Molten glass transporter, transport cup, endcap, and methods
A molten glass transport cup includes a conduit having an inlet and an outlet, and an endcap to cover or close, and uncover or open, the conduit outlet. The cup also may include a fluid exhaust outlet between the conduit and the endcap, and one or more fluid supply passages having one or more interior inlets located radially inwardly of the exhaust outlet. A molten glass transporter may include the cup and a conduit carrier including a sleeve at least partially circumscribing the cup. A related method may include receiving a molten glass charge in the cup in contact with an inner surface of the conduit, supplying fluid into the cup to displace at least a portion of the glass charge away from the transport cup, controlling an amount of the fluid between the charge and the transport cup, and moving the endcap to permit the charge to exit the conduit.
1 . A molten glass transport cup, comprising:
a conduit having an inlet, an outlet, and a passage extending between the inlet and the outlet along a conduit passage axis;
an endcap to selectively cover and uncover the conduit outlet, and being movable relative to the conduit to a closed position where the endcap covers the conduit outlet, and to an open position where the endcap uncovers the conduit outlet;
a fluid exhaust outlet between the conduit and the endcap; and
one or more fluid supply passages having one or more interior inlets located radially inwardly of the fluid exhaust outlet.
2 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 1 , wherein an interior junction is established between the endcap and the conduit and the one or more interior inlets of the one or more fluid supply passages are located proximate the interior junction.
3 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fluid supply passages are located radially inward of a side periphery of the endcap, and are open to an upper end of the endcap in communication with the conduit outlet at a location that overlaps or is spaced radially inward from a junction defined between the conduit and the endcap when the endcap is in the closed position.
4 . A molten glass transporter, comprising:
the molten glass transport cup of claim 1 ;
a conduit carrier in which the conduit is carried;
an endcap carrier on which the endcap is carried; and
an endcap actuator coupled to the endcap carrier, and activatable to move the endcap to uncover and to cover the outlet of the conduit.
5 . The molten glass transporter of claim 4 , wherein when the endcap actuator is activated, the endcap swings, translates, or articulates away from the outlet of the conduit.
6 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 1 , wherein the endcap includes:
a lower end;
an upper end axially opposite of the lower end; and
a plurality of endcap fluid supply passages extending between the lower and upper ends and having lower openings open to the lower end and upper openings open to the upper end.
7 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 6 , wherein the upper end includes an end surface and an oblique surface obliquely extending between the end surface and a side periphery of the endcap, wherein the plurality of endcap fluid supply passages includes a circular array of endcap fluid supply passages extending through the oblique surface.
8 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of endcap fluid supply passages extend through the endcap at one or more oblique angles with respect to a conduit axis.
9 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 6 , wherein the lower end includes a base surface and a fluid pocket in the base surface in open fluid communication with the lower openings of the plurality of endcap fluid supply passages.
10 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of endcap fluid supply passages includes an inner circular array of endcap fluid supply passages and an outer circular array of endcap fluid supply passages positioned radially outward of the inner circular array of endcap fluid supply passages.
11 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 6 , wherein the endcap is axially split into halves having mating faces, wherein an endcap fluid exhaust outlet is established between the mating faces.
12 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 1 , wherein the passage of the conduit is open to the inlet and the outlet and is partly established by an interior surface at the outlet, and the endcap is cooperative with the outlet of the conduit to establish a transport cup cavity, wherein at least one fluid supply passage of the one or more fluid supply passages overlaps, or is disposed radially inward and proximate with respect to, the interior surface of the conduit at the outlet of the conduit.
13 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 12 , wherein a fluid exhaust outlet is established between an outlet end of the conduit and an upper end of the endcap.
14 . A molten glass transporter, comprising:
the molten glass transport cup of claim 1 ; and
a conduit carrier carrying the transport cup therein and including a sleeve at least partially circumscribing the conduit of the transport cup.
15 . The molten glass transporter of claim 14 , wherein the sleeve of the conduit carrier is radially spaced away from the conduit to establish a gas volume.
16 . The molten glass transporter of claim 15 , wherein the conduit carrier further includes a gas baffle radially spaced between and away from the sleeve and the conduit of the transport cup.
17 . The molten glass transporter of claim 16 , wherein the conduit carrier further includes
one or more gas inlets, and
one or more gas outlets,
wherein a circuitous path is established from the one or more gas inlets, circumferentially around the gas baffle and down to a lower end of the gas baffle, down and around at least a portion of the gas baffle that is axially spaced from a corresponding portion of the sleeve, radially inwardly toward the conduit, circumferentially around the conduit between the conduit and the gas baffle, and up and out of the one or more gas outlets.
18 . The molten glass transporter of claim 14 , wherein the sleeve includes a tubular body, a lower cap, and a lower mounting ring coupled to the lower cap and including a radially inwardly extending mounting flange carried by a stepped outlet end of the conduit.
19 . The molten glass transporter of claim 14 , further comprising an endcap carrier carrying the endcap underneath the conduit, and an endcap actuator to move the endcap carrier and the endcap between a closed position covering the outlet of the conduit and an open position exposing the outlet of the conduit, wherein the endcap carrier includes a pivotable arm, and the endcap actuator includes a rotary and linear actuator coupled to the pivotable arm and mounted to the sleeve of the conduit carrier.
20 . The molten glass transporter of claim 14 , further comprising an endcap carrier carrying the endcap underneath the conduit, and an endcap actuator to move the endcap carrier and the endcap between a closed position covering the outlet of the conduit and an open position exposing the outlet of the conduit, wherein the endcap is a split endcap and the endcap carrier is a split endcap carrier, and wherein the endcap actuator includes a first actuator to move the split endcap carrier up and down, and a second actuator to move halves of the split endcap carrier laterally back and forth toward and away from one another.
21 . The molten glass transporter of claim 14 , further comprising an accelerometer coupled to the conduit carrier or a conduit carrier mount, wherein the accelerometer is a multi-axis accelerometer to measure acceleration during receiving, transporting, and/or dispensing of molten glass charges, wherein accelerometer output is used to infer quality of receiving of glass charges, levels of vibration of the transporter during transport, and/or levels of vibration during dispensing of the glass charges.
22 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 1 , wherein the fluid exhaust outlet is configured to vent gas to the atmosphere.
23 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 1 , wherein the fluid exhaust outlet includes one or more exhaust gaps between corresponding surfaces of the conduit and the endcap and/or one or more exhaust reliefs in at least one of the corresponding surfaces.
24 . A molten glass transporter, comprising:
a molten glass transport cup, including
a conduit having an inlet, an outlet, and a passage extending between the inlet and the outlet along a conduit passage axis; and
an endcap to selectively cover and uncover the conduit outlet;
a carrier configured to carry the molten glass transport cup; and
an accelerometer coupled to the conduit, the carrier, or the endcap.
25 . The molten glass transport cup of claim 24 , wherein the accelerometer is a multi-axis accelerometer to measure acceleration during receiving, transporting, and/or dispensing of molten glass charges, wherein accelerometer output is used to infer quality of receiving of glass charges, levels of vibration of the transporter during transport, and/or levels of vibration during dispensing of the glass charges.