass intermediate and the at least one forming roller in the forming rolling contact as constant as possible.

[0025] The initial radius refers specifically to the radius of the intermediate at the moment the forming roller comes into contact with it. This initial radius is defined as the radius at the axial contact point of the intermediate with which the forming roller first makes contact. Particularly with conically shaped forming rollers, further contact points between the forming roller and the intermediate can occur as the forming roller continues to move radially. However, the initial radius preferably refers to the initial radius at the first contact point. As the distance between the at least one forming roller and the glass intermediate decreases, the intermediate radius also decreases.The final radius refers in particular to the intermediate radius that the intermediate exhibits at the axial height of the first contact point after the distance between the roller rotation axis and the receiving rotation axis has been reduced to a final distance in a forming step. A forming step can be understood to include, in particular, the at least one pre-forming step and / or final forming step described below.

[0026] Preferably, the reduction of the distance between the roller rotation axis and the receiving rotation axis is achieved by moving the glass intermediate and the at least one forming roller relative to each other along the feed axis.

[0027] The distance between the roller axis of rotation and the receiving axis of rotation can be reduced in a single forming step, in particular by at least two millimeters, four millimeters, six millimeters, eight millimeters, or ten millimeters. In particular, reducing the distance between the receiving axis of rotation and the roller axis of rotation corresponds to reducing the intermediate radius.

[0028] Preferably, the roller speed is reduced during the reduction from the initial radius to the final radius. In particular, the roller speed is reduced proportionally to the intermediate radius. "Proportional" here means, in particular, that there is a homogeneous linear relationship between the intermediate radius and the roller speed with a constant proportionality factor. For example, the homogeneous linear relationship could be such that an intermediate radius of twelve millimeters corresponds to a roller speed of 150 revolutions per minute, and an intermediate radius of four millimeters corresponds to a roller speed of 50 revolutions per minute. In this case, the proportionality factor would be 12.5 revolutions per minute per centimeter.

[0029] In particular, the roller speed is reduced simultaneously with the roller radius. "Simultaneously" can be understood to mean, in particular, an adjustment of the roller speed to the intermediate radius at millisecond intervals. A millisecond interval can be understood to mean, in particular, an interval of one millisecond, three milliseconds, five milliseconds, ten milliseconds, 20 milliseconds, 30 milliseconds, 50 milliseconds, 100 milliseconds, or 200 milliseconds.

[0030] As previously described, the roller speed is preferably reduced in proportion to the decrease in the intermediate radius. Alternatively or additionally, the intake speed can be increased as the intermediate radius decreases to prevent or mitigate a reduction in the circumferential speed of the glass intermediate during mold rolling contact. Regardless of whether the roller speed is reduced, the intake speed is increased, or both are combined, it is particularly important that the ratio of roller speed to intake speed decreases during the reduction from the initial radius to the final radius. In particular, the ratio of roller speed to intake speed is reduced proportionally and / or simultaneously with the intermediate radius.

[0031] In particular, the roller speed is reduced by at least 20 percent, 40 percent, or 60 percent during the reduction from the initial radius to the final radius. Alternatively or additionally, the intermediate radius is reduced by at least 20 percent, 40 percent, or 60 percent from the initial radius to the final radius.

[0032] In one embodiment, the reduction from the initial radius to the final radius is achieved by radially advancing the at least one forming roller. Alternatively or additionally, the roller speed is adjusted depending on the radial position of the at least one forming roller. In particular, the at least one forming roller is positioned along the advancing axis, especially radially to the receiving axis of rotation, towards the intermediate. The reduction of the intermediate radius is determined from the radial advancing path of the at least one forming roller. For this purpose, the initial radius of the glass intermediate is determined before the glass intermediate is brought into the forming rolling contact by the at least one forming roller. This can be done, in particular, by measurement using sensors or by forwarding the final radius from a preceding forming step, in which it is determined via the axial position of the forming roller at the end of the step.Subsequently, taking into account the geometry and / or orientation of the forming roller, it can be determined in which radial position the forming roller makes initial contact with the glass intermediate. It can then be determined how far the forming roller will move beyond this initial contact point towards the receiving axis during the forming step. From the difference, the reduction in size of the glass intermediate during the forming step can be calculated. Finally, considering the feed rate of the forming roller, it can be determined after which time units, particularly milliseconds, the intermediate radius will be reduced and by what amount. Based on this, the roller rotational speed of at least one forming roller can be reduced, particularly in milliseconds, simultaneously and / or proportionally to the intermediate radius.

[0033] In one embodiment, the ratio of roller speed to receiving speed is controlled as a function of the ratio of intermediate radius to roller radius such that the relative speed between the intermediate radius and the at least one forming roller in the forming contact is at most 50 percent, 30 percent, 20 percent, ten percent, five percent, or one percent of the circumferential speed of the at least one forming roller in the forming contact. This can be ensured, in particular, by ensuring that the ratio of roller speed to receiving speed essentially corresponds to the ratio of intermediate radius to roller radius. "Essentially" here refers specifically to a deviation of at most 50 percent, 30 percent, 20 percent, ten percent, five percent, or one percent from a ratio of one.With a deviation of zero percent, the ratio of roller speed to intake speed would be identical to the ratio of intermediate radius to roller radius. In such a setting, there would be no relative speed between the forming roller and the glass intermediate in the forming contact. A deviation of no more than 50 percent is intended to mean, in particular, that the quotient of both ratios can lie between 0.5 and 1.5, whereas a deviation of ten percent is intended to mean that the quotient of both ratios can lie between 0.9 and 1.1.

[0034] In particular, the ratio of roller speed to intake speed is controlled simultaneously and / or proportionally to the ratio of intermediate radius to roller radius. Specifically, the control can relate to the control of the roller speed and / or the intake speed between different forming steps and / or to the control within a forming step, compensating for the reduction of the intermediate radius.

[0035] In particular, when controlling the intake speed and the roller speed, the wall thickness of the glass intermediate and / or the geometry to be achieved during forming can be taken into account in addition to the intermediate radius and the roller radius. Specifically, a higher or lower relative speed can be set depending on the wall thickness and the intended geometry. For example, when forming the glass intermediate with a conical forming roller, the intake speed and / or the roller speed can be set such that the relative speed between the forming roller and the glass intermediate is approximately zero in the axial center of the forming roller and increases in the areas extending from the axial center.

[0036] A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for producing a glass product, particularly one that is rotationally symmetrical, such as a glass syringe, a glass carpule, a glass vial, or a glass ampoule. The second aspect of the invention can be combined with the first aspect and vice versa. The method comprises the steps of forming at least one glass intermediate, in particular a glass tube, in at least one preforming step, in which the at least one glass intermediate is rotated by a preforming speed in a rolling forming contact with at least one forming roller, and forming the at least one glass intermediate in a final forming step, in which the at least one glass intermediate is rotated by a final forming speed in a rolling forming contact with a forming roller. The at least one preforming step and / or the final forming step can be carried out, in particular, as described in connection with the first aspect of the invention.The at least one preforming step is carried out, in particular, by shaping the glass intermediate with at least one preforming device. The final forming step is carried out, in particular, by shaping the glass intermediate with a final forming device that is separate from the at least one preforming device. The final forming speed is greater or less than the preforming speed. In other words, the preforming speed differs from the final forming speed.

[0037] In particular, the glass intermediate is rotated in at least one preforming step by driving a fixture holding the glass intermediate about a fixture rotation axis. After forming in the at least one preforming step, the fixture is moved, in particular, to the final forming device, where the forming takes place in the final forming step.

[0038] The inventors of the present invention have found that, to achieve maximum dimensional accuracy, particularly in combination with short cycle times, rotating the glass intermediate at different speeds in different forming steps is advantageous. In particular, the rotational speed of the glass intermediate can be adjusted depending on the wall thickness of the glass intermediate, the geometry of the glass intermediate to be formed (e.g., a cylindrical or conical shape), and / or the area of ​​the glass intermediate to be formed. Specifically, the final forming speed can differ from the pre-forming speed in at least one pre-forming step by 200 to 1000 revolutions per minute, and more specifically by 400 to 800 revolutions per minute or 500 to 700 revolutions per minute.

[0039] In one embodiment, the pre-forming speed is constant during the mold rolling contact of at least one pre-forming step. Alternatively or additionally, the final forming speed is constant during the mold rolling contact of the final forming step. Alternatively or additionally, the pre-forming speed differs from the final forming speed by at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 100%, 200%, or 300%. Alternatively or additionally, the final forming speed is greater than the pre-forming speed. In particular, the pre-forming speed is 20% to 90%, and more specifically, 30% to 80%, of the final forming speed. In particular, the final forming speed can be at least 1200 revolutions per minute, and more specifically, at least 1400 revolutions per minute. Alternatively or additionally, the final forming speed can be at most 2000 revolutions per minute, and more specifically, at most 1700 revolutions per minute.Alternatively or additionally, the preforming speed can be at least 300 revolutions per minute, in particular at least 500 revolutions per minute. Alternatively or additionally, the preforming speed can be at most 1400 revolutions per minute, in particular at most 1150 revolutions per minute.

[0040] Particularly at the final forming speed, it has proven advantageous to use high speeds to increase the dimensional accuracy during the forming of the glass product. In particular, the high speed allows for increased heat input into the glass intermediate. Conversely, in the at least one preforming step, especially in the final preforming step described below, it has proven advantageous to use lower speeds to prevent centrifugal forces from causing the low-viscosity glass to spin during preforming.

[0041] In one embodiment, the at least one preforming step comprises a first preforming step in the manufacturing direction with a first preforming speed and a last preforming step in the manufacturing direction with a last preforming speed. In particular, the first preforming speed is greater than the last preforming speed. Specifically, the first preforming speed is 10 percent to 30 percent, more particularly 15 percent to 20 percent, greater than the last preforming speed. Alternatively or additionally, the first preforming speed is at least 500 revolutions per minute, more particularly at least 600 revolutions per minute. Alternatively or additionally, the first preforming speed is at most 900 revolutions per minute, more particularly at most 800 revolutions per minute. Alternatively or additionally, the last preforming speed is at least 400 revolutions per minute, more particularly at least 500 revolutions per minute.Alternatively or additionally, the final preforming speed shall be at most 800 revolutions per minute, in particular at most 700 revolutions per minute.

[0042] In particular, in the first preforming step, a glass intermediate, especially a cylindrical one, is constricted in a forming area, particularly in a conical shape. For this purpose, at least one forming roller and / or a forming mandrel with a conical forming surface is preferably used in the first preforming step.

[0043] In particular, in the last preforming step, a conically formed area of ​​the glass intermediate is straightened, especially transformed into a cylindrical area. For this purpose, at least one forming roller and / or a forming mandrel with a cylindrical forming surface is preferably used in the last preforming step.

[0044] In the final forming step, the area of ​​the glass intermediate that was formed, particularly constricted, in the at least one preforming step is preferably formed into a cylindrical section, in particular straightened. For this purpose, at least one forming roller and / or a forming mandrel with a cylindrical surface is preferably used.

[0045] In one embodiment, the at least one preforming step comprises a first preforming step in the manufacturing direction with a first preforming speed, a last preforming step in the manufacturing direction with a last preforming speed, and a middle preforming step in the manufacturing direction with a middle preforming speed. In particular, the first preforming speed is lower than the middle preforming speed. Specifically, the first preforming speed is 40 percent to 90 percent, more specifically 60 percent to 70 percent, of the middle preforming speed. Alternatively or additionally, the last preforming speed is lower than the middle preforming speed. Specifically, the last preforming speed is 30 percent to 80 percent, more specifically 50 percent to 60 percent, of the middle preforming speed.

[0046] In particular, the average preforming speed is between 800 revolutions per minute and 1300 revolutions per minute, especially between 1000 revolutions per minute and 1150 revolutions per minute.

[0047] In particular, the wall thickness of the glass intermediate is reduced, especially in the middle preforming step. Specifically, the glass intermediate is thinned in the middle preforming step. Preferably, in the preforming step preceding the middle preforming step, especially the first preforming step, the glass intermediate is formed into a conical shape, particularly a constricted glass intermediate. Preferably, in the middle preforming step, the glass intermediate is formed using at least one forming roller and / or a forming mandrel with a conical forming surface. In particular, the glass intermediate is compressed radially between the forming mandrel and the at least one forming roller such that the wall thickness of the glass intermediate is reduced.In particular, in the preforming step following the middle preforming step, especially the last preforming step, the conical shape of the glass intermediate is at least partially reshaped into a cylindrical shape, in particular straightened. For this purpose, at least one forming roller and / or a forming mandrel with a cylindrical forming surface is preferably used in the last preforming step.

[0048] Particularly preferably, the at least one preforming step comprises exactly three preforming steps, namely, in the manufacturing direction, first the first preforming step, followed by the middle preforming step and finally the last preforming step.

[0049] In one embodiment, the at least one preforming step is carried out in at least one preforming device and the final forming step in a final forming device. In particular, the at least one glass intermediate is moved to the final forming device after the at least one preforming step. In particular, the movement of the at least one glass intermediate is carried out by means of a feeding device, in particular by rotating a carousel. In particular, the preforming device and / or the final forming device is each a device for forming a rotating glass intermediate, in particular as described below in connection with the fourth aspect of the present invention.

[0050] In particular, the at least one glass intermediate is rotatably held in at least one fixture, about which it is rotated at a specific rotational speed around a rotational axis. Specifically, the preforming speed in the at least one preforming step and the final forming speed in the final forming step are set via the fixture's rotational speed. In particular, the at least one glass intermediate is moved to at least one preforming device before the at least one preforming step. There, the rotational speed is specifically set to the preforming speed. Subsequently, the forming process is carried out by moving the at least one glass intermediate into the forming contact with at least one forming roller of a preforming device, as described above. Subsequently, the forming contact is specifically released. Finally, the at least one glass intermediate can be moved to the final forming device.In the final forming device, the intake speed can be set to the final forming speed. Subsequently, the forming process is carried out, in particular, by bringing the at least one glass intermediate into the forming rolling contact with at least one forming roller of a final forming device, as described above. In an embodiment in which the at least one preforming step comprises at least two or three preforming steps, the intake can be moved, after each preforming step in a preforming device, to a downstream preforming device in the manufacturing direction for carrying out the downstream preforming step.

[0051] Preferably, the at least one preforming device and the final forming device are arranged circumferentially around a carousel axis of the carousel in order to be able to move the at least one glass intermediate from the at least one preforming device to the final forming device by rotating the receiving carousel around the carousel axis.

[0052] The device for forming a rotating glass intermediate, described above and below, can also be referred to as a preforming device, final forming device, and / or forming device. Upstream and / or downstream of the at least one forming device, at least one heating device, in particular at least one burner, can be provided for heating the glass intermediate. Specifically, at least one heating device can be provided between each pair of forming devices and / or at least one heating device can be provided before and / or after each forming device.

[0053] Upstream in the manufacturing direction of at least one forming device, in particular the first preforming device, a test device may be provided to measure the position and flatness of the glass intermediate in the fixture.

[0054] Downstream of the at least one forming device, in particular the final forming device, and in particular a downstream heating device, a cooling device for cooling the glass product or the glass intermediate after forming has been provided.

[0055] Downstream of at least one forming device, in particular the final forming device and / or the cooling device, a testing device for checking the geometry of the formed glassware or glass intermediate may be provided. Downstream of the testing device, a further cooling device and subsequently a further testing device for detecting scratches and / or cracks in the glassware may be provided. Downstream of the testing device for detecting scratches and / or cracks, another cooling device may be provided. Downstream of this cooling device, in particular, a transfer device for transferring the glassware for further processing may be provided. The transfer device may, in particular, include means for catching glassware ejected from the receiving device and / or for transporting the glassware to further processing equipment.

[0056] In particular, one or more of the devices described above can be arranged circumferentially around the carousel axis of the receiving carousel in order to move the at least one glass intermediate between the individual devices by rotating the carousel.

[0057] In one embodiment, the at least one glass intermediate comprises at least two, in particular at least 4, 8, 16, or 32, glass intermediates. In particular, the at least two glass intermediates are formed in parallel, and in particular simultaneously, on the at least one preforming device and on the final forming device. Preferably, the at least one glass intermediate comprises at least three or four glass intermediates, each of which is formed in parallel on the at least two or three preforming devices and the final forming device. Preferably, the at least one glass intermediate may comprise further, in particular 8, 16, or 32, glass intermediates. In particular, the glass intermediates that are not formed in a forming device may be processed in parallel on one or more of the aforementioned further manufacturing devices.In particular, all manufacturing steps, from measuring the flat stop of the glass intermediate, through its forming, to ejection or transfer, can be carried out by moving the glass intermediate between individual devices using a fixture holding it. Specifically, by using multiple fixtures, each holding a glass intermediate, several glass intermediates can be formed into a single glass product in parallel. This ensures that, despite the numerous processing steps required, a glass intermediate can be produced within the cycle time of each processing step by processing several glass intermediates in parallel.

[0058] In one embodiment, the at least one forming roller in the forming contact is rotated in the at least one pre-forming step and in the final forming step at a roller speed that is controlled depending on the intermediate speed and / or the intermediate radius. In particular, the roller speed can be increased with an increased intermediate speed and / or decreased with a reduced intermediate radius. Specifically, the roller speed in the at least one pre-forming step and / or the final forming step is controlled such that the ratio of the circumferential speed of the at least one forming roller and the glass intermediate in the forming contact differs by less than 50 percent, 30 percent, 20 percent, ten percent, five percent, or one percent between the at least one pre-forming step and the final forming step.The roller speed can also be controlled between the at least two or three preforming steps described above. This ensures, in particular, that the relative speed between the at least one forming roller and the glass intermediate remains within a predetermined range both from forming step to forming step and during a forming step.

[0059] In one embodiment, the at least one forming roller in the forming contact is rotated at a specific speed in both the at least one pre-forming step and the final forming step, wherein the roller speed in the at least one pre-forming step differs from the roller speed in the final forming step, in particular being greater or less than the roller speed in the final forming step. In particular, the roller speed in the at least one pre-forming step and the final forming step is controlled in such a way that the ratio of the circumferential speed of the at least one forming roller and the glass intermediate in the forming contact differs by less than 50 percent, 30 percent, 20 percent, ten percent, five percent, or one percent between the at least one pre-forming step and the final forming step.

[0060] A third aspect of the invention relates to a method for producing a glass product, particularly one that is rotationally symmetrical, such as a glass syringe, a glass carpule, a glass vial, or a glass ampoule. The method according to the third aspect can be combined with the method according to the first and / or second aspect, and vice versa. The method comprises the steps of rotating a glass intermediate, in particular a glass tube, at a set rotational speed about a set rotational axis, rotating at least one forming roller at a roll rotational speed about a roll rotational axis, and moving the at least one forming roller and the glass intermediate into a forming rolling contact for shaping. In particular, these steps can be carried out as described in connection with the first and second aspects of the present invention. The set rotational speed and / or the roll rotational speed is controlled by a servo motor during the method.In particular, the servo motor control allows the intake speed and / or the roller speed to be controlled in millisecond increments. This enables the roller speed and / or the intake speed to be adjusted quickly enough during a forming step, even with short cycle times of 0.5 seconds or one second, to prevent excessively high relative speeds between the glass intermediate and at least one forming roller.

[0061] Preferably, the roller speed of the at least one forming roller is controlled via the servo motor. Preferably, the roller speed of the at least one forming roller is controlled in millisecond intervals, particularly in intervals of one millisecond, three milliseconds, five milliseconds, ten milliseconds, 20 milliseconds, 30 milliseconds, 50 milliseconds, 100 milliseconds, 200 milliseconds, or 300 milliseconds. The method particularly preferably comprises the rotation of at least two forming rollers in a forming device. Preferably, each of the forming rollers is controlled by its own servo motor.

[0062] Preferably, each of the forming devices described above has its own servo motor per forming roller in order to be able to change the rotational speed of each forming roller independently of each other in millisecond intervals.

[0063] A fourth aspect of the invention relates to a device for forming a rotating glass intermediate, in particular a glass tube. The device comprises at least one forming roller, which is rotatable about a roller axis of rotation in a forming rolling contact with the glass intermediate for shaping purposes. Furthermore, the device comprises at least one roller motor for rotating the at least one forming roller about the roller axis of rotation. The at least one roller motor is a servo motor. The device can be referred to in particular as a forming device. In particular, the preforming devices and final forming devices described above and below can be configured according to the device according to the fourth aspect of the invention. Preferably, the at least one forming roller comprises two forming rollers and the at least one roller motor comprises at least two roller motors. Preferably, both roller motors are servo motors.Preferably, each roller motor is coupled to each forming roller in order to drive the two forming rollers independently of each other. Preferably, the at least one roller motor is rigidly connected to the at least one forming roller in such a way that the roller motor and the forming roller together can be adjusted radially towards the glass intermediate, in particular along a feed axis.

[0064] The device according to the fourth aspect of the invention can be configured to carry out the methods according to the first, second, and / or third aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, the methods according to the first, second, and / or third aspects of the invention can be implemented such that they can be carried out with a device according to the fourth aspect of the invention. In particular, the at least one pre-forming step and / or the final forming step according to the second aspect of the invention can be carried out with a device according to the fourth aspect of the invention, and in particular, each step can be carried out with a separate device according to the fourth aspect of the invention.

[0065] In one embodiment, the motor output shaft of the at least one roller motor is coupled to the at least one forming roller in such a way that the at least one forming roller directly follows the rotational movement of the motor output shaft. In particular, the motor output shaft is connected to the at least one forming roller without a gear mechanism. "Without a gear mechanism" in this context means, in particular, that there is no change in speed, torque, or direction of rotation between the motor output shaft and the forming roller. However, transmission means, such as a jaw coupling, may be provided between the motor output shaft and the forming roller.

[0066] In one embodiment, the at least one forming roller has two forming rollers and the at least one roller motor has two roller motors, each roller motor being coupled to one forming roller in order to drive the forming rollers independently of each other.

[0067] A fifth aspect of the invention relates to a system for manufacturing a glass product, particularly one that is rotationally symmetrical, such as a glass syringe, a glass carpule, a glass vial, or a glass ampoule. The system comprises at least one receptacle for rotatably holding a glass intermediate, in particular a glass tube, at least one device with at least one forming roller which is rotatable about a roller axis of rotation for shaping the glass intermediate in a rolling contact, and at least one roller motor for rotating the at least one forming roller about the roller axis of rotation. The at least one roller motor and / or the at least one receptacle motor is a servo motor.

[0068] In particular, the device can be a device according to the fourth aspect of the invention. Specifically, the system for manufacturing a glassware can be designed using the method according to the first, second, and / or third aspect of the invention. In particular, the method according to the first, second, and / or third aspect of the invention can be carried out in such a way that it can be carried out using the system according to the fifth aspect of the invention.

[0069] A sixth aspect of the invention relates to a system for producing rotationally symmetrical glassware, such as a glass syringe, a glass carpule, a glass vial, or a glass ampoule. The system comprises at least one receptacle for rotatably holding a glass intermediate, in particular a glass tube, at least one preforming device with at least one forming roller for shaping in a rolling contact with the glass intermediate, a final forming device with at least one forming roller for shaping in a rolling contact with the glass intermediate, and a feeder device for moving the at least one receptacle from the at least one preforming device to the final forming device.

[0070] The apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention can, in particular, be configured according to the apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the invention, and vice versa. Specifically, the final forming device and / or the at least one preforming device can be configured according to the apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the invention. The apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention can be configured to carry out the method according to the first, second, and / or third aspects of the invention. Furthermore, the method according to the first, second, and / or third aspects of the invention can be carried out in such a way that it can be performed with the apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention.

[0071] The at least one forming roller of the at least one preforming device and / or the final forming device can comprise at least two forming rollers. In particular, a separate roller motor can be provided for each of the forming rollers in order to drive the forming rollers independently of each other.

[0072] In one embodiment, the delivery device is a carousel around whose carousel axis the at least one preforming device and the final forming device are arranged, in order to move the at least one receiving device from the at least one preforming device to the final forming device by rotating the carousel. In particular, the at least one preforming device can have at least two or three preforming devices, especially the preforming devices described above. In particular, the at least two or three preforming devices are arranged around the carousel axis. Alternatively or additionally, further manufacturing devices, such as the heating device, testing device, cooling device and / or transfer device described above, can be arranged around the carousel axis.

[0073] In one embodiment, the at least one fixture has at least two, in particular at least 4, 8, 16 or 32, receptacles for forming at least two glass intermediates in parallel, and in particular simultaneously, on the at least one preforming device and on the final forming device. Preferably, the at least one preforming device has at least one first and one last preforming device in the manufacturing direction, and the at least one fixture has at least three receptacles for forming at least three glass intermediates in parallel on the at least two preforming devices and on the final forming device. Particularly preferably, the at least one preforming device has at least one first, one middle and one last preforming device, and the at least one fixture has at least four receptacles for forming at least four glass intermediates in parallel, and in particular simultaneously, on the at least three preforming devices and on the final forming device.

[0074] The final forming device and / or the at least one, two, or three preforming devices are preferably designed such that the processes described above can be carried out on the system. A separate fixture is particularly preferred for each processing device, especially for the at least one preforming device, the final forming device, the at least one heating device, the at least one cooling device, the at least one testing device, and / or the transfer device, in order to be able to process glass intermediates simultaneously on each of the devices. This allows the cycle time for the production of the glass intermediates to be reduced, in particular to the cycle time of a single production step, such as a preforming step or a final forming step.

[0075] In one embodiment, the at least one receptacle has at least two, in particular at least 4, 8, 16 or 32, receptacles, each coupled to its own receptacle motor to drive the receptacles independently of one another. This ensures, in particular, that several glass intermediates can be driven in parallel at the at least one preforming device and the final forming device at different intermediate speeds. This allows, in particular, cycle times to be reduced and forming accuracy to be increased by adjusting the intermediate speed to the optimal speed for each individual forming step.

[0076] In particular, the measures described according to the invention make it possible to produce glass products with a dimensional accuracy of 0.03 mm in conjunction with cycle times of less than 0.5 seconds.

[0077] Preferred embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0078] Further properties, features and advantages of the invention will be clarified below by describing preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying exemplary drawings, which show: Figure 1 is a schematic partial representation of a plant for the production of glassware according to Figure 2 Figure 2: a schematic representation of a plant for the production of glassware; Figure 3: a forming device with housing; Figure 4: a part of the forming device made of Figure 3 without casing; Figure 5 an enlarged view of section V from Figure 4 Figure 6: A top view of a carousel with 26 photographs; Figure 7: A cross-sectional view of the carousel. Figure 6 along the section line VII-VII; Figure 8 an enlarged view of section VIII from Figure 7Figure 9 is a hollow cylindrical glass intermediate; Figure 10 is a constricted glass intermediate; Figure 11 is a thinned glass intermediate; Figure 12 is a straightened glass intermediate; and Figure 13 is a glass cone.

[0079] Figure 2 Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of plant 3 for the production of a glass product, in which four devices 1I<, 1II<, 1III<, 1IV< for forming a rotating glass intermediate 1I<, 1II<, 1III<, 1IV< are schematically depicted. Such devices 1I<, 1II<, 1III<, 1IV< are hereinafter also referred to as forming devices, preforming devices, or final forming devices. Figure 2A schematic representation shows a receptacle 5 for rotatably holding a glass intermediate 9. The system 3 comprises a carousel 11 to which the receptacle 5 is attached. The carousel 11 is rotatable about the carousel axis 13, allowing the receptacle 9, together with the glass intermediate 9, to be fed to the four forming devices 1I<, 1II<, 1III<, 1IV< shown). The glass intermediate is fed successively to the individual forming devices 1I<, 1II<, 1III<, 1IV< in the production circumferential direction 15. Heating devices 2, in particular burners 2, are arranged before the first forming device 1I<, between the subsequent forming devices 1II<, 1III<, and after the last forming device 1IV< for heating the glass intermediate 9.

[0080] In the manufacturing circumference direction 15 upwards of the first forming device 1 I< a first testing device 17 is provided to measure the position and the flatness of the glass intermediate 9 in the fixture 5.

[0081] In the manufacturing circumference direction 15 downwards of the last forming device 1 IV< and the last burner 2, a first cooling device 7 is to be provided to cool the glassware after forming has taken place.

[0082] In the production direction 15 downstream of the last forming device 1 IV< and the first cooling device 2, a second inspection device 19 is provided for checking the geometry of the glassware. In the production direction 15 downstream of the second inspection device 19, a second cooling device 7 and subsequently a third inspection device 21 for detecting scratches and / or cracks in the glassware are provided. In the production direction 15 downstream of the third inspection device 21, a third cooling device 7 is provided. In the production direction 15 downstream of the third cooling device 7, a transfer device 23 for transferring the glassware for further processing is provided.The transfer device 23 may in particular include means for collecting glass products ejected from the receiving 5 and / or for transporting the glass products to further processing devices (not shown), such as flange forming devices.

[0083] Figure 1 shows a schematic partial representation of a plant according to Figure 2 , in which a section of the carousel 11 with a receptacle 5 holding a glass intermediate 9 and one of the forming devices 1 I< , 1 II< , 1 III< , 1 IV< is schematically represented as forming device 1 V<.

[0084] The recording 5 and the glass intermediate 9 are rotatable about a recording axis 31 via a recording motor (not shown).

[0085] The forming device 1 V< comprises two forming rollers 25, each rotatable about a roller axis 29 via a roller motor 27. The roller motors 27 are controlled by a common control unit 33 to control the rotational speed of the forming rollers 25 in the circumferential direction 35 about the roller axis 29. The translational adjustability of the forming rollers 25 is represented by the two arrows. The vertically oriented arrow represents the translational adjustability of the forming rollers 25 transversely to the roller axes 29 and to the receiving axis 31, in particular in the radial direction 37. The horizontally oriented arrow 39 represents the translational adjustability of the forming rollers 25 longitudinally to the roller axes 29 and to the receiving axis 31, in particular in the axial direction 39.

[0086] The depicted position of the forming rollers 25 relative to the glass intermediate 9 represents a position in which the forming rollers 25 are just before forming contact with the glass intermediate 9. To bring the forming rollers 25 into contact with the glass intermediate 9, the forming rollers 25 must be adjusted in the radial direction 39 at least to the extent that the gap between the forming rollers 25 and the glass intermediate 9 is bridged.

[0087] The translational adjustability of the forming rollers 25 in the radial direction 37 serves in particular to shape the glass intermediate 9 in the radial direction 37. The translational adjustability of the forming rollers 25 in the axial direction 39 serves in particular to axially adjust the positioning of the forming rollers 25 depending on the axial position of the area of ​​the glass intermediate 9 to be formed. In particular, depending on the thickness of the glass intermediate 9, the axial position and the length in the axial direction of the area to be formed can vary. In particular, in a preliminary step, especially during the cutting of the glass intermediate 9, its thickness can be determined and, depending on the thickness, the length and / or axial position of the area to be formed can be determined.Subsequently, the thickness, length, and / or axial position of the area to be deformed can be transmitted to the device 1 V< so that the axial position of the forming rollers 5 can be adjusted accordingly. This allows glass products with high dimensional accuracy to be manufactured, particularly even with variable thickness of the glass intermediate 9. This consideration of the variation in the thickness of the glass intermediate can be referred to as glass mass compensation.

[0088] The glass intermediate 9 can be rotated about the mounting axis 31 at a rotational speed via the holder 5. Each of the roller motors 27 can rotate a forming roller 25 about its respective roller axis 29 at a rotational speed. By moving the forming rollers 25 along the radial direction 37 towards the mounting axis 31, the forming rollers 25 can be brought into a forming contact with the glass intermediate 9. The mounting axis is spaced from the forming contact by an intermediate radius in the radial direction 37. The roller axis 29 is spaced from the forming contact by a roller radius in the radial direction 37.

[0089] According to the first aspect of the invention, the ratio of roller speed to intake speed during the process is controlled as a function of the ratio of intermediate radius to roller radius. In a preferred embodiment, the roller radius does not change during a forming step. However, the intermediate radius decreases as the forming rollers 25 are advanced in the rolling direction 37 towards the intake axis 31. To prevent the reduction of the intermediate radius from leading to an increase in the relative speed between the glass intermediate 9 and the forming rollers 25, either the roller speed can be reduced or the intake speed can be increased. Preferably, the roller speed is reduced.To ensure continuous adjustment of the roller speed and / or the intake speed during the reduction of the intermediate radius, even at high cycle times, particularly cycle times of 0.5 seconds or 1 second, the roller speed of the forming rollers 25 is controlled by a servomotor 27 at millisecond intervals, as described in connection with the third, fourth, and fifth aspects of the present invention. An exemplary connection of the servomotor 27 with the forming rollers 25 in a forming device 1 is shown in particular in the [references to be added]. Figures 3 to 5 As illustrated, according to the second and sixth aspects of the present invention, the glass intermediate is formed into a glass product in at least one preforming step and at least one final forming step. The at least one preforming step and the final forming step can each be carried out with forming devices such as, for example, those described in the Figures 3 to 6 The depiction will be carried out. Figure 2 A schematic representation of a system according to the sixth aspect of the invention is shown, comprising a first preforming device 1I<, a middle preforming device 1II<, and a final preforming device 1III<. The final forming device is represented by the reference numeral 1IV<. In order to move the glass intermediate 9 between the three preforming devices 1I<, 1II<, 1III<, and the final forming device 1IV<, the receptacle 5 is movable between the preforming devices and the final forming device via a feed device 11 in the form of a carousel 11. For this purpose, the preforming devices 1I<, 1II<, 1III<, and the final forming device 1IV< are arranged around the carousel 11. An exemplary embodiment of a carousel 11 is shown in Figure 6 in top view, in Figure 7 in section view and in Figure 8 Shown in partial section view.

[0090] By using at least one, in particular three, preforming device 1 I< , 1 II< , 1 III< and a final forming device 1 IV<, the glass intermediate 9 can be formed in several steps from a hollow cylindrical glass intermediate 41, as in Figure 9 depicted, to a glass cone 43, as in Figure 13 depicted, can be reshaped. In particular, by using three preforming steps, the glass intermediate can be shaped as shown in the Figures 10, 11 and 12 shown being gradually transformed from the hollow cylindrical glass intermediate 41 to the glass cone 43. Figure 10 Figure 45 shows a constricted glass intermediate after a first preforming step. In this step, the area of ​​the glass intermediate to be deformed was shaped into a cone. Figure 11 shows a thinned glass intermediate 47, which was obtained by thinning the constricted glass intermediate 45 according to Figure 10 was formed. Figure 12Figure 1 shows a straightened glass intermediate 49 which, after constriction in a first preforming step and thinning in a middle preforming step, was again section by section transferred into a hollow cylindrical mold in the last preforming step. Subsequently, by a final forming step in a final forming device 1 IV<, the glass cone 43 can be formed, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 13 depicted, produced.

[0091] The inventors of the present invention have discovered that by dividing the forming process of the hollow cylindrical glass intermediate 41 according to Figure 9 to the glass cone 43 according to Figure 13The optimal conditions for the deformations in each forming step can be set in several forming steps, thus achieving high dimensional accuracy. In particular, the roller speed and / or the intake speed can be set low where required for high dimensional accuracy, and high where possible without compromising dimensional accuracy, in order to reduce cycle times. To further reduce cycle times, it has proven advantageous to mount several intakes 5 on a carousel 11, so that the individual forming steps and / or the other manufacturing steps described above and below can be carried out in parallel, thus further reducing the cycle time for producing the glass products. An exemplary embodiment of an intake carousel 11 is shown in particular in top view in Figure 6 , in cross-sectional view in Figure 7and partially in cross-sectional view in Figure 8 depicted.

[0092] Figure 3 shows a forming device with a housing 51, which contains the in Figure 4 and 5 The parts of the forming device 1 shown are enclosed in the housing 51. Two forming rollers 25 protrude from the housing 51, which are in turn enclosed in forming roller housings 53. The forming roller housings 53 are open in the radial direction 37, allowing the forming rollers 25 to protrude radially from the forming roller housings 53. This allows the glass intermediate 9 (not shown) to be moved in the axial direction 39 between the forming rollers 25. Subsequently, the forming rollers 25 can be adjusted in the radial direction 37 towards the receiving axis of rotation 31. A collection basin 55 is formed below the forming rollers 25, through which lubricant, dirt, and wear residues can be discharged via a discharge line 57.

[0093] Figure 4Figure 1 shows a part of the forming device 1 without the housing 51 and without the forming roller housings 53, with the drives for adjusting the forming rollers 25 in the axial direction 39 and in the radial direction 37 hidden. Figure 4 An axial guide 59 is shown for guiding the forming mandrel 61 depicted therein. This allows the forming mandrel 61 to be moved in the axial direction 39 via an axial drive (not shown). This allows the forming mandrel to be moved into the interior of a glass intermediate 9 in order to form the glass intermediate 9 from the inside in forming contact, while the forming rollers 25 form the glass intermediate 9 from the outside. The roller motors 27, by which the two forming rollers 25 can be driven in the circumferential direction 35 about the roller rotation axis 29, are connected to Figure 5 described, which shows an enlarged view of the circled section V from Figure 4 represents. As in Figure 5The forming process, as shown, comprises at least one forming roller 25, preferably two forming rollers 25, which are spaced apart from each other in the radial direction 37, so that the glass intermediate 9 can be formed between the forming rollers 25. The forming mandrel 61 can be moved into the interior of the glass intermediate 9 to form the glass intermediate into the forming rolling contact, internally by the forming mandrel and externally by the forming rollers. The forming rollers 25 are each driven by a roller motor 27. The motor output shaft of the roller motors 27 is coupled to the forming rollers 25 via a jaw coupling 23. In particular, the motor output shaft of the roller motors 27 is coupled to the forming rollers 25 via the jaw coupling 23 in such a way that the forming rollers directly follow the rotational movement of the motor output shaft.

[0094] Because each of the forming rollers 25 has its own roller motor 27, each forming roller can be driven independently of the others. As previously described, the roller motors 27 are designed as servo motors to allow adjustment of the roller speed in millisecond increments. Each of the forming rollers 25 has a forming surface 65. In the embodiment shown here, the forming surfaces 65 are designed as cylindrical surfaces with an annular projection 67. The forming mandrel 61 is designed as a cylinder. However, as previously described, both the forming surfaces of the forming rollers 25 and the forming mandrel 61 can be conical.

[0095] Figure 6 Figure 1 shows a top view of an embodiment of a feed device 11 for moving the at least one intake 5 from the at least one preforming device 1 I< , 1 II< , 1 III< to the final forming device 1 IV< in the form of a carousel 11. The figure shown in Figure 6 The illustrated carousel 11 has 26 receptacles 5, each of which can hold a glass intermediate 9. This allows up to 26 glass intermediates 9 to be simultaneously formed into glass products using the inventive system 3. For this purpose, as described in connection with Figure 2As described, several manufacturing devices, such as cooling devices 7, testing devices 17, 19, 21, a transfer device 23, preforming devices 1 I<, 1 II<, 1 III< and a final forming device 1 IV<, are arranged around the carousel 11, in particular around the carousel axis 13. This allows, in particular, up to 26 glass intermediates to be processed simultaneously on different manufacturing devices. Specifically, by rotating the carousel 11, a fixture 5 containing a glass intermediate 9 can be moved from one processing device to another. This allows, in particular, the cycle time for the production of glass products to be reduced to the cycle time for processing the glass products in a single manufacturing device, since the system can complete the production of one glass product with each transfer from one manufacturing device to the next.

[0096] Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view along section line VII-VII from Figure 6. How especially Figure 4 Each receptacle 5 can be driven by its own receptacle motor 69. The receptacle 5 is rotated about the receptacle axis 31 by the receptacle motor 69. In particular, by equipping each receptacle 5 with its own receptacle motor 69, the glass intermediates 9 can be rotated simultaneously on different preforming devices 1 at different receptacle rotation speeds about the receptacle axis 31. The receptacles 5 can be arranged around the carousel axis 30 in the production circumferential direction 15. The receptacles 5 can be mounted on the outside of the carousel 11 in the radial direction to the carousel axis 30. The receptacle motors 69 can be arranged on the inside of the receptacles 5 in the radial direction to the carousel axis 30. The power supply to the receptacle motors 69 can be routed to the inside of the receptacle motors 69 in the radial direction to the receptacle axis 31.

[0097] An enlargement of section VIII from Figure 7 is in Figure 8 depicted. As shown in Figure 8As shown, the receiving motors 69 can be coupled to the receptacles 5 via spur gears 63. This allows the axis of rotation 75 of the motor output shaft 77 to be arranged at an angle, in particular orthogonally, to the receiving axis of rotation 31. This allows, in particular, the space requirement of the feeding device 11, especially the carousel, to be reduced in the radial direction to the carousel axis 13. Furthermore, the power supply 71 can be connected to the receiving motor 69 via a plug connection 79. The receptacle 5 can, in particular, have a chuck 81 for holding the glass intermediate. The chuck can, in particular, be rotationally fixed to a receiving shaft 83. The receiving shaft 83 can be supported by a radial bearing 85. In particular, the receiving shaft 83 can be connected to the motor output shaft 77 of the roller motor 69 via the spur gear 73.

[0098] The features disclosed in the foregoing description, figures and claims can be important for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments, both individually and in any combination. REFERENCE MARK LIST

[0099] 1Device / Preforming Device / Final Forming Device / Forming Device (1) (1 I< , 1 II< , 1 III< , 1 IV< , 1 V< ) 2Heating Device / Burner 3System 5Receiver 7Cooling Device 9Glass Intermediate 11Carousel;Feed device 13 Carousel axis 15 Production direction / Circular direction 17 First test device 19 Second test device 21 Third test device 23 Transfer device 25 Forming roller 27 Roller motor 29 Roller pivot axis 31 Pickup pivot axis 33 Control 35 Circular direction 37 Radial direction 39 Axial direction 41 Hollow cylindrical glass intermediate 43 Glass cone 45 Constricted glass intermediate 47 Thinned glass intermediate 49 Straightened glass intermediate 51 Housing 53 Forming roller housing 55 Collection basin 57 Discharge line 59 Axial guide 61 Forming mandrel 63 Claw coupling 65 Forming surface 67 Ring-shaped projection 69 Pickup motor 71 Power supply 73 Spur gear 75 Pivot axis of the motor output shaft of the pickup pivot axis 77 Motor output shaft of the receiving motor 79 Plug connection 81 Chuck 83 Receiving shaft 85 Radial bearing;

Claims

1. Method for producing an in particular rotationally symmetrical glass article, such as a glass syringe, a glass carpule, a glass vial or a glass ampoule, comprising the steps of: - rotating a glass intermediate (9), in particular a glass tube, at a receiving rotational speed about a receiving rotational axis (31); - rotating at least one forming roller (25) at a roller rotational speed about a roller rotational axis (29); and - bringing the at least one forming roller (25) and the glass intermediate (9) into a forming rolling contact for forming, from which the receiving rotational axis (31) is spaced apart in the radial direction (37) by an intermediate radius and from which the roller rotational axis (29) is spaced apart in the radial direction (37) by a roller radius, characterized in that the ratio of the roller rotational speed to the receiving rotational speed is controlled during the method as a function of the ratio of the intermediate radius to the roller radius.

2. Method according to Claim 1, wherein the intermediate radius is reduced in the forming rolling contact by reducing the distance between the roller rotational axis (29) and the receiving rotational axis (31) from an initial radius to an end radius, wherein the roller rotational speed is reduced during the reduction from the initial radius to the end radius, in particular is reduced proportionally to the intermediate radius, and / or wherein the ratio of the roller rotational speed to the receiving rotational speed is reduced during the reduction from the initial radius to the end radius, in particular is reduced proportionally to the intermediate radius, and / or wherein the reduction from the initial radius to the end radius takes place by feeding the at least one forming roller (25) in the radial direction (37), and / or wherein the roller rotational speed is controlled as a function of the radial position of the at least one forming roller (25).

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of the roller rotational speed to the receiving rotational speed is controlled as a function of the ratio of the intermediate radius to the roller radius such that the relative speed between the glass intermediate (9) and the at least one forming roller (25) in the forming rolling contact is at most 50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 5% or 1% of the circumferential speed of the at least one forming roller (25) in the forming rolling contact.

4. Method in particular according to one of the preceding claims for producing an in particular rotationally symmetrical glass article, such as a glass syringe, a glass carpule, a glass vial or a glass ampoule, comprising the steps of: - forming at least one glass intermediate (9), in particular a glass tube, in at least one preforming step, in which the at least one glass intermediate (9) is rotated by a preforming rotational speed for forming in a forming rolling contact with at least one forming roller (25); and - forming the at least one glass intermediate (9) in a final forming step, in which the at least one glass intermediate (9) is rotated by a final forming rotational speed for forming in a forming rolling contact with a forming roller (25); - wherein the final forming rotational speed is greater than or less than the preforming rotational speed.

5. Method according to Claim 4, wherein the preforming rotational speed is constant in the forming rolling contact of the at least one preforming step, in particular is constant during a reduction of the intermediate radius from an initial radius to an end radius, and / or wherein the final forming rotational speed is constant in the forming rolling contact of the final forming step, in particular is constant during a reduction of the intermediate radius from an initial radius to an end radius, and / or wherein the at least one preforming rotational speed is greater than or less than the final forming rotational speed in terms of absolute value by at least 10%, 30%, 50%, 100%, 200% or 300%, and / or wherein the final forming rotational speed is greater than the preforming rotational speed, in particular wherein the preforming rotational speed is 20% to 90%, in particular 30% to 80%, of the final forming rotational speed.

6. Method according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein the at least one preforming step has a first preforming step with a first preforming rotational speed in the production direction (15) and a last preforming step with a last preforming rotational speed in the production direction (15), in particular wherein the first preforming rotational speed is greater than the last preforming rotational speed, in particular wherein the first preforming rotational speed is 10% to 30%, in particular 15% to 20%, greater than the last preforming rotational speed.

7. Method according to one of Claims 4 to 6, wherein the at least one preforming step has a first preforming step with a first preforming rotational speed in the production direction (15), a last preforming step with a last preforming rotational speed in the production direction (15) and a middle preforming step with a middle preforming rotational speed in the production direction (15), in particular wherein the first preforming rotational speed is less than the middle preforming rotational speed, in particular wherein the first preforming rotational speed is 40% to 90%, in particular 60% to 70%, of the middle preforming rotational speed, and / or wherein the last preforming rotational speed is less than the middle preforming rotational speed, in particular wherein the last preforming rotational speed is 30% to 80%, in particular 50% to 60%, of the middle preforming rotational speed.

8. Method according to one of Claims 4 to 7, wherein the at least one preforming step is carried out in at least one preforming device (1I, 1II, 1III) and the final forming step is carried out in a final forming device (1IV), in particular wherein the at least one glass intermediate (9) is moved to the final forming device (1IV) after the at least one preforming step, in particular wherein the glass intermediate (9) is moved by means of a feed device (11), in particular by rotating a carousel (11), and / or wherein the at least one glass intermediate (9) has at least 2, in particular at least 4, 8, 16 or 32, glass intermediates (9) which are formed in parallel on at least one preforming device (1I, 1II, 1III) and on a final forming device (1IV).

9. Method according to one of Claims 4 to 8, wherein the at least one forming roller (25) is rotated in the forming rolling contact in the at least one preforming step and in the final forming step in each case at a roller rotational speed which is controlled as a function of the intermediate rotational speed and / or of the intermediate radius, in particular wherein the roller rotational speed is controlled in the at least one preforming step and the final forming step such that the ratio of the circumferential speed of the at least one forming roller (25) and of the glass intermediate (9) in the forming rolling contact differ between the at least one preforming step and the final forming step by less than 50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 5% or 1%.

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving rotational speed and / or the roller rotational speed is controlled during the method via a servomotor (27, 69).