Glass tube bending machine - GIF

[Altair]

Glass tube bending machine.




Previously:

Cutting a glass pipe - GIF
Glass tube cutting machine - GIF
Glass artist makes a dragon - GIF
Mouth-blown window glass manufacturing - video
Blowing glass into wood - GIF

[FEM2008]

Its a simple, yet clever mechanism. A tube is heated all tbe way around by the time it reaches the pick up tool. The rollers act as a que and tube rotator, such that a tube is picked every ~3 seconds as opposed to every ~21 seconds had the machine heated one tube at a time. Thank you, Altair.

[desbromilow]

interesting that the bending operation doesn't appear to do anything to prevent the tube collapsing in the bend - -is that because the glass is so soft? or am I missing something?

[jdurand]

Maybe air blown in to expand it before it cools?

[WyoGreen]

It looks like there is a mold that comes up after the tube is bent and rotated that evidently rounds out the tube after it is bent.