PROCESSING: Efficient method for manufacturing curved glass sheets

摘要

An economic method for the production of curved glass panels that is up to six times faster than conventional processes has been developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials (IWM) in Freiburg, Germany. Currently, curved glass panels are expensive to manufacture, especially when each panel is different. The conventional process for their production involves making a mould of the shape, laying a sheet of glass on top of it, loading the mould/glass rig into a furnace and then heating it to a temperature where the viscous flow of the glass allows it to slump and conform to the mould's contours.