EP4367073A1

EP4367073A1 - A chemical solution for cutting glass

Info

Publication number: EP4367073A1
Application number: EP22837182.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mohammed ASHIK V A; Kavya GANDHE; Sivakumar SAMAYAM
Original assignee: Saint Gobain Glass France SAS; Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA
Current assignee: Saint Gobain Glass France SAS; Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA
Priority date: 2021-07-06
Filing date: 2022-06-22
Publication date: 2024-05-15
Also published as: EP4367073A4; WO2023281526A1; MX2024000399A

Abstract

A chemical solution for cutting glass comprising a hydrocarbon-based cutting medium and an alcohol-based carrying medium is disclosed. The hydrocarbon-based cutting medium is selected from n-hexane, heptane, acetone, xylene, methyl cyclohexane, toluene or isooctane. The alcohol-based carrying medium is selected from diacetyl-alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, butyl alcohol or glycerol. The chemical solution comprises about 20 to 80% of the hydrocarbon-based cutting medium and about 80 to 20% of the alcohol-based carrying medium. The present disclosure also relates to a method of chemically cutting glass.

Description

A CHEMICAL SOLUTION FOR CUTTING GLASS

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates, in general to glass cutting, and more specifically to a chemical solution for cutting glass and a method for chemically cutting glass.

Background

In modem manufacturing operations, glass in sheet form is usually produced on a continuous basis. In order to sell glass in the many sizes and shapes required, it is necessary to cut the glass sheet to the required final sizes and shapes with suitable glass cutting devices. The principal glass cutting devices are of the type which scribe a small score across the glass sheet to be cut, the score being scribed by a material which is harder than glass, such as diamond. The score weakens the glass sheet and when bending pressure is applied to the glass along the score, the glass breaks along the score to produce a glass article of the desired size. All of the principal glass cutting methods employ the scribing technique, and the scribing tool used is always formed of a material harder than glass.

This conventional glass cutting method is no trouble when the glass to be cut is a plain glass substrate that has no pre-applied coating(s) on one or both of its surface. However, when a coating not limiting to paint or lacquer or other functional coatings such as a lamination layer for laminating glass or protective coating for providing safety from glass shattering is applied on the glass surface, the conventional glass cutting method becomes inefficient. This is particularly true for a glass bearing a lamination or a polymer-based coating layer. This is because, while the conventional cutting method seamlessly cuts the glass side of a coated glass sheet, it does little to cut through the coated side of the glass sheet i.e., the surface of the glass bearing these coating layers.

Alternatively, CNC cutting tools are used for cutting glass sheets bearing above mentioned coating layers wherein the glass is cut not from the glass side but from the coating side of the glass sheet. However, in the market there has always been a preference for cutting glass from the glass side as opposed to the coating side as the former provides more control over handling of the cutting tool.

On the other hand, there are existing teachings in the art that completely do away with the conventional scoring method and the CNC tools for cutting glass. There are glass cutting methods that employ a chemical solution instead of a scoring tool. Such methods also eliminate the use of high cost scoring/scribing tools in cutting glass.

Referring to the French application FR2386494 owned by the Applicant of the present application, relates to a method of cutting a glass laminate involving scoring the 2 outer glass sheets of the laminate, breaking the glass sheets along the line of scoring, heating to progressively bend the glass sheets along the scoring line to form a V and dribbling a solvent into the V such that the plastic at the bottom of the V is dissolved and the two parts of the glass are separated. Referring to another prior art, Chinese application CN103482878 relates to a method of chemically cutting glass involving a clamping device to position the glass to be cut in an etching solution comprising 10% - 20% hydrofluoric acid. However, both these prior art documents leave room for improvement. While the French application requires external heating for cutting the glass laminate, the Chinese application necessitates a clamping device and thereafter the use of an etching solution that is hazardous and not environment-friendly. Such prerequisites spike the production costs and hence leave room for simpler cost-effective solutions.

Thus there is a need in the market place to offer a chemical cutting means specifically for glass substrates bearing pre-applied coating(s) as mentioned earlier. Such a solution is also critical during post-processing of coated glass substrates, as glass substrates have varied intended size and shape often made from cutting a large piece of glass. Further it’s a need to develop simpler solutions that can be easily adapted by unskilled labor without demanding investments for equipment and manpower.

Thus in order to manufacture mirror, lacquered glass, laminated glass or functionally-coated glass having a variety of sizes and shapes at high process efficiency and productivity, development of a simple cutting solution that efficiently cuts through the underlying coating layer of the glass is essential. Its further imperative to be sure that such a proposed solution does not damage the underlying glass coating in areas beyond the intended cutting line.

The present disclosure relates to a simple 2-component solution that can used for cutting mirror, lacquered glass, functionally-coated glass and laminated glass. The chemical solution proposed by the present disclosure for cutting glass comprises 20 to 80% of a hydrocarbon-based cutting medium and 80 to 20% of an alcohol-based carrying medium. The proposed chemical solution requires no external heat or pressure to cut the glass substrates. A method for cutting glass using the chemical solution is also disclosed.

Summary of the Disclosure

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a chemical solution for cutting glass is disclosed. The chemical solution comprises a hydrocarbon-based cutting medium selected from n-hexane, heptane, acetone, xylene, methyl cyclohexane, toluene or isooctane; and an alcohol-based carrying medium selected from diacetyl-alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, butyl alcohol or glycerol. The hydrocarbon -based cutting medium constitutes about 20 to 80% of the chemical solution while the alcohol-based carrying medium constitutes about 80 to 20% of the chemical solution.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for chemically cutting glass is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: cleaning the surface of a glass, scoring the glass using a glass scoring tool, separating the glass surface along the scoring line to create a V-shaped wedge, applying the chemical cutting solution of the present disclosure in the V-shaped wedge and snapping apart the two pieces of the scored glass along the scoring line. The chemical cutting solution dissolves the underlying paint, lacquer, coating or interlayer of the glass to separate the two pieces of scored glass.

Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and are not limited to those shown in the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a glass sheet 100, according to multiple embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates scoring of a glass sheet 100 to form a V-shaped wedge, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates chemical cutting of glass sheet 100, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4A depicts an exemplary dispenser D for the chemical cutting solution, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4B depicts an exemplary dispenser D for the chemical cutting solution, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description

Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. Embodiments disclosed herein are related to a chemical solution for cutting glass and a method for chemically cutting glass.

FIG. 1 illustrates a glass sheet 100 which is meant to be cut with the chemical solution described in the present disclosure using the method that will be outlined below. Typically, the glass sheet 100 (and also all glass sheets in general) have a glass side A and a coating side B as indicated in the said figure. In a case where the glass sheet 100 is a lacquered glass then the coating C present on the coating side B is a lacquer. Likewise, if the glass sheet 100 is a laminated glass, then the said glass sheet may be adopted in such a way that it is obtained by adhering two glass substrates to each other with a lamination layer there between (not shown in figure). In another case where the glass sheet 100 is a coated glass, the coating side B is provided with a styrene-butadiene-based coating layers. In yet another case, where the glass sheet 100 is a mirror, the coating side B is provided with paint overlaid with additional layer or layers. Typically, the glass sheet 100 are manufactured around 10ft by 7ft or 8ft by 6ft, which then are cut into smaller shapes and sizes as is required for the retail market.

According to multiple embodiments of the present invention, the glass sheet 100 intended to be cut can be any of the type outlined above. In all embodiments of the present disclosure, the glass sheet 100 is intended to be cut on the glass side A. A scribe line on a surface of the sheet glass 100, similar to any conventional technique, can be formed with a diamond cutter or a sintered carbide wheel cutter. A scribe line is thus formed by scribing or scoring a line on the sheet glass 100 with a diamond cutter or a sintered carbide wheel cutter. A scribe line can be formed by means of a conventional CNC cutting method as that adopted by a CNC machine employed in a conventional technique.

That is, (1) placing the glass sheet to be cut on the cutting table, (2) measurement using a tape to determine the planned cutting line, (3) marking the planned cutting line and (4) scoring along the cutting line. With these simple steps, a scribe line can be formed on a surface of the sheet glass 100. In each of the type of glass sheet 100 described above the scoring action is performed on the glass side A. For a laminated glass, a planned cutting line is formed on one of the glass sub substrates of the laminated glass, a planned cutting line of the like is usually formed on the other sub-substrate usually directly below the planned cutting line on the first sub-substrate. In a case where the planned cutting line on the other sub substrate cannot be formed directly below, a cut face of the laminated glass is tracked in the thickness direction.

FIG. 2 illustrates a glass sheet 100 post a scoring operation, where the two parts of the scored glass sheet are gradually titled to create a V-shaped wedge W between the two parts of the glass sheet. As shown in the figure although the scoring action effectively separates the two parts of the glass, it does little to the underlying coating layer C in the glass sheet 100. This is because the scoring operation does not dissolve the underlying coating, which is often a polymeric coating that binds the glass sheet 100 together. In a particular embodiment of the present disclosure, the coating is a splinter-proof coating as that described in the PCT application PCT/IN2019/050652 owned by the Applicant of the present disclosure. As disclosed in the said application the splinter-proof coating forms a protective under layer to the glass substrate and prevents scattering of glass pieces on breakage of the glass substrate. The splinter-proof coating is a transparent self- adhesive film, on to which glass pieces formed on breakage of the glass adheres to thereby preventing them from scattering.

Therefore, during post-production of such glass sheets bearing coatings which are self-adhesive, a simple scoring operation only cuts the glass surface on the glass side A and not the underlying coating C on the coating side B. However, it should be noted that the coating described in PCT application PCT/IN2019/050652 is described only for exemplary purposes and does not in any manner limit the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure intends to cover all such similar coating which can be in a broader sense generally referred to as styrene-butadiene-based coating layers.

Furthermore, other glass sheets such as that of mirror, lacquered and laminated glasses are also prone to the above mentioned drawback of the simple scoring method for cutting glass sheets owing to the present of underlying paint/lacquer/coating layers.

This outlines the primary problem statement of the present disclosure. In order to effectively dissolve the underlying coating C of the glass sheet 100, the present disclosure proposes a steady dispensing action of a chemical solution in the V-shaped wedge W formed between the two parts of the glass sheet 100. The chemical solution dissolves the underlying coating C binding the two parts of the glass sheet to separate the two pieces of the scored glass sheet 100.

The chemical solution proposed by the present disclosure comprises of a hydrocarbon-based cutting medium that is effective in cutting/ dissolving the underlying coating of the glass sheet 100. The hydrocarbon -based cutting medium is mixed with an alcohol-based carrying medium that optimizes the performance of the hydrocarbon-based cutting medium. The carrying medium dilutes the cutting medium in such a way that the chemical solution does not penetrate through the coating C present in the glass sheet 100 post the cutting action. This property of the proposed chemical solution enhances efficiency of the cutting medium and ensures nil deterioration of the coating C. This is advantageous because, a deteriorated coating at the edges of the cutting line reduces the aesthetic quotient of the glass sheet and further decreases yield of cut glass during post-production. On the contrary if the cutting medium of the chemical solution were to be used alone, the cutting medium penetrates through the coating C present on the glass sheet 100 and deteriorates the coating C causing an undesirable effect. Therefore, to reduce this effect, a carrying medium is added to the cutting medium in an optimized quantity. The carrying medium does not affect the cutting process directly.

Further, it is ideal to have a cutting medium that is low in solubility and fast in evaporation and a carrying medium that does not affect the underlying coating of the glass sheet 100 and has zero to minimum deformation. Furthermore, it is deal to have the cutting medium and the carrying medium form a completely miscible solution such that the resulting chemical solution has good stability and prolonged shelf life.

According to multiple embodiments of the present disclosure, the chemical solution for cutting glass comprises a hydrocarbon-based cutting medium selected from a group consisting of n-hexane, heptane, acetone, xylene, methyl cyclohexane, toluene or isooctane and an alcohol -based carrying medium selected from a group consisting of di acetyl -alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, butyl alcohol or glycerol. For an effective cutting action, the hydrocarbon-based cutting medium constitutes about 20 to 80% of the chemical solution and the alcohol-based carrying medium constitutes about 80 to 20% of the chemical solution. The optimized % ranges of the hydrocarbon-based cutting medium and the alcohol-based carrying medium dissolves the underlying coating C of the glass sheet 100 post a scoring action without any defects to the coating C. According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the hydrocarbon-based cutting medium is n-hexane or heptane. According to another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the alcohol-based carrying medium is diacetyl-alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the chemical solution for cutting glass comprises at least n-hexane and diacetyl-alcohol. According to still another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the chemical solution for cutting glass comprises at least heptane and isopropyl alcohol.

According to a most preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the chemical solution for cutting glass comprises 20 to 80% (still more preferred 40% to 50%)n-hexane and 80 to 20% (still more preferred 50% to 60%) of di acetyl -alcohol (still more preferred 50% to 60%). According to another most preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the chemical solution for cutting glass comprises 20 to 80% (still more preferred 40% to 50%) heptane and 80 to 20% (still more preferred 50% to 60%) of isopropyl alcohol.

For the final step of the glass cutting process described in the present disclosure, the chemical solution is caused to flow into the V-shaped wedge W created post the scoring operation. When the chemical solution is caused to flow into the V-shaped wedge W formed along the scoring line, this action deepens the depth of the scoring line enabling the chemical solution to come in contact with the underlying coating C holding the two parts of the scored glass sheet 100.

Various means to cause the flow of the chemical solution into the V-shaped wedge W formed along the scoring line were explored. Some of the methods of delivery explored include using a syringe, bottle fitted with a dispenser needle, calligraphy pens, felt nib, sharp blades and delivery using a thread dipped in the chemical cutting solution. Based on the experiments performed with each of the delivery technique, delivery of the chemical solution using a bottle fitted with a dispenser needle was found to be easy-to-use and resulted in an even spread while in few instances caused higher flow of solution and wastage if a user where to apply more pressure while pressing the bottle. This excess flow of solution warranted a further cleaning step. Hence it was established that it was essential to control the rate of dispensing in order to provide optimized quantity/flow of solution for cutting without wastage of chemical solution.

In alternative embodiments of the present disclosure, any of the above mentioned technique can be optimized in order to obtain the best desired effect and so the present disclosure is in no manner limited by the dispending technique used for causing the flow of the chemical cutting solution into the V- shaped wedge formed along the scoring line. Therefore, any other means/ techniques for dispensing the chemical cutting solution of the present disclosure is well within the purview of the present disclosure. Automated dispensing techniques such as dispensing gun mimicking a stick glue dispenser or that of a tattoo gun or that of a spray gun are all considered as alternative embodiments through which the chemical cutting solution of the present disclosure can be caused to flow.

An exemplary dispenser D for the chemical solution of the present disclosure is depicted in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B. According to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, a dispenser D for the chemical solution of the present disclosure is designed to be made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP). A preferred capacity of such a dispenser D ranges between 150 - 250 ml and bears a precision hole made with a surgical suture needle. In exemplary preferred embodiment, the precision hole has a diameter ranging between 0.3 mm and 0.6 mm. The dispenser D shown in FIG. 4B optionally further comprises a jig to ensure repeatability in dispenser opening action. Furthermore, in another optional exemplary embodiment, a sealing lid can be added to the dispenser D to ensure zero leakage and lower evaporation of the chemical cutting solution therein.

With the present disclosure there is no necessity for any additional treatment step (such as heating or external pressure be it thermal or mechanical) post the cutting operation using the chemical solution. This is advantageous particularly because the cutting of a glass sheet 100 is performed at a low cost. Further this also means that productivity in glass cutting is improved. Furthermore, since the cutting of the glass sheet 100 is achieved using a chemical treatment step, the glass sheet 100 is not exposed to any physical damage thereby keeping the strength of the glass sheet intact post the cutting operation.

The cutting solution of the present disclosure is also effective in cutting laminated glasses comprises two sub-substrates of glasses bonded together by an adhesive interlayer. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive interlayers of laminated glasses comprise polyvinyl butyral- (PVB) or ethylene vinyl acetate- (EVA) or ethylene propylene diene monomer- (EPDM) based interlayers. In such cases the chemical solution effectively acts on the said interlayer(s) and dissolves the layer holding the two parts of the scored laminated glass. The cutting solution in accordance with the present disclosure comprising the alcohols isopropyl alcohol and diacetone alcohol, effectively dissolves the laminated glass comprising PVB and EDA adhesive interlayers.

The present disclosure further discloses a method for chemically cutting glass using the chemical solution described herein. The method comprises of steps (1) to (5). In multiple embodiments of the present disclosure, the glass sheet 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 of the type mirror, lacquered glass, coated glass or laminated glass is used for performing all or selected steps of the method.

The method comprises the steps of: (1) cleaning the surface of a glass sheet intended to be cut. Typically glass sheets as small as 100 mm * 100 mm

* 4 mm in size to glass sheets as large as 2440 mm * 3660 mm * 6 mm in size can be effectively cut using the method of the present disclosure. Mirrors of 2440 mm

* 3660 mm * 6 mm in size; lacquered glasses of X mm *Y mm * Z mm in size; coated glass sheets of 2440 mm * 3660 mm * 6 mm in size and laminated glasses of 2440 mm * 3660 mm * 12 mm in size are all eligible to be cut using the method of the present disclosure. Generally, a clean cloth is used for cleaning the surface of the glass sheet to be cut. In all embodiments of the present disclosure, the glass sheets are cut on the glass side A of the glass and hence the glass side A of the glass sheet is wiped clean using a clean cloth.

In step (2), the glass sheet is scored along a desired cutting line using a diamond tip cutting tool. The scoring line is typically about 0.05 mm in depth. Measurement of the desired cutting line is established using conventional means. Typically, the glass sheet to be cut is placed on a flat surface such as a working table (larger than the dimension of the sheet glass) such that the desired cutting line is aligned over a wooden block E or other suitable material placed on the flat surface as depicted FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

Following this, in step (3) the two parts of the scored glass sheet is snapped to create a V-shaped wedge using the support of the wooden block E or other suitable material used. The weight of the two parts of the scored glass sheet is usually sufficient for the breaking to take place without the action of additional force; however, if the part to be cut is narrow, its weight will probably not be sufficient and additional force will have to be applied either manually or mechanically to create the snapping action creating the V-shaped wedge.

In the penultimate step (4) the chemical solution prepared as per the teachings of the present disclosure is caused to flow into the V-shaped wedge. The chemical cutting solution of the present disclosure is envisioned to be kept prepared and stored in a suitable dispenser bottle as described earlier. Before use of the solution the dispenser bottle is required to be shaken well. According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the chemical solution is dispensed from the dispenser at a rate ranging between 0.5 to 2.5 ml per meter of the glass surface. Since such a small amount of chemical cutting solution is used, the vapors emitted by the alcohol-based carrying medium during the cutting operation are very negligible, which makes the cutting operation much less harmful than ever before. This step of causing the chemical cutting solution to flow into the V-shaped wedge of the scored glass sheet deepens the depth of a scoring line such that the solution comes in contact with the underlying coating of the glass sheet. Once the chemical cutting solution contacts the underlying coating a dissolution action takes place.

According to multiple preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the glass sheets intended to be cut using the method described in the present disclosure are mirror, lacquered glass, coated glass and laminated glass. According to still other preferred embodiments, the coated glass comprises styrene-butadiene-based coating layers and the laminated glass comprises polyvinyl butyral- (PVB) or ethylene vinyl acetate- (EVA) or ethylene propylene diene monomer- (EPDM) based interlayers. Depending on the type of glass sheet that is intended to be cut the chemical cutting solution dissolves the underlying paint, lacquer, coating or interlayer.

In the ultimate step (5), the two parts of the glass sheet are separated. The result is a clean cut without splinters. The chemical cutting solution of the present disclosure cuts the glass sheets within a maximum of 60 seconds of application time. Any excess cutting solution that may be present on the surface of separated glass sheets are wiped away with a clean cloth to prevent any occurrence of corrosion during stacking of the cut pieces of the glass sheet. Any excess cutting solution that may be present at the cut edges of the separated glass sheets are also wiped clean.

The described chemical cutting procedure of glass sheets advantageously require no external pressure or heat. The chemical cutting solution has a shelf life of a maximum of 2 years provided the dispenser used for storing the solution is leakage free and sealed with a lid that prevent evaporation of the solution.

Examples Example 1

Preparation of Chemical Solution for Glass Cutting The chemical cutting solutions were prepared by a simply mixing the components in said quantities as shown in table 1.

Table 1: Chemical Solution for Glass Cutting

Solution A and Solution B were tested for quantity required for cutting, speed of cutting, and any damage to the glass sheet or underlying coating of the glass sheet.

Example 2

Properties of Chemical Solution for Glass Cutting The properties such as density and viscosity were determined for solution A and solution B and the results are tabulated in table 2.

Table 2: Properties of Chemical Solution for Glass Cutting

Example 3

Chemical Cutting of Coated Glass

A splinter-proof coated glass of made according to the teaching of PCT application PCT/IN2019/050652 owned by the Applicant was tested for cutting efficiency using solution A. In order to cut a glass sample of size 915 mm x 1220 mmx 5 mm from a glass sheet that measured 1830 mm x 2440 mm x 5 mm, solution A was used. Post marking of the dimension to be cut on the glass sheet, a cutting scorer was used to score the glass sheet and create the V-shaped wedge, where a cleavage was formed with the coating remained intact. The Solution A was dispensed into the wedge and post 8 - 10 seconds of application, the glass sample was cut and separated from the glass sheet. The total cutting length was 2.14 m in length, for which 3-3.2 ml of solution A was used.

Example 4 Chemical Cutting of Coated Glass

A splinter-proof coated glass of made according to the teaching of PCT application PCT/IN2019/050652 owned by the Applicant was tested for cutting efficiency using solution B. In order to cut a glass sample of size 1000 mm x 1000 mm x 5 mm from a glass sheet that measured 1830 mm x 2440 mm x 5 mm, solution B was used. Post marking of the dimension to be cut on the glass sheet, a cutting scorer was used to score the glass sheet and create the V-shaped wedge, where a cleavage was formed with the coating remained intact. Solution B was dispensed into the wedge and post 6 - 7 seconds of application, the glass sample was cut and separated from the glass sheet. The total cutting length was 2 m in length, for which 2.3 - 2.5 ml of solution B was used.

Industrial Applicability

With the increasing use of glass substrates for both interior and exterior applications in buildings, the market needs a variety of customized glass products in varied sizes and shapes. In order to cater to the diverse needs of the market, a chemical treatment based cutting method which is user-friendly, environment-friendly with no hazardous effects and one that can be performed by unskilled labor becomes significant. Mirrors, lacquered glass, coated glass and laminated glass cut to desired shapes and sizes can be readily used for interior applications in a building not limited to wall cladding, curtain walling, furniture’s, flooring, cookware, railing and many more. Similarly, these can be used for exterior applications in a building not limited to window glazing, insulated glazing, spandrels, balusters etc.

The use of the proposed chemical solution of the present disclosure for cutting glass sheets including mirror, lacquered glass, coated glass or laminated glass has a number of advantages. While most of the prior art around this domain require additional treatment conditions while using a chemical solution to cut glass sheets, the present invention necessitates no further/ additional treatment step (such as heating or external pressure be it thermal or mechanical) post the cutting operation using the proposed chemical solution. This is advantageous particularly because the cutting of a glass sheet is performed at a low cost. Further this also means that productivity in glass cutting is improved. Furthermore, since the cutting of the glass sheet is achieved using a chemical treatment step, the glass sheet is not exposed to any physical damage thereby keeping the strength of the glass sheet intact post the cutting operation.

Note that not all of the activities described above in the general description or the examples are required, that a portion of a specific activity may not be required, and that one or more further activities may be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the order in which activities are listed is not necessarily the order in which they are performed.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature of any or all the claims.

The specification and illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The specification and illustrations are not intended to serve as an exhaustive and comprehensive description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that use the structures or methods described herein. Certain features, that are for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in a sub combination. Further, reference to values stated in ranges includes each and every value within that range. Many other embodiments may be apparent to skilled artisans only after reading this specification. Other embodiments may be used and derived from the disclosure, such that a structural substitution, logical substitution, or another change may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

The description in combination with the figures is provided to assist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein, is provided to assist in describing the teachings, and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings. However, other teachings can certainly be used in this application.

As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "has," "having" or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of features is not necessarily limited only to those features but may include other features not expressly listed or inherent to such method, article, or apparatus. 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 any one 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).

Also, the use of "a" or "an" is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural, or vice versa, unless it is clear that it is meant otherwise. For example, when a single item is described herein, more than one item may be used in place of a single item. Similarly, where more than one item is described herein, a single item may be substituted for that more than one item.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. To the extent that certain details regarding specific materials and processing acts are not described, such details may include conventional approaches, which may be found in reference books and other sources within the manufacturing arts.

While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof. List of Elements

100 Glass Sheet

A Glass Side

B Coating Side

C Coating

D Dispenser

E Wooden Block

Claims

1. A chemical solution for cutting glass comprising: a hydrocarbon-based cutting medium selected from n-hexane, heptane, acetone, xylene, methyl cyclohexane, toluene or isooctane; and an alcohol-based carrying medium selected from diacetyl-alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, butyl alcohol or glycerol, wherein the hydrocarbon-based cutting medium constitutes about 20 to 80% of the chemical solution and the alcohol-based carrying medium constitutes about 80 to 20% of the chemical solution.

2. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon-based cutting medium is preferably n-hexane or heptane.

3. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alcohol -based carrying medium is diacetyl-alcohol or isopropyl alcohol.

4. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 1 comprising at least n-hexane and diacetyl-alcohol.

5. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least heptane and isopropyl alcohol.

6. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glass can be selected from mirror, lacquered glass, coated glass or laminated glass.

7. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 6, wherein said coated glass comprises styrene-butadiene-based coating layers.

8. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 6, wherein said laminated glass comprises polyvinyl butyral- (PVB) or ethylene vinyl acetate- (EVA) or ethylene propylene diene monomer- (EPDM) based interlayers.

9. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 1, cuts the glass by dissolving the underlying paint, lacquer, coating or interlayer.

10. The chemical solution as claimed in claim 1, cuts the glass within 60 seconds of application time.

11. A method for chemically cutting glass comprising the steps of: cleaning the surface of a glass; scoring the glass using a glass scoring tool; snapping the glass surface along the scoring line to create a V- shaped wedge; applying the chemical cutting solution as claimed in claim 1 in the V-shaped wedge; and separating apart the two pieces of the scored glass along the scoring line, wherein the chemical cutting solution as claimed in claim 1, dissolves the underlying paint, lacquer, coating or interlayer of the glass to separate the two pieces of scored glass.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the scoring step is performed on the glass side.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the chemical cutting solution is dispensed from a dispenser.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the chemical cutting solution is dispensed at a rate ranging between 0.5 to 2.5 ml per meter of the glass surface.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, requires no external pressure or heat.