Segmented Glass Mold for Stemmed Glass Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glass manufacturing methods for stemmed glasses are inefficient due to bulky mechanisms, high material thickness requirements, and limited design freedom, leading to issues with mass production, robustness, and aesthetic concerns.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a blank mold comprising a one-piece upper part and a lower part made of several movable sectors, allowing for non-monotonic diameter formation and independent shaping of the stem and gob, enabling free-form design and varying glass thicknesses, while maintaining compactness and efficient production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single-piece lower part mold is used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but design freedom for non-monotonic diameter profiles is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The lower part of the blank mold is divided into multiple movable sectors (typically 4 sectors) that can independently move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the mold to create complex non-monotonic diameter profiles in the glass blank while maintaining ease of manufacture, as each sector can be independently shaped and positioned to achieve the desired profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower mold sectors are made movable rather than fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment during the molding process. The sectors can move radially outward to release the molded blank and then return to their original positions, enabling repeated production cycles while maintaining design freedom for various diameter profiles.
2Volume of moving object
If the upper part diameter is reduced to accommodate the lower part, then compactness is improved, but the ability to form non-monotonic diameter profiles is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The movable lower sectors enable the mold to dynamically adjust its configuration during operation. When forming the blank, the sectors are positioned to create the desired non-monotonic diameter profile. After molding, the sectors move outward to release the blank, then return to their starting positions, enabling the same compact mold volume to produce various complex profiles repeatedly.
3Stability of the object's composition
If glass thickness is increased to ensure uniform cooling during welding, then cooling uniformity is improved, but material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented lower mold allows for precise control of glass thickness distribution during molding. By independently positioning each sector, the mold can create variable thickness profiles that ensure uniform cooling during subsequent welding operations, while using only the necessary amount of glass material rather than uniformly thick walls throughout.
4Productivity
If independent shaping of stem and gob is enabled, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but machine complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blank mold is divided into an upper part and a lower part with multiple movable sectors, allowing independent shaping of different portions of the glass blank. The upper part forms the gob while the lower sectors form the stem and base, enabling these components to be independently shaped in a single molding operation, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency without requiring separate machines.
Solution Approach 2:
The same blank mold structure serves multiple functions: it shapes both the gob and stem independently, controls glass thickness distribution, and enables various diameter profiles. This multi-functionality achieves independent shaping of components while avoiding the need for multiple separate machines, thus improving productivity without proportionally increasing machine complexity.
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 solution enhances design freedom, reduces material usage, and improves manufacturing efficiency by allowing for independent shaping of the stem and gob, resulting in more robust and aesthetically pleasing glass products with reduced production costs.
Implementation Method 1
The machine receives glass heated to a sufficient temperature to allow it to flow by gravity
Implementation Method 2
glass heated to a sufficient temperature to allow it to flow
Implementation Method 3
a pressing punch movable in translation about a first axis
Implementation Method 4
The malleable glass is shaped and cooled
Data Source
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AI summary
Machine and method for manufacturing glass objects, in particular stemmed glass, comprising a blank mould 1 configured to receive glass at flow temperature, and a pressing punch 2 that can be moved in translation along a first axis, characterised in that the blank mould 1 comprises an upwardly flared upper portion 3 formed of one part, and an upwardly non-flared lower portion 13 formed of multiple parts, the parts of the lower portion 13 being movable in translation with a component along axes arranged in a plane normal to the first axis, the upper portion 3 having, along any axis normal to the first axis, a minimum dimension greater than the maximum dimension of the lower portion 13 along the axis normal to the first axis so that the moulded object in the lower portion 13 can pass through the upper portion 3 in translation along the first axis.