SHUTTLE POSITIONING SYSTEM FOR SHEET FORMING SYSTEM Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC C03B35/20 C03B23/35 

FIELD: glass industry.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to a shape position shuttle system for positioning a hot glass sheet in several locations in a system for heating and forming glass sheets, as well as to three-stage forming stations for forming glass sheet with complex curvature. Shuttle positioning system comprises: a mold having a surface that defines the shape in which the glass sheet is to be first molded; support frame of mold, comprising at least one connecting surface for molding thereon; movable shuttle frame comprising a pair of generally parallel elongated beams, wherein each of the beams has a support surface adjacent to one end of the beam for receiving and supporting thereon a support carcass of the mold; drive mechanism for shuttle frame movement in whole in horizontal direction; at least one mold guide installed on the support surface of one of the beams to fix the position of the support frame of the mold relative to the shuttle frame, to prevent movement of the mold support frame relative to the shuttle frame in any direction, when the mold support frame is supported thereon, and at least one other mold guide, installed on support surface of another of beams for fixation of position of support frame shape relative to shuttle frame, to prevent movement of the support frame of the mold in a first direction relative to the shuttle frame, but with the possibility of moving the support frame of the mold in a second direction relative to the shuttle frame, when mold support frame is supported thereon; at least one support wheel assembly, installed to accommodate and support each of the beams when moving the shuttle frame to place the mold in one of several desired processing locations, wherein each support wheel assembly comprises a support wheel and a drive for selectively moving the support wheel and the supported beam therein in a vertical direction; and at least one shuttle guide mounted on at least one of the support wheel assemblies, associated only with one of the beams, to receive the shuttle frame and to fix its position relative to the heating and molding system for the purpose of locating and preventing the shuttle frame movement in the first direction relative to the heating and molding system, but with possibility of its movement in second direction relative to heating and molding system when placing shuttle frame and mold for processing glass sheet in several positions in heating and molding system.

EFFECT: technical result consists in possibility of movement of mold and mold frame relative to shuttle beam as a result of thermal expansion/contraction.

28 cl, 16 dwg