Patent Application
20150218034
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for managing edge trim from flexible glass ribbon.
Glass manufacturing apparatus are commonly used to form various glass products such as LCD sheet glass. Glass substrates in flexible electronic applications are becoming thinner and lighter. Glass substrates having thicknesses lower than 0.5 mm, such as less than 0.3 mm, such as 0 1 mm or even thinner can be desirable for certain display applications, especially portable electronic devices such as laptop computers, handheld devices and the like. It is known to manufacture glass ribbon by downwardly flowing molten glass over a forming wedge and using edge rollers to engage beads formed at opposite edge portions of a glass ribbon.
The present concept involves managing edge trim of a flexible glass ribbon. The edge trim may be removed from a central portion of the flexible glass ribbon in a continuous fashion by an edge trimming apparatus. The continuous strip of edge trim is then collected while the continuous strip of edge trim remains connected to the central portion of the flexible glass ribbon and can eliminate any need for handling relatively small pieces of thin flexible glass edge trim. As used herein the term “edge trim” means the un-usable (or non-quality) portions of the glass ribbon that are to be discarded, for example, portions of the glass ribbon including beads or thickened portions at the edges, or portions of the glass ribbon including edge tape or other protective material on the edge of the glass ribbon meant to protect the edges of the glass ribbon.
One commercial advantage to the present approach is that manufacturers can collect and remove the edge trim without any need for chopping or crushing the edge trim once it is removed. This can provide a cleaner environment in which the flexible glass ribbon can be processed. Manufactures can also collect and remove edge trim that includes the flexible glass along with any coating materials or adhesive tape applied thereto.
According to a first aspect, a method of managing edge trim of a flexible glass ribbon comprises:
According to a second aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 1, further comprising applying an adhesive tape to the first edge of the flexible glass ribbon prior to removing the first edge of the flexible glass ribbon.
According to a third aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 1 or aspect 2, wherein the continuous strip of edge trim includes the adhesive tape.
According to a fourth aspect, there is provided the method of anyone of aspects 1-3, wherein the cutting device comprises a laser directing a laser beam onto at least one of the first broad surface and the second broad surface.
According to a fifth aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 4, further comprising directing a cooling jet onto the at least one of the first broad surface and the second broad surface thereby cooling the flexible glass ribbon at a location proximate the laser beam.
According to a sixth aspect, there is provided the method of any one of aspects 1-5, wherein the step of collecting the continuous strip of edge trim includes winding the continuous strip of edge trim on a roll assembly.
According to a seventh aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 6, wherein the roll assembly includes a drive shaft and a winding roll disposed about the drive shaft.
According to an eighth aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 7, comprising winding the continuous strip of edge trim on the winding roll.
According to a ninth aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 7 or aspect 8, further comprising removing the winding roll from the drive shaft, the continuous strip of edge trim being disposed about the winding roll.
According to a tenth aspect, a method of managing edge trim of a flexible glass ribbon comprises:
separating a first edge of the flexible glass ribbon using an edge trimming apparatus thereby forming a continuous strip of edge trim connected to a central portion of the flexible glass ribbon; and
According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 10, comprising rotating the roll using a motor.
According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided the method of any one of aspect 10 or aspect 11, wherein the roll is removable from a drive shaft.
According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 12, further comprising removing the roll from the drive shaft, the continuous strip of edge trim being disposed about the roll.
According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided the method of any one of aspects 10-13, further comprising applying an adhesive tape to the first edge of the flexible glass ribbon prior to separating the first edge of the flexible glass ribbon.
According to a fifteenth aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 14, wherein the continuous strip of edge trim includes the adhesive tape.
According to a sixteenth aspect, there is provided the method of any one of aspects 10-15, wherein the edge trimming apparatus comprises a laser directing a laser beam onto at least one of a first broad surface and a second broad surface of the flexible glass ribbon.
According to a seventeenth aspect, there is provided the method of aspect 16, further comprising directing a cooling jet onto the at least one of the first broad surface and the second broad surface thereby cooling the flexible glass ribbon at a location proximate the laser beam.
According to an eighteenth aspect, an apparatus that manages edge trim of a flexible glass ribbon comprises:
According to a nineteenth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of aspect 18, wherein the roll assembly comprises a drive shaft that is driven by a motor and a roll received by the drive shaft, the continuous strip of edge trim winding about the roll.
According to a twentieth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of aspect 19, wherein the drive shaft is expandable.
According to a twenty-first aspect, there is provided the apparatus of aspect 18 or aspect 19, wherein the drive shaft comprises a differential drive shaft assembly.
Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description or recognized by practicing the invention as exemplified in the written description and the appended drawings and as defined in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview or framework to understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of principles of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiment(s), and together with the description serve to explain, by way of example, principles and operation of the invention. It is to be understood that various features of the invention disclosed in this specification and in the drawings can be used in any and all combinations.
Embodiments described herein generally relate to processing of flexible glass ribbon and, more particularly, to management of strips of flexible glass removed from the flexible glass ribbon in a continuous fashion without chopping, breaking or crushing the strips of flexible glass into smaller pieces. The continuous strips of flexible glass may be separated from a central portion of the flexible glass ribbon and then collected (e.g., about a roll), while remaining connected to the central portion of the flexible glass ribbon.
Referring to
In embodiments where the flexible glass ribbon 10 is formed using a down draw fusion process, which is shown in part in
The flexible glass ribbon 10 is conveyed through the apparatus 12 using a conveyor system 30 (
As further illustrated, the lateral guides 32 and 34 can engage the first and second edges 16 and 18 on the tape 25 without engaging the central portion 20 of the flexible glass ribbon 10. As such, the pristine or quality surfaces of the opposed first and second broad surfaces 22 and 24 of the central portion 20 of the flexible glass ribbon 10 can be maintained while avoiding undesired scratching or other surface contamination that might otherwise occur if the lateral guides 32 and 34 were to engage either of the first and second broad surfaces 22 and 24 of the central portion 20. Moreover, the lateral guides 32 and 34 may engage the flexible glass ribbon 10 as it is being bent about an axis 46 transverse to the travel direction 36 of the flexible glass ribbon 10. Bending the flexible glass ribbon 10, as will be described in greater detail below, can increase the rigidity of the glass ribbon 10 throughout the bend. As such, the lateral guides 32 and 34 can engage the glass ribbon 10 in a bent condition. The forces 40 and 42 applied by the lateral guides 32 and 34 are therefore less likely to buckle or otherwise disturb the stability of the glass ribbon profile when laterally aligning as the flexible glass ribbon 10.
The apparatus 12 can further include a cutting zone 50 downstream from the axis 46. In one example, the apparatus 12 may include a cutting support member 52 configured to bend the flexible glass ribbon 10 in the cutting zone 50 to provide a bent target segment 54 with a bent orientation. Bending the target segment 54 within the cutting zone 50 can help stabilize the flexible glass ribbon 10 during the cutting procedure. Such stabilization can help prevent buckling or disturbing the flexible glass ribbon profile during the procedure of separating at least one of the first and second edges 16 and 18 from the central portion 20 of the flexible glass ribbon 10.
The cutting support member 52 can comprise a non-contact cutting support member 52 designed to support the glass ribbon 10 without touching the first and second broad surfaces 22 and 24 of the flexible glass ribbon 10. For example, referring to
Referring to
Providing the bent target segment 54 in the cutting zone 50 can also increase the rigidity of the flexible glass ribbon 10 throughout the cutting zone 50. As such, as shown in
As set forth above, providing the bent target segment 54 in a bent orientation within the cutting zone 50 can help stabilize the flexible glass ribbon 10 during the cutting procedure. Such stabilization can help prevent buckling or disturbing the glass ribbon profile during the procedure of separating at least one of the first and second edges 16 and 18. Moreover, the bent orientation of the bent target segment 54 can increase the rigidity of the bent target segment 54 to allow optional fine tune adjustment of the lateral orientation of the bent target segment 54. As such, the flexible glass ribbon 10 can be effectively stabilized and properly laterally oriented without contacting the first and second broad surfaces 22 and 24 of the central portion 20 during the procedure of separating at least one of the first and second edges 16 and 18.
Increased stabilization and rigidity of the bent target segment 54 of the flexible glass ribbon 10 can be achieved by bending the target segment 54 to include an upwardly convex surface and/or an upwardly concave surface along a direction of the axis 46. For example, as shown in
In another example, as shown in
The apparatus 12 can further include a wide range of edge trimming apparatus configured to separate the first and second edges 16 and 18 from the central portion 20 of the glass ribbon 10. In one example, as shown in
The optical delivery apparatus 102 may further comprise optical elements for redirecting a beam of radiation (e.g., laser beam 112) from the radiation source (e.g., laser 104), such as mirrors 114, 116 and 118. The radiation source can comprise the illustrated laser 104 configured to emit a laser beam having a wavelength and a power suitable for heating the flexible glass ribbon 10 at a location where the beam is incident on the flexible glass ribbon 10. In one embodiment, laser 104 can comprise a CO2 laser although other laser types may be used in further examples.
The laser 104 may be configured to initially emit the laser beam 112 with a substantially circular cross section (i.e. the cross section of the laser beam at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the laser beam). The optical delivery apparatus 102 is operable to transform laser beam 112 such that the beam 112 has a significantly elongated shape when incident on glass ribbon 10. As shown in
The boundary of the elliptical footprint can be determined as the point at which the beam intensity has been reduced to 1/e2 of its peak value. The laser beam 112 passes through circular polarizer 106 and is then expanded by passing through beam expander 108. The expanded laser beam 112 then passes through beam shaping apparatus 110 to form a beam producing the elliptical footprint on a surface of the bent target segment 54. The beam shaping apparatus 110 may, for example, comprise one or more cylindrical lenses. However, it should be understood that any optical elements capable of shaping the beam emitted by laser 104 to produce an elliptical footprint on the bent target segment 54 may be used.
The elliptical footprint can include a major axis that is substantially longer than a minor axis. In some embodiments, for example, major axis is at least about ten times longer than minor axis. However, the length and width of the elongated radiation zone are dependent upon the desired separating speed, desired initial crack size, thickness of the glass ribbon, laser power, etc., and the length and width of the radiation zone may be varied as needed.
As further shown in
With reference to
In one example, the coolant jet 130 comprises water, but may be any suitable cooling fluid (e.g., liquid jet, gas jet or a combination thereof) that does not stain or damage the upwardly facing surface of the bent target segment 54 of the flexible glass ribbon 10. The coolant jet 130 can be delivered to a surface of the flexible glass ribbon 10 to form the cooling zone 132. As shown, the cooling zone 132 can trail behind the elongated radiation zone 120 to propagate an initial crack formed by aspects of the disclosure described more fully below.
The combination of heating and cooling with the optical delivery apparatus 102 and the coolant fluid delivery apparatus 122 can effectively separate the first and second edges 16 and 18 along with the tape 25 applied thereto from the central portion 20 while minimizing or eliminating undesired residual stress, microcracks or other irregularities in the opposed edges 140, 142 of the central portion 20 that may be formed by other separating techniques. Moreover, due to the bent orientation of the bent target segment 54 within the cutting zone 50, the glass ribbon 10 can be properly positioned and stabilized to facilitate precise separating of the first and second edges 16 and 18 during the separating process. Still further, due to the convex surface topography of the upwardly facing convex support surface, the continuous strips of edge trim 150 and 152 can immediately travel away from the central portion 20, thereby reducing the probability that the first and second edges 16 and 18 will subsequently engage (and therefore damage) the first and second broad surfaces 22 and 24 and/or the high quality opposed edges 140, 142 of the central portion 20.
Turning again to
Referring to
The winding roll 162 may be formed of any suitable materials, such as a resin impregnated cardboard, polystyrene or any other disposable materials. The winding roll 16 includes an opening extending therethrough for receiving the drive shaft 164 and may be any suitable outer diameter, such as about six inches or more. The drive shaft 164 may be formed of any suitable material and may be expandable to facilitate assembly and removal of the winding roll 162. Exemplary expandable drive shafts capable of dimensional changes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,261, assigned to Goldenrod Corporation, Beacon Falls, CT.
As shown in
In the above edge winding examples of
Referring to
The above-described apparatus provides edge trim management for disposal of the continuous strips of edge trim in an efficient and safe manner in a clean room. The apparatus can utilize a roll assembly to roll the continuous strips of edge trim onto a disposable winding roll. The roll assembly can have the ability to simultaneously wind multiple strips of the edge trim after separating the strips of edge trim. Once the winding roll has reached its capacity of edge trim, the edge trim and winding roll can be removed and disposed of
In the previous detailed description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, example embodiments disclosing specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various principles of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art, having had the benefit of the present disclosure, that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from the specific details disclosed herein. Moreover, descriptions of well-known devices, methods and materials may be omitted so as not to obscure the description of various principles of the present invention. Finally, wherever applicable, like reference numerals refer to like elements.
Ranges can be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.
Directional terms as used herein—for example up, down, right, left, front, back, top, bottom—are made only with reference to the figures as drawn and are not intended to imply absolute orientation.
Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended that an order be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possible non-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic with respect to arrangement of steps or operational flow; plain meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation; the number or type of embodiments described in the specification.
As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a “component” includes aspects having two or more such components, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present invention, particularly any “preferred” embodiments, are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of various principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and various principles of the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/705781, filed on Sep. 26, 2012, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2013/061855 | 9/26/2013 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61705781 | Sep 2012 | US |
