Permeable Gob Delivery Guide for Uniform Glass Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gob delivery equipment imparts asymmetric thermal and shape distortion to molten glass gobs, leading to inconsistent wall thickness in glass containers due to heat loss and non-uniform elongation along delivery components.
Innovation Solution
A molten glass gob delivery guide constructed from a gas permeable, thermally conductive material with a permeability of at least 50 md and a melting point of at least 400° C., which uses a permeating gas to create a gas cushion that displaces the gob away from the guide, minimizing heat transfer and maintaining thermal homogeneity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional metal-based delivery components are used, then the gob can be delivered to the blank mold, but the gob experiences heat loss and asymmetric thermal distortion
Solution Approach 1:
A gas cushion (intermediary fluid) is introduced between the gob and the delivery components to prevent direct contact. The gas acts as a mediator that allows the gob to be transported without thermal contact, eliminating heat loss to the metal components while maintaining reliable delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a pneumatic system where gas is supplied through porous material to create a cushion that supports and transports the gob. This pneumatic approach replaces direct metal-to-glass contact with gas-mediated contact, solving the thermal distortion problem while maintaining delivery functionality.
2Ease of operation
If conventional metal-based delivery components are used, then the gob can be conveyed, but the gob surface becomes colder and stiffer due to heat loss
Solution Approach 1:
The gas cushion serves as an intermediary that enables easy conveyance of the gob without thermal interaction. The gas layer allows the gob to slide or float along the delivery path without cooling, maintaining operational ease while preserving temperature.
3Reliability
If conventional metal-based delivery components are used, then the gob can be delivered, but the glass container exhibits inconsistent wall thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The gas cushion intermediary prevents asymmetric cooling that causes non-uniform gob shape. By eliminating thermal contact with metal components, the gas cushion ensures the gob maintains its symmetry, which directly translates to consistent wall thickness in the final container while preserving delivery reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas cushion creates a uniform environment around the entire gob surface, ensuring homogeneous temperature distribution. This homogeneity prevents the asymmetric distortion that leads to wall thickness variations, improving manufacturing precision while maintaining reliable delivery.
4Manufacturing precision
If extra glass is included in the gob to account for wall thickness disparity, then minimum thickness specifications are met, but the container weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas cushion ensures homogeneous cooling and uniform gob shape, which eliminates wall thickness disparity. This allows the gob to be optimized with exactly the right amount of glass needed, meeting minimum thickness specifications without adding excess weight.
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
The gas cushion maintains thermal homogeneity of the glass gob, ensuring consistent wall thickness in glass containers by reducing heat loss and deformation, thereby allowing for reduced glass weight without compromising minimum thickness specifications.
Implementation Method 1
The chute is comprised of a gas permeable material that is thermally conductive and has a permeability of at least 50 md
Implementation Method 2
the longitudinal surface portion of the gob that is in sliding contact with the delivery components loses heat to those components
Data Source
AI summary
A molten glass gob delivery guide is disclosed that includes a chute having an upstream end, a downstream end, a rear surface, and a front surface. The chute is comprised of a gas permeable material and is able to accommodate the permeable flow of a permeating gas from the rear surface to the front surface of the chute. When a molten glass gob is conveyed along the chute over the front surface of the chute, the permeating gas flows permeably through the chute to establish a gas cushion that displaces the glass gob away from the front surface of the chute, which creates a thermal break between the glass gob and the chute. In this way, heat loss from the molten glass gob to the chute can be minimized as the gob travels along the chute.