Inventors:
Earl L. May - Irwin PA
Hobart E. Kenton - Cabot PA
Robert G. Frank - Sarver PA
Assignee:
PPG Industries, Inc. - Pittsburgh PA
International Classification:
C03B 1106, C03B 2303
Abstract:
The present invention provides a shaping mold for shaping heat softenable sheet material which includes a flexible rail having a sheet shaping surface to support a marginal edge portion of a sheet to be shaped and a plurality of controllable actuators secured to the rail and capable of deforming the rail to provide its surface with configurations each having a desired elevational contour. In one particular embodiment of the invention, the shaping rail is a shaping ring having a peripheral configuration which provides generally continuous support about the marginal edge portion of the sheet. A controller is used to control each actuator and deform the sheet shaping surface of the ring from a first configuration having a generally flat elevational contour to a second configuration having an elevational contour that generally corresponds to the final desired contour of the marginal edge portion of the sheet.