Suction Frame for Glass Bending with Vacuum Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glass bending processes struggle to maintain the sheet of glass securely in place during strong accelerations or decelerations, which can lead to instability and marking issues due to insufficient holding forces.
Innovation Solution
A suction frame with a contact track and a suction system that exerts pressure on the underside of the glass, utilizing a fibrous material for thermal insulation and to distribute the weight, ensuring the glass remains immobile laterally even at high accelerations or decelerations, and optionally incorporating a blowing system to reduce marking risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional gravity bending processes are used with moving supports, then the glass can be bent effectively, but the glass becomes unstable during strong accelerations or decelerations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a suction system with vacuum ports that create negative pressure to hold the glass sheet firmly on the support during high acceleration or deceleration. The suction force counteracts the inertial forces generated during rapid movement, preventing glass displacement and maintaining stability where conventional mechanical supports fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the holding mechanism from passive mechanical support to active suction-based adhesion. By controlling the vacuum level and suction force parameters, the system adapts to maintain optimal glass support under varying acceleration conditions, transforming the interaction between support and glass from friction-based to pressure-based holding.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the contact area between support and glass is increased to distribute weight, then marking risk is reduced, but the suction system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The suction system is divided into multiple independent vacuum ports distributed across the support surface. Each port operates independently to create localized suction zones, allowing the system to maintain effective holding force while distributing the contact area. This segmentation enables broader weight distribution to prevent marking without requiring a monolithic complex suction mechanism.
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 suction frame effectively maintains the glass in place during high accelerations or decelerations, reducing the risk of lateral displacement and marking, while allowing controlled bending and thermal processing.
Implementation Method 1
a suction system adapted to act on the underside of the sheet to enhance the support of the sheet
Implementation Method 2
The suction is preferably sufficient to ensure that this support immobilizes the glass relative to the suction frame
Implementation Method 3
due to increased friction, a larger contact surface provides better support for the glass on the suction frame
Implementation Method 4
to thermally insulate the glass from the mold
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a frame for supporting a sheet of glass, referred to as a suction frame, comprising a contact path for receiving the periphery of the underside face of the sheet of glass, and comprising a suction system able to apply suction to the underside face of the sheet in order to enhance the retention of the sheet by said frame. This frame may form part of a device for the hot-bending of the sheet and convey the sheet with high acceleration or deceleration through a heating enclosure for the purposes of the hot-bending of the sheet.