Glass Pane Bending via Localized Viscosity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for shaping glass panes, particularly large and complex ones, face challenges in achieving precise and controlled bending with minimal deformations, often resulting in corrugations and prolonged processes due to uncontrolled heating and settling.
Innovation Solution
A method involving controlled heating and application of external forces, such as pressure strips and mounts, to manage the viscosity and bending moments of glass panes, ensuring simultaneous curvature achievement across all points, thereby optimizing the bending process and avoiding unwanted deformations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the glass pane is considerably heated to conform well to the mold, then the glass pane achieves better contour conformity, but undesirable additional deformations and corrugations arise due to high temperature and uncontrolled settling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the temperature distribution across the glass pane during the bending process. Instead of uniform heating, the system varies temperature parameters spatially and temporally to control viscosity distribution, enabling precise control over the bending progression and preventing unwanted deformations while achieving accurate contour conformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by monitoring the actual contour development of the glass pane during bending and adjusting the heating process accordingly. The system uses sensors to detect the current shape and compares it with the target contour, modifying temperature distribution in real-time to eliminate deviations and prevent corrugation formation.
2Ease of manufacture
If the glass pane is heated uniformly to achieve bending, then the bending process can be performed, but the process takes relatively long and cannot be precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing non-uniform temperature distribution across the glass pane. Different regions are heated to different temperatures based on their specific bending requirements, allowing the bending process to proceed faster in critical areas while maintaining control. This localized heating approach reduces overall process time while preserving manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the temperature distribution time-dependent and adaptable during the bending process. The heating system dynamically adjusts temperature profiles based on the real-time state of the glass pane, enabling precise control over the bending progression and reducing the total process duration compared to static uniform heating methods.
3Shape
If the glass pane rests on tubes to conform to the mold, then the glass pane can be shaped, but corrugations arise due to the tubes on which the glass pane ends up resting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the taking out principle by removing the problematic tube structures from the bending process. Instead of using tubes that cause corrugations, the system employs a contactless heating and bending approach where the glass pane is shaped through controlled temperature-induced viscosity changes and external bending forces, eliminating the source of surface defects while maintaining mold conformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical tube-based conforming system with a thermal-mechanical control system. Instead of relying on physical tube contacts to shape the glass, the system uses controlled temperature distribution to manage glass viscosity and applies calculated bending forces, substituting the mechanical constraint system with a more precise thermal-control-based approach that prevents corrugation formation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for precise and efficient shaping of glass panes with defined contours, reducing the risk of deformations and shortening the process duration, enabling the creation of complex shapes like parabolic or circular segments with high accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
a glass pane (1) is initially heated and then bent
Implementation Method 2
the change in the local curvature over time can be controlled by setting a temperature, and thus a viscosity of the glass pane
Implementation Method 3
Exterior forces are applied to the glass pane so as to bend the glass pane
Implementation Method 4
weight forces caused by the inherent weight of the glass pane
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for shaping a glass pane (1), wherein the glass pane (1) is first heated and then bent until it has reached a shape that corresponds to a predefined target contour (ks), wherein exterior forces act on the glass pane (1) for the purpose of bending the glass pane (1). A change in a local curvature of the glass pane (1) over time is controlled such that the surface of the glass pane (1) simultaneously achieves the target contour at all points of the surface that do not remain static, by setting a temperature, and thus a viscosity, of the glass pane (1) so as not to be constant as a function of the location during the bending operation, and/or by suitably setting forces transferred by mounts (6) and/or pressure forces transferred by one or more pressure strips (3). The application furthermore relates to multiple glazed units produced by the method.