Patent Application
20240391228
The present disclosure relates generally to optical bonding technology, and more particularly, to methods of direct dry film (DDF) laminating compound curve substrates and compound curve products produced by such methods.
Optical bonding is the process of bonding two or more optical components together using a clear optical index matched adhesive. Examples of components to be optically bonded include, but are not limited to, anti-reflective glass, protective glass, touch screens, ITO heaters, EMI shields, and additional displays. Components may be bonded to the front, rear, or both sides of a display or to another optical component. Optical bonding may also be used to produce aircraft canopies, automotive windshields, and other safety glass applications. Industries benefiting from optical bonding include, but are not limited to, military, avionics, ground vehicles, and automotive displays requiring very high optical and environmental performances.
Optical bonding technologies include dry optical bonding and liquid optical bonding. In some cases, dry optical bonding is preferred considering scalability, low environmental impact, dimensional superiority, and better performance. While dry optical bonding is ideal for planar and single axis curved substrates via cold forming and optically clear adhesive (OCA) application, current processes for applying dry adhesives to compound curve substrates is not possible.
Therefore, what is needed is a solution for dry bonding compound curve substrates.
In one aspect, embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to a method of direct dry film (DDF) laminating a compound curve substrate. In embodiments, the method includes providing a chamber including a bladder, positioning a frame in the chamber, and positioning a compound curve substrate in an interior space formed within the frame. The method continues by suspending, via the frame, an optically clear adhesive (OCA) sheet over the compound curve substrate, the OCA sheet including a top liner. The method continues with structurally altering the top liner at one or more locations corresponding to curvature of the compound curve substrate, evacuating the chamber to induce a vacuum, deploying the bladder to bring the OCA sheet into conformed contact with the compound curve substrate, retracting the bladder, and venting the chamber. In embodiments, the method continues with bonding a matched second substrate to the applied, bonded and conformed OCA sheet.
In some embodiments, the OCA sheet further includes a bottom liner, and the method further includes removing the bottom liner before evacuating the chamber.
In some embodiments, structurally altering the top liner includes scoring the top liner.
In some embodiments, structurally altering the top liner includes cutting the top liner.
In some embodiments, the method further includes positioning the matched second substrate in the chamber, evacuating the chamber to induce a vacuum, deploying the bladder to bring the matched compound curve second substrate into conformed contact with the OCA sheet, retracting the bladder, and venting the chamber.
In some embodiments, the second substrate is a flexible film or a rigid compound curve substrate having a curvature profile matching a curvature profile of the first compound curve substrate.
In some embodiments, the method further includes, prior to bonding the second matched substrate to the OCA sheet, trimming the OCA sheet to the substrate edge or insert dimension, and removing the top liner.
In some embodiments, the OCA sheet is maintained in conformed contact with the compound curve substrate for a predetermined time period.
In some embodiments, the method further includes heating at least one of the chamber, the OCA sheet, and the compound curve substrate.
In some embodiments, the OCA sheet is coupled to the frame by a plurality of elastic members.
According to another aspect, the present disclosure provides a laminated compound curve product including a compound curve substrate and a second substrate bonded together by an intermediate optically clear adhesive (OCA) sheet, wherein the laminated compound curve product is produced according to a method of direct dry film (DDF) lamination. In embodiments, the method includes providing a chamber including a bladder, positioning a frame in the chamber, and positioning the compound curve substrate in an interior space within the frame. The method continues with suspending, by the frame, the OCA sheet over the compound curve substrate, the OCA sheet including a top liner. The method continues by structurally altering the top liner at one or more locations corresponding to curvature of the compound curve substrate, evacuating the chamber to induce a vacuum, deploying the bladder to bring the OCA sheet into conformed contact with the compound curve substrate, retracting the bladder, and venting the chamber. In embodiments, the method continues by bonding the second substrate to the applied, bonded, and conformed OCA sheet.
This summary is provided solely as an introduction to subject matter that is fully described in the following detailed description and drawing figures. This summary should not be considered to describe essential features nor be used to determine the scope of the claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary and the following detailed description are explanatory only and are not necessarily restrictive of the subject matter claimed.
Implementations of the inventive concepts disclosed herein may be better understood when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the included drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, and in which some features may be exaggerated and some features may be omitted or may be represented schematically in the interest of clarity. Like reference numerals in the drawings may represent and refer to the same or similar element, feature, or function. In the drawings:
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein in detail, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts are not limited in their application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. In the following detailed description of embodiments of the instant inventive concepts, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the inventive concepts. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure that the inventive concepts disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features may not be described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure. The inventive concepts disclosed herein are capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As used herein, a letter following a reference numeral is intended to reference an embodiment of the feature or element that may be similar, but not necessarily identical, to a previously described element or feature bearing the same reference numeral (e.g., 1, 1a, 1b). Such shorthand notations are used for purposes of convenience only, and should not be construed to limit the inventive concepts disclosed herein in any way unless expressly stated to the contrary.
Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by anyone of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of embodiments of the instant inventive concepts. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concepts, and “a” and “an” are intended to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.
Finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “some embodiments” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. The appearances of the phrase “in some embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, and embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed may include one or more of the features expressly described or inherently present herein, or any combination of sub-combination of two or more such features, along with any other features which may not necessarily be expressly described or inherently present in the instant disclosure.
Broadly, embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to methods of dry bonding compound curve substrates and compound curve laminations produced according to such methods. In some embodiments, the lamination may be a direct dry film (DDF) lamination for applying a flexible adhesive layer to a rigid, compound curve substrate in a bonded stack, i.e., flexible-to-rigid lamination. In some embodiments, the lamination may be a DDF lamination for applying a rigid compound curve part to a compound curve substrate in a bonded stack, i.e., rigid-to-rigid lamination, wherein the rigid compound curve part and the rigid compound curve substrate having a matching curvature profile.
In embodiments, the optically clear adhesive (OCA) may be implemented in sheet form, i.e., “OCA sheet” as referred to herein, applied using an additional tooling piece in which the OCA sheet is suspended above/over the compound curve (i.e., non-planar and not single axis curved) substrate in the DDF chamber, with the bottom liner peeled and no contact made until a vacuum is achieved in the chamber. In some embodiments, the suspension may be achieved with a “picture frame” tool configured to span the shaped substrate and the support tooling. In embodiments, the top liner (i.e., liner provided on a top side of the OCA sheet facing away from the compound curve substrate) is scored, cut or otherwise altered to introduce flexibility into the sheet at strategic locations to allow the sheet to give way while the bottom liner above the part is removed to bring the adhesive into contact with the curved substrate. During the DDF process, a bladder serves to bring the OCA sheet into intimate contact across the full shape of the curved substrate. When the DDF process is complete, the prepared substrate is ready to have the OCA sheet trimmed, as necessary, such that the next shaped substrate may be bonded, for instance a flexible film or matched curvature substrate.
The top liner 500 is shown having been structurally altered depending on the curvature of the substrate. Structural altering may include scoring, cutting, combinations of both, and the like for introducing a weakness in the top liner 500 to facilitate stretching the OCA sheet 206 during the conformed contact step. Structurally altering the top liner 500 allows the OCA sheet 206 to better conform to the curved shape of the substrate under the force of the deployed bladder. The locations of the structural altering may correspond to the curvature of the substrate such that a steeper substrate curve may require greater altering whereas a shallower curve or planar section of the substrate may require lesser altering.
The method occurs in a DDF chamber including an interior space, a deployable bladder positioned in the interior space, and a frame positioned in the interior space beneath the deployable bladder, the frame configured to suspend an OCA sheet. At Step 602, the method includes a compound curve substrate in an interior space formed by the frame. At Step 604, the method includes suspending an OCA sheet, by the frame, over the to-be-bonded surface of the compound curve substrate. The OCA sheet may be altered in place, or previously altered outside of the DDF chamber to introduce a bending weakness in the OCA sheet corresponding to curvature of the underlying compound curve substrate.
With the compound curve substrate and the OCA sheet positioned for bonding, the method continues at Step 606 with evacuating the chamber to induce a vacuum, and Step 608 with deploying the bladder into contact with the OCA sheet to move the OCA sheet into conformed contact with the surface of the compound curve substrate to bond the OCA sheet to the surface. The conformed contact may be maintained for a predetermined time period, for instance a matter of seconds or minutes to ensure bonding. After bonding is ensured, the method continues at Step 610 with retracting the bladder and Step 612 with venting the DDF chamber.
With the OCA sheet already bonded to the surface of the compound curve substrate, at Step 614 the bonded OCA sheet may be further processed, such as trimmed and the top liner removed. At Step 616, a second substrate, for instance a flexible film or matching curved substrate, may be bonded to the top of the OCA sheet, for instance within the DDF chamber also via the deployable bladder.
It is to be understood that embodiments of the methods according to the inventive concepts disclosed herein may include one or more of the steps described herein. Further, such steps may be carried out in any desired order and two or more of the steps may be carried out simultaneously with one another. Two or more of the steps disclosed herein may be combined in a single step, and in some embodiments, one or more of the steps may be carried out as two or more sub-steps. Further, other steps or sub-steps may be carried in addition to, or as substitutes to one or more of the steps disclosed herein.
From the above description, it is clear that the inventive concepts disclosed herein are well adapted to achieve the objectives and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the inventive concepts disclosed herein. While presently preferred embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the broad scope and coverage of the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein.
