DEVICE FOR BENDING AND HARDENING GLASS PLATES

The rollers or curved rods and other elements supporting the glass sheets as well as the apparatus necessary for bending and/or tempering are preferably mounted on a pair of longitudinally flexible strips that rest on a pair of rigid templates having the desired curvature. Each flexible strip advantageously is a chain whose links are hinged on one another, these links being provided with flanges to which are fastened the rollers or curved rods, all other elements for supporting the glass sheets, and the elements necessary for bending and tempering. To permit modification of the curved profile, the templates are removable and interchangeable. To facilitate changing of the templates, the apparatus is equipped with a system for lifting the strips or chains. Such lifting system comprises one or more pivoting beams that are lifted by drive means such as a jack and a bent connecting rod. When the beams are raised, they lift the strip or chain off the template, thereby freeing the template to be replaced with a template having a different curvature.