Features
Operation
First Glass Batch
The two pre-heating ovens are rest at right and left hand sides of the system's upper floor. Two glass racks are placed right beneath each of pre-heating oven.
Glass Loading
First glass batch to be chemically treated is placed inside one of the rack placing in corresponding glass basket, say the left one.
Lifting Up
When glass is hold in position and is ready, the left pre-heating oven’s floor door right above the glass basket is opened. The lifting mechanism is started and brings the glass basket up inside the left pre-heating oven. Oven bottom door is then closed.
Glass Pre-Heating
Temperature of pre-heating oven begins to increase. The top hot fan starts to create hot air convection within the oven. Glass is gradually to be heated up.
Moving of Pre-Heating Oven
When glass inside left pre-heating oven reaches requested set temperature and is ready for ion-exchanging, the horizontal moving system starts. It drives the left pre-heating oven to the upper center position towards the right pre-heating oven. The left pre-heating oven stops when it arrives at upper center position right above chemical tank underneath.
Lowering Down
The top door of bath tank is opened automatically. The lifting mechanism starts to lower the glass basket onto the ion exchange tank until the glass rack is fully dipped inside the bath. The top tank door is then closed.
First Batch Ion-exchanging
The ion-exchange starts under set temperature while stirring keeps running preventing unevenly distribution of potassium salt concentration. The bathing time is pre-set according to requested residual stress. The higher is the stress, the longer the time.
Next Glass Batch
When glass is being heated in left pre-heating oven and/or is ion-exchanged inside the chemical bath, another batch of glass is loaded in right hand side glass rack and then glass basket. Glass is lifted up and is pre-heated inside the right pre-heating oven as mentioned above. It is then parked and waited for next batch for ion-exchanging. This design keeps the bath tank running all the time and minimizes idle time.
Unloading First Batch
When ion exchanging time reaches pre-setting value, top tank door is opened. Glass basket is raised up into the upper left pre-heating oven. Glass basket should be hold for a while until potassium salt adhering on glass surface dripping back into chemical bath. It is then moved leftwards back to its left most position. Glass basket is lower down onto left ground floor. Glass is then ready for unloading.
Next Batch Ion Exchanging
After glass inside right pre-heating oven is ready for ion-exchanging and the first glass batch is empty from bath tank, the right pre-heating oven moves to upper center position towards the left pre-heating oven until it arrives right above chemical tank as mentioned above. Right glass basket brings the glass down to the chemical tank for next batch chemical reaction as mentioned above.
Cycle Repeat
The production cycle is then repeated for third and subsequent glass batches.
