Bending large glass plates with a flexible mould

The article explains how a new bending process for flat glass is characterized by shorter process times. Bent glass products are expensive because they are made manually. They are used in areas such as revolving doors, designer furniture and construction vehicles. As part of a sponsored joint project, the principals of a new glass bending process have been developed. The key feature was to produce bent glass in an automated way, which is faster and flexible in forming shapes as well as being more cost efficient in production. When bending glass using current technology, an operator has to insert a mould and the glass into a chamber furnace, where they are heated together to bending temperature, followed by a holding time and cooling cycle. The glass becomes soft at the glass transition temperature region and is formed by gravity.