Glass craft manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a glass craft manufacturing apparatus that effectively utilizes the heat from a reheating furnace and can be configured in a compact size. [Solution] The glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1 comprises a reheating furnace 10, a melting furnace 11, a burner section 12, an air pipe 13, and a gas pipe 14. The reheating furnace is cylindrical, with its central axis aligned horizontally, and the melting furnace is constructed by providing a recess in a part of the lower surface of the cylinder of the reheating furnace. The burner section is located near the upper part of either the left or right side of the radial cross-sectional shape of the cylinder of the reheating furnace, and the direction of flame emission is aligned with the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace. The air pipe supplies air to the burner section, and the gas pipe supplies combustion gas to the burner section. By blowing the flame from the burner section along the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace, a heat reservoir is created in the melting furnace.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a glass handicraft manufacturing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are various techniques for manufacturing glass products. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-217464 (Patent Document 1) discloses a method for manufacturing a glass fiber material using glass fiber scraps. In this manufacturing method, glass fiber scraps adhered with an organic binder are introduced into the raw material chamber of a melting furnace partitioned into a raw material chamber and a nozzle chamber by a partition plate, and compressed air containing oxygen is supplied to the glass fiber scraps while heating the inside of the raw material chamber below the glass softening point with a gas burner for the raw material chamber. Next, the glass fiber scraps are dispersed in the raw material chamber to first burn the organic binder, the inside of the nozzle chamber is heated to 1100 degrees or more with a gas burner for the nozzle chamber, and the molten glass led from the raw material chamber to the nozzle chamber through a communication passage provided below the partition plate is completely melted. Then, it is discharged from a discharge nozzle provided at the bottom of the nozzle chamber and rapidly cooled in water to obtain a glass fiber material. Accordingly, it is said that the glass fiber scraps can be used as a recycled raw material as they are without being pulverized into fine powder.

[0003] Also, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3049166 (Patent Document 2) discloses a glass handicraft manufacturing apparatus including a workbench and one or more electric furnace structures. Here, the electric furnace structure has an inner pot with an open upper end and a closed lower end, an electric furnace disposed above the inner pot, and an outer pot with an open upper end and a closed lower end that houses both the inner pot and the electric furnace. Also, the outer pot is disposed such that its upper end is substantially flush with the upper surface of the workbench, and includes a gripping device, a lifting mechanism, and an outer wall. The gripping device firmly grips a glass container or a glass piece substantially horizontally at the center, and the lifting mechanism raises and lowers the gripping device to take the glass container or the glass piece into and out of the electric furnace. The outer wall covers the periphery of the workbench up to a position higher than the surface of the workbench. Accordingly, since the bottom of the glass container can be held horizontally and firmly by the gripping device, it is said that a product standing vertically can be formed even by a non-expert.

[0004] Furthermore, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-329240 (Patent Document 3) discloses a heating furnace comprising a burner and an oxygen-containing gas supply unit. In this furnace, the burner is supplied with fuel and combustion air to burn the fuel, and the oxygen-containing gas supply unit supplies concentration-adjusting oxygen-containing gas into the furnace to adjust the oxygen concentration inside the furnace. The heating furnace is also provided with an exhaust path for discharging combustion exhaust gas from inside the furnace and comprises a heat exchange unit for combustion air and a heat exchange unit for concentration-adjusting oxygen-containing gas. In this unit, the heat exchange unit for combustion air preheats the combustion air supplied to the burner by exchanging heat with the combustion exhaust gas discharged in the exhaust path, and the heat exchange unit for concentration-adjusting oxygen-containing gas preheats the concentration-adjusting oxygen-containing gas supplied to the oxygen-containing gas supply unit by exchanging heat with the combustion exhaust gas discharged in the exhaust path. This allows for switching between high oxygen concentration and low oxygen concentration heating treatment states, thereby improving the versatility of the heating furnace.

[0005] Furthermore, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-521883 (Patent Document 4) discloses a glass melting furnace including a flow channel-shaped melting tank. In this glass melting furnace, batch material is introduced at the upstream end, molten glass is collected at the downstream end, and the furnace is heated by a burner, where at least 80% of the combustion energy is generated by oxygen combustion. In addition, oxygen is continuously supplied from a remote manufacturing facility via a gas pipe or from a nearby manufacturing facility, and even if the continuous supply stops, the furnace is equipped with means for storing oxygen so that the furnace operation can be ensured in temperature maintenance mode for a minimum period of 8 hours. This allows the furnace to be safely maintained even when the oxygen supply stops, reduces energy consumption and oxygen reserve amount, and also reduces the environmental burden by reducing NOx and CO2, making it practically operable even in large-scale furnaces. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-217464 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3049166 Gazette [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-329240 [Patent Document 4] Special Publication No. 2011-521883 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Traditionally, glass crafts have been produced by melting glass raw materials or mixing them with specific colorants to form molten glass, and then shaping or processing that molten glass into a predetermined form.

[0008] Here, the raw materials for glass crafts are melted in a furnace at a temperature of, for example, 1200°C to 1300°C, the molten glass is processed in a reheating furnace at a temperature of, for example, 1000°C, and the processed molten glass is cooled in a heating facility (preheating facility) at a temperature of, for example, 480°C, 500°C to 600°C.

[0009] In short, glass art is manufactured through the melting of raw materials, processing of the molten glass, and cooling of the molten glass after processing. In particular, the processing of molten glass is done by locally heating or shaping the molten glass.

[0010] On the other hand, the melting furnace, reheating furnace, and heating equipment mentioned above all require high temperatures, and since the temperatures of each furnace are all different, for example, high-heat-output gas burners are used in each furnace. As a result, the melting furnace, reheating furnace, and heating equipment are all separate pieces of equipment, and glass art manufacturers need to install all of these pieces of equipment, which requires space to install all of them, and the overall cost is high.

[0011] On the other hand, in recent years, the demand for glass crafts has been increasing, and there is a desire among small businesses and sole proprietors to utilize their design skills to manufacture and sell glass crafts. However, as mentioned above, glass crafts require all the necessary equipment, including a melting furnace, a reheating furnace, and heating equipment, making it difficult to commercialize.

[0012] Furthermore, in recent years, electric melting furnaces, reheating furnaces, and heating equipment that generate heat using electricity instead of gas burners have emerged. However, electric furnaces have drawbacks compared to gas furnaces, such as taking longer to heat up and not being able to reach sufficiently high temperatures, making them difficult to adopt for glass art production.

[0013] Furthermore, in gas-fired furnaces, maintaining high temperatures requires a large amount of fuel gas supplied to the gas burner, resulting in high fuel consumption and a tendency for the burner equipment and fuel gas piping to become complex. In addition, heating equipment requires a gradual decrease in temperature, making temperature control difficult, and the furnace volume tends to increase, leading to the challenge of larger furnaces.

[0014] Here, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem of being complex and requiring space due to its two-chamber structure consisting of a raw material chamber and a nozzle chamber. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 2 has the problem of being complex and prone to becoming large, and the improvement of thermal efficiency is unclear. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 3 has the problem of being complex in structure due to its dual heat exchange system, and the problem of being a complex control system with a high management burden. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 4 has the problem of being large in scale, resulting in high initial investment, and being over-designed for small-scale applications.

[0015] Therefore, this invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems, and aims to provide a glass craft manufacturing apparatus that can effectively utilize the heat of a reheating furnace and can be compactly configured by combining a melting furnace and a reheating furnace. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] The glass artware manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes a reheating furnace, a melting furnace, a burner section, an air pipe, and a gas pipe. The reheating furnace is configured as a cylinder and is arranged with its central axis along the horizontal direction. The melting furnace is formed by providing a recess in a part of the lower surface of the cylinder of the reheating furnace. The burner section is provided near the upper part on either the left or right side of the cross-sectional shape in the radial direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace, and the blowing direction of the flame is arranged along the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace. The air pipe 13 supplies air to the burner section, and the gas pipe supplies combustion gas to the burner section. Further, in the glass artware manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, by igniting the burner section and supplying fuel gas to the gas pipe, the flame of the burner section is blown out along the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace, thereby generating a heat accumulation in the melting furnace.

Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the heat of the reheating furnace and to configure the apparatus compactly by combining the melting furnace and the reheating furnace.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] They are a plan view, a front view, and a right side view of the glass artware manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a front cross-sectional view showing an example of melting in the melting furnace and heating in the reheating furnace in the glass artware manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a front cross-sectional view showing an example of a heating facility that utilizes the heat of the reheating furnace in the glass artware manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a front cross-sectional view showing an example of a heating facility that utilizes the combustion gas of a branch pipe branched from the gas pipe in the glass artware manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] They are a perspective view in a state where the lid portion is closed and a perspective view in a state where the lid portion is opened in an example according to the present invention. [Figure 6]In the embodiment according to the present invention, it is a perspective view when the burner part is lit and a perspective view when the tip of the jig is inserted into the reheating furnace.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Note that the following embodiments are an example of embodying the present invention and do not have the character of limiting the technical scope of the present invention.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the glass artware manufacturing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a reheating furnace 10, a melting furnace 11, a burner part 12, an air pipe 13, and a gas pipe 14. Here, the reheating furnace 10 is configured as a cylinder and is arranged with its central axis C along the horizontal direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the reheating furnace 10 is arranged above the main body part 1a (furnace body) of the glass artware manufacturing apparatus 1. Further, the reheating furnace 10 is a bottomed cylinder, and an opening 10a is provided in the lid part of the reheating furnace 10, and the glass raw material M and the molten glass M are introduced into the reheating furnace 10 through this opening 10a. Note that the opening 10a in the lid part is, for example, circular, but other shapes may also be used.

[0021] Also, the melting furnace 11 is configured by providing a recess in a part 10b of the lower surface of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the melting furnace 11 is configured in a hemispherical (bowl-shaped) form and is detachably installed on a part 10b of the lower surface of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10. Further, the melting furnace 11 is also called a crucible and is arranged in a sheath crucible 11a provided on the lower surface of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10. Here, the sheath crucible 11a is a heat-resistant container for accommodating the melting furnace 11 and heating it while protecting it from the influence of external flames, ash, and atmosphere, and examples thereof include a pot-shaped or donburi-shaped container made of ceramics, or a configuration with a lid provided on these.

[0022] Furthermore, the burner section 12 is located near the upper part of either the left or right side of the cylindrical cross-sectional shape in the radial direction of the reheating furnace 10, and the direction of flame emission is aligned with the circumferential direction of the cylindrical reheating furnace 10. Here, in Figure 1, for example, the burner section 12 is located near the upper right side of the cylindrical cross-sectional shape in the radial direction of the reheating furnace 10.

[0023] Furthermore, the air pipe 13 supplies air to the burner section 12. Here, the air pipe 13 is connected to, for example, an air supply device (blower), which draws in outside air and supplies it to the burner section 12. Also, in Figure 1, for example, the air pipe 13 extends in a U-shape from the lower rear side of the main body 1a of the glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1, towards the right, then upwards and towards the left, and is connected to the burner section 12 which is located on the upper right side of the main body 1a. The blower is installed, for example, below the main body 1a of the glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1. The air pipe 13 is also equipped with an on-off valve (not shown), and is configured so that the user can operate the on-off valve to adjust the flow rate of air flowing through the air pipe 13.

[0024] Furthermore, the gas pipe 14 supplies combustion gas to the burner section 12. In Figure 1, for example, one end of the gas pipe 14 is connected to a fuel tank or fuel supply device, and the other end is connected to one side of the air pipe 13. By introducing fuel gas into the air in the air pipe 13, the air mixed with fuel gas is supplied from the air pipe 13 to the burner section 12. However, the gas pipe 14 is not limited to a configuration in which the fuel gas and air are mixed within the air pipe 13, as shown in Figure 1. The air pipe 13 and the gas pipe 14 may be connected independently to the burner section 12, and the fuel gas and air may be mixed in the burner section 12. In addition, the gas pipe 14 is equipped with an on / off valve (not shown), and is configured so that the user can operate the on / off valve to adjust the flow rate of fuel gas flowing through the gas pipe 14.

[0025] Furthermore, the fuel gas for the gas pipe 14 can be, for example, natural gas, propane gas (LPG), industrial gas, etc. Also, the on / off valves can be, for example, ball valves, gate valves, globe valves, butterfly valves, check valves, etc.

[0026] The glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1 then ignites the burner section 12, supplies air through the air pipe 13, and supplies fuel gas through the gas pipe 14, causing the flame from the burner section 12 to blow out along the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10, thereby creating a heat reservoir (high-temperature region, localized high-temperature area, heat accumulation area) in the melting furnace 11.

[0027] This allows for effective utilization of the heat from the reheating furnace 10, and enables a compact configuration by combining the melting furnace 11 and the reheating furnace 10. Specifically, the user first places the raw materials M for the glass craft into the melting furnace 11, operates the on / off valve to supply air from the air pipe 13 and fuel gas from the gas pipe 14, and fills the inside of the reheating furnace 10 with a mixed gas of fuel gas and air in a certain ratio. Then, the user uses a predetermined external ignition means (for example, a lighter) to light a pilot light inside the reheating furnace 10, thereby generating a flame in the burner section 12.

[0028] Here, the ratio of fuel gas to air is controlled by adjusting the on-off valves of the air pipe 13 and the gas pipe 14, respectively. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on ignition of the burner section 12; for example, ignition can be performed using an ignition means such as a pilot burner or an ignition electrode, or the gas pipe 14 can be branched and a torch for an external ignition means can be provided in the branch pipe. Here, a pilot burner is a small combustion device for igniting the main burner, and an ignition electrode is an electrode for igniting the fuel gas by electrical discharge. A lighter is a portable ignition device equipped with fuel and an ignition mechanism, and a torch is an ignition device that burns fuel gas to generate a flame.

[0029] Now, when a flame is generated in the burner unit 12, as shown in Figure 2A, the flame from the burner unit 12 blows out along the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10, rotates along the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10, and heats the inside of the reheating furnace 10.

[0030] Furthermore, although the flame from the burner section 12 rotates in the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10 and returns to the burner section 12, since the melting furnace 11 is located on a part of the lower surface of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10, the rotating flame strikes the melting furnace 11, and the heat of the flame accumulates in the melting furnace 11.

[0031] Here, the inside of the reheating furnace 10 is generally at a temperature of around 1000 degrees Celsius, but as the heat from the flame accumulates in the melting furnace 11, the temperature of the melting furnace 11 rises to around 1200 to 1300 degrees Celsius, even though it is in communication with the reheating furnace 10. As a result, the raw material M contained in the melting furnace 11 melts, and molten glass M can be produced.

[0032] Next, the user processes the molten glass M using, for example, a jig T. Here, the jig T is also called an auxiliary tool or shaping tool, and specifically includes a wooden trowel, jack, pontil rod, blowpipe, and mold. A wooden trowel is a wooden tool used to smooth the surface of the molten glass M and shape it, while jacks are metal scissors used in glassblowing to pinch, spread, and create constrictions in the glass. A pontil rod is a metal rod used to bond and fix the bottom and mouth of the molten glass M, and a blowpipe is a long metal rod used to wind up the molten glass M and blow air into it. A mold is a metal or wooden mold into which the molten glass M is poured or blown to shape it, and cutting scissors are tools used to cut the molten glass M.

[0033] For example, if a user preheats the tip of the blowpipe jig T to a predetermined temperature inside the reheating furnace 10 and then touches the heated tip of the jig T to the molten glass M, the tip of the jig T and the molten glass M will come into contact. Then, as shown in Figure 2B, the user uses the blowpipe jig T to remove the molten glass M from the melting furnace 11 and blows air into the molten glass M to shape it into the desired form.

[0034] Here, if the user wants to reheat and shape only a predetermined portion M1 of the molten glass M during processing, as shown in Figure 2, the user uses a jig T to place the predetermined portion M1 of the molten glass M into the reheating furnace 10 and expose it to the flame of the burner section 12. Then, the predetermined portion M1 of the molten glass M is reheated by the flame of the burner section 12, allowing the user to process the predetermined portion M1 of the molten glass M again.

[0035] Furthermore, in this invention, since the reheating furnace 10 is provided directly above the melting furnace 11, the overall thermal efficiency of the apparatus can be improved by connecting the melting furnace 11 to the reheating furnace 10 and utilizing the heat from the reheating furnace 10 for the melting furnace 11. In addition, in this invention, by simplifying the structure of the glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1, the entire apparatus can be made more compact, reducing the installation space required. As a result, even small businesses and sole proprietors who have wanted to manufacture glass crafts can easily introduce this apparatus and commercialize the manufacture of glass crafts.

[0036] There are no particular limitations on the materials used to construct the reheating furnace 10, but for example, refractory bricks, alumina refractory materials, high-alumina refractory bricks, silica bricks, fiber blankets, fiber boards, etc., can be used. Here, a fiber blanket is a flexible sheet-like insulating material mainly composed of heat-resistant inorganic fibers such as alumina fibers and silica fibers, and a fiber board is a rigid insulating material formed by molding these heat-resistant inorganic fibers into a plate. For example, using a fiber blanket and a fiber board is preferable because it makes it easier to process the reheating furnace 10 into a bottomed cylinder. In addition, although the shape of the reheating furnace 10 is cylindrical, the cylindrical shape can be a polygonal cylinder, a tapered cylinder (frustoconical), a drum-shaped, etc., in addition to a true cylinder or an elliptical cylinder.

[0037] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the materials used to construct the melting furnace 11, but for example, as mentioned above, refractory bricks, alumina refractory materials, high-alumina refractory bricks, silica bricks, etc., can be used. Also, although the shape of the melting furnace 11 is hemispherical, the hemispherical shape can be a semi-ellipsoid, a semi-polygonal sphere, a dome shape, an arch shape, etc.

[0038] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the shape of the sieve container 11a. For example, as shown in Figure 1, it may be box-shaped, or hemispherical in shape capable of housing the melting furnace 11. Other examples include a ceramic bowl-shaped container, a ceramic bowl-shaped container, or a container with a lid provided for these.

[0039] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the size of the melting furnace 11 in the left-right direction, but it is preferable that it be within the range of 1 / 6 to 2 / 3 of the size of the reheating furnace 10 in the left-right direction. In other words, it is preferable that the melting furnace 11 be smaller than the reheating furnace 10. This allows the heat from the flame of the burner section 12 in the reheating furnace 10 to be concentrated and accumulated in the smaller melting furnace 11.

[0040] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the type of glass raw material M, but examples include soda-lime glass, crystal glass (lead glass), borosilicate glass (hard glass), etc. In addition, colorants may be added to the glass raw material M as needed. Examples of colorants include blue cobalt oxide, green iron oxide or chromium oxide, yellow cerium oxide, titanium oxide or sulfur, red gold (gold red), copper or selenium (selenium red), etc.

[0041] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the types of glass crafts, but examples include cups, vases, plates, wind chimes, and cut glass. Traditional glass crafts include Edo Kiriko, Satsuma Kiriko, Ryukyu glass, Otaru glass, Hizen Bidoro, and Edo wind chimes.

[0042] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the composition of the main body 1a of the glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1, but for example, in addition to refractory bricks, alumina refractory materials, high-alumina refractory bricks, and silica bricks, metal materials such as heat-resistant steel plates can be used.

[0043] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the burner section 12, but for example, as mentioned above, a common configuration such as a lighter, pilot burner, ignition electrode, and torch can be adopted. Also, there are no particular limitations on the material of the burner section 12, but for example, heat-resistant metal materials, heat-resistant steel, heat-resistant alloys, etc. can be used.

[0044] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the composition of the air pipe 13, but commercially available materials such as heat-resistant and pressure-resistant metal pipes, steel pipes, stainless steel pipes, coated steel pipes, polyethylene pipes, white gas pipes, and flexible pipes can be used. Also, there are no particular limitations on the material of the air pipe 13, but in addition to iron, stainless steel, and carbon steel, synthetic resins such as polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride can be used.

[0045] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the gas pipe 14; it may have the same configuration as the air pipe 13, or a different configuration. For example, commercially available configurations such as heat-resistant and pressure-resistant metal pipes, steel pipes, stainless steel pipes, coated steel pipes, polyethylene pipes, white gas pipes, and flexible pipes can be used. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the material of the gas pipe 14; it may have the same configuration as the air pipe 13, or a different configuration. For example, in addition to iron, stainless steel, and carbon steel, synthetic resins such as polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride can be used.

[0046] By the way, the glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present invention may have other components added. For example, it may further include a heating device 15 that is provided adjacent to the reheating furnace 10 and uses the heat from the reheating furnace 10 or fuel gas from a branch pipe branched from the gas pipe 14 to heat the glass craft at a temperature lower than that of the reheating furnace 10.

[0047] Here, heating equipment 15 can include an annealing furnace, a pipe warmer, and a rod warmer. An annealing furnace is a furnace used to remove internal stress from molten glass by holding it at a predetermined temperature after processing and then slowly cooling it. A pipe warmer is a device that preheats glass pipes before or during processing, and a rod warmer is a device that heats glass rods before or during processing.

[0048] As a result, the heating equipment 15 is installed adjacent to the reheating furnace 10, making the entire apparatus more compact and further reducing the installation space. Furthermore, when the heat from the reheating furnace 10 is used for the heating equipment 15, or when the fuel gas from the branch pipe of the gas pipe 14 is used, the thermal efficiency of the entire apparatus can be further improved. Moreover, because the melting furnace 11, the reheating furnace 10, and the heating equipment 15 are integrated, the user can perform the melting of raw materials M, the processing of molten glass M, and the slow cooling of the processed molten glass M in one place, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0049] In this case, when the heat from the reheating furnace 10 is used for the heating equipment 15, for example, as shown in Figure 3, the heating equipment 15 is installed adjacent to the reheating furnace 10, and a connecting pipe 16 is installed between the reheating furnace 10 and the heating equipment 15, so that the heat from the reheating furnace 10 is transferred to the heating equipment 15 by passing through the connecting pipe 16.

[0050] Here, the inside of the reheating furnace 10 is at a temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius, while the heating equipment 15 is set to a temperature of, for example, 480 degrees Celsius, 500 to 600 degrees Celsius, which is lower than the temperature of the reheating furnace 10. Therefore, by appropriately and effectively utilizing the heat from the reheating furnace 10 in the heating equipment 15, the heat source for the heating equipment 15 can be eliminated. In addition, Figure 3 shows that a platform (not shown) is provided inside the heating equipment 15, and the molten glass M after processing is placed on this platform as a glass craft.

[0051] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the materials used to construct the heating equipment 15, but for example, as mentioned above, refractory bricks, alumina refractory materials, high-alumina refractory bricks, silica bricks, etc., can be used. Also, there are no particular limitations on the shape of the heating equipment 15, but for example, as shown in Figure 3, it may be a cylinder identical or similar to the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10, or it may be a polygonal cylinder or a cube. In addition, the heating equipment 15 may be positioned with its cylindrical central axis C aligned horizontally, similar to the reheating furnace 10.

[0052] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the connecting pipe 16. For example, it may be configured to have a predetermined opening area (passage size) after confirming the temperature difference between the reheating furnace 10 and the heating equipment 15. Alternatively, for example, the connecting pipe 16 may be configured to allow the opening area to be changed continuously or in stages by a predetermined operation, so that the heat from the reheating furnace 10 can be appropriately transferred to the heating equipment 15 by changing the opening area of ​​the connecting pipe 16 according to the temperature of the reheating furnace 10. Specifically, the connecting pipe 16 can employ a duct pipe with a damper, a sliding (shutter) type opening, a shutter (louver) structure, a detachable (replaceable) nozzle, a highly airtight insulated shutter, etc.

[0053] Furthermore, when using the fuel gas from the branch pipe 17 from the gas pipe 14, for example, as shown in Figure 4, a heating facility 15 is provided adjacent to the reheating furnace 10, a branch pipe 17 is provided from the gas pipe 14 extending to the burner section 12, a slow-cooling burner section 18 is provided in the heating facility 15, and the branch pipe 17 is connected to the slow-cooling burner section 18.

[0054] Here, the slow-cooling burner section 18 can employ a common configuration such as a lighter, pilot burner, ignition electrode, and torch, similar to the burner section 12. Furthermore, a control valve 19 is provided between the gas pipe 13 and the branch pipe 17, allowing the user to control the amount of fuel gas branched from the gas pipe 14 to the branch pipe 17 by operating the control valve 19. As described above, since the temperature of the heating equipment 15 is lower than the temperature of the reheating furnace 10, the amount of fuel gas branched can be set relatively low. The control valve 19 can be a valve similar to an on-off valve, as described above.

[0055] Now, an embodiment of the glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described. When a user manufactures the glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1 based on Figures 1 and 2, as shown in Figure 5, they can manufacture a glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1 comprising a reheating furnace 10, a melting furnace 11, a burner section 12, an air pipe 13, and a gas pipe 14 as an embodiment. In this embodiment, the reheating furnace 10 is made of a bottomed cylinder, and a circular opening 10a is provided in the lid of the reheating furnace 10.

[0056] The user then places the raw materials for the glass craft into the melting furnace 11, supplies air through the air pipe 13 and fuel gas through the gas pipe 14, and lights a pilot light inside the reheating furnace 10, thereby generating a flame in the burner section 12. As shown in Figure 6, the flame F from the burner section 12 then blows out along the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace 10, creating a heat reservoir in the melting furnace 11. By continuing heating with the flame from the burner section 12, the reheating furnace 10 is heated to a temperature of, for example, 1000 degrees, and the melting furnace 11 is heated to a temperature of, for example, 1200 to 1300 degrees, and the raw materials are melted. The user can then use the jig T to remove the molten glass and process it.

[0057] Thus, the glass craft manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present invention makes effective use of the heat of the reheating furnace 10, and allows for a compact configuration by combining the melting furnace 11 and the reheating furnace 10. Furthermore, by combining the reheating furnace 10 with the heating equipment 15, even more effective use of heat and compactness can be achieved.

[0058] While this invention primarily focuses on glass crafts, it is not limited to glass household goods, glass architectural and housing products, glass industrial and transportation products, etc. Examples of glass household goods include glass tableware, dining utensils, cups, tumblers, wine glasses, plates, bowls, heat-resistant glass cookware, glass bottles, storage containers, etc. Examples of glass architectural and housing products include window glass, float glass, wired glass, tempered glass, heat-insulating and soundproof glass, double-glazed glass, mirror fronts, light bulbs, ceiling light covers, lighting fixture exteriors, interior decorations, glass shelves, partitions, tabletops, etc. Examples of glass industrial and transportation products include automobile glass, windshields, door glass, display glass, glass for televisions, smartphones, and computer displays, industrial and laboratory glass, test tubes, beakers, flasks, optical glass, lenses, etc. This invention may be used to manufacture such glass products. [Industrial applicability]

[0059] As described above, the glass craft manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is useful in all fields related to glass crafts, including glass crafts, glass product manufacturing, glass craft education, and glass craft research. It is an effective glass craft manufacturing apparatus that makes effective use of the heat of the reheating furnace and can be compactly configured by combining the melting furnace and the reheating furnace. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1. Glass craft manufacturing apparatus 10 Reheating furnace 11. Melting furnace 12 Burner section 13 Air tube 14 Gas pipes 15 Heating equipment 16 Communication pipe 17 Branch pipe 18. Slow Cooling Burner Section 19. Regulating valve

Claims

1. A reheating furnace configured as a cylinder, with the central axis of the cylinder positioned horizontally, A melting furnace is constructed by providing a recess in a part of the lower surface of the cylinder of the aforementioned reheating furnace, The cylindrical cross-sectional shape in the radial direction of the reheating furnace includes a burner section located near the upper part of either the left or right side, with the flame blowing out in a direction aligned with the circumferential direction of the cylindrical reheating furnace, An air pipe that supplies air to the burner section, A gas pipe that supplies combustion gas to the burner section, Equipped with, By igniting the burner section, supplying air through the air pipe, and supplying fuel gas through the gas pipe, the flame from the burner section is blown out along the circumferential direction of the cylinder of the reheating furnace, thereby creating a heat reservoir in the melting furnace. Glass craft manufacturing equipment.

2. A heating system provided adjacent to the reheating furnace, which uses the heat from the reheating furnace or the fuel gas from a branch pipe branched from the gas pipe to heat the reheating furnace at a temperature lower than the temperature of the reheating furnace, including at least one of a slow-cooling furnace, a pipe warmer, and a rod warmer. It also has, The apparatus for manufacturing glass crafts according to claim 1.

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